I say it often, but I really believe it takes a village to make important things happen. Because Underdare exists for the undergarment needs of trans men and women (as well as those who identify as non-binary and genderqueer) of all ages, being an active member of the local LGBTQIA+ community makes it easier for Underdare shoppers to feel less anxious when they finally step into the store.

 

How we show up in/for community:

• Sliding scale 

  • we offer a sliding fee for shoppers with low- or no- incomes

• Collect gently used undergarments ​

  • donate them to various organizations around town. Our favorites are Nine Lives Thrift, a non-profit thrift store on West Seventh  in St Paul,  and the Hopkins Public Library for their annual transgender clothing swap, and Hamline University

  • donate them in store to those in need​

• Pop ups 

  • bringing our inventory out into the community for walk-up shopping

    • some of our past favorites include Gender Affirming Shopping NIghts at Arc Value Village and pop ups at Hamline University an our new pop-up collaboration with Wild Things Collective and Clapping Monkey House of Coffee, starting in June 2026

    • contact us if you're interested in hosting a pop up at your venue​​

• Goals for the future

• • Some of our goals in the next year

    • organize a gender-affirming clothing swap

    • partner with a make-up brand to help with make-up tutorials

    • start a lending library.

 

How community can show up for us: 

from financial or product donations, volunteering, sharing our project, to connecting us with organizations/programs that you think might help Underdare succeed—the hope is to become strong enough to take what we have built and turn it into a vibrant, socially responsible organization, so that we can give back to the LGBTQIA+ community even more!

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Big plans take big dollars. 

Big plans take big dollars. Underdare has a crowdfunding campaign on chuffed.org that assisted with the build-out of the lower level into a real retail space but unfortunately we still need more to keep up with inventory purchasing (tarriffs, and ever increasing prices anyone??!?). If you have the means donate, it would help so much -- and if you could swing monthly support ($5, $10, or even $25 per month) that helps keeps the lights on!

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Underdare values community and community building and aims to be a space where community members feel safe, seen, and valued. With all the challenges people in the trans+ community face, finding underwear shouldn’t be among them.