When people go to the Poppin’ Tags Free Store in West Deer, they deserve to shop with dignity, says owner Sonya Dembowski.

Neither she nor her volunteers ask questions of shoppers, and they will help them find whatever clothes, toys or housewares they need.

That’s what makes people dropping off junk at the store so much more frustrating, Dembowski said.

Recently, she said, an influx of “donations” have arrived to Poppin’ Tags that would better be served to go in a garbage can.

Dembowski cited moldy clothes, broken dishes and even a toilet as some of the items dropped off outside the store. She took three truckloads of trash to the dump last Sunday, she said.

Poppin’ Tags has a mission of offering shoppers only quality items.

“We take things and we add it to the shelf with pride,” she said. “We give it a label and we give it a name.”

Everything in the store is free. It opened in 2020 in East Deer and has been at its current location, at 756 Little Deer Creek Valley Road, West Deer, since April 2021.

There is no registration or income guidelines required to shop at the store.

“I don’t care who comes here. I don’t care what your income class is. … I don’t assume your need,” she said.

“You just come and take what you need.”

That model has worked well for Dembowski, who said she came from poverty and understands the needs people have.

“We had a big need for clothes this year,” she said. “The need has definitely increased.”

Dembowski is a housekeeper who, for years, has taken people’s discarded items and found them new homes.

“I’ve technically been doing this for years now, making sure things find a safe place,” she said.

And even being open for a couple of years, the store already has made a positive impact in the community.

Dembowski gave an example of a woman who had left an abusive relationship and went to Poppin’ Tags for dress clothes to wear at a job interview. She landed the job.

Another woman with a financial hardship told Dembowski that, thanks to her store, her grade school-aged son was able to get nice clothes for school, preventing him from being picked on like in previous years.

“It’s nice to help families that come in and actually need stuff,” said store volunteer Kylee Eshenbaugh of Clinton Township. “It feels good to help somebody in need.”

The store has 20 volunteers, all of whom were customers at one point, Dembowski said. Poppin’ Tags also works with other organizations and businesses in the community. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities at C.A.R.E.S. Inc. volunteer time at the store. Police at Point Park University helped to stock the store with leftover food, bedding and clothes from dorm rooms when classes ended last spring.

For back to school, people could sponsor a student for a bookbag drive. The store also was able to provide students in need with tumblers and journals.

“We work with the community,” Dembowski said. “We fill the gaps.”

The store also has received an influx of quality donations, Dembowski said, which is appreciated.

People can donate by dropping off items during store hours, using its donation bin outside or by contacting Dembowski on the store’s Facebook page or emailing sonyad.freestore@gmail.com.

Public hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

“We don’t ask questions. I shouldn’t have to feel low-income every day. I don’t want people to feel afraid that they need to ask for help,” Dembowski said.

“They can come here and shop with dignity. That’s what’s important to me.”

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