Gratis Tienda

Gratis Tienda is a project that was born in Ciudad Juárez as a solidarity economy alternative. It is a store promoted by Julio Morales at the beginning of 2021 that has grown with the help of the community.

The initiative works with solidarity labor. Julio explains that it is not a matter of donations but of exchanging things: you leave what you do not need so that someone else can use it. In this sense, the project’s articulation axes are: care for the environment by reusing and not generating garbage; solidarity economy, where work is based on horizontality and reciprocity; and material detachment, which encourages the circulation of things.

Although it is centered in Manuel Bernal’s store, right now the “gratis tienditas” have been launched to replicate the model on a small scale throughout the city. At least 18 other stores have been registered based on the same principle. It is worth mentioning that these tienditas are not officially affiliated with the Gratis Tienda, and only follow the model.

It offers a large number of free things that can serve in the way of migrants.