Man honoring daughter’s legacy with free clothing closet
By Jamie Azulay
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MANCHESTER, Maine (WMTW) — Ainsley’s Closet, a free clothing resource, is now open at Everest Recovery in Manchester. Doug Kilgore works for the opioid treatment center, and he started this project in memory of his daughter, who passed away after a battle with alcohol addiction in November 2024.
Ainsley’s Closet can be shopped by appointment by patients and community members in need. Kilgore explained, “Pick out two outfits that fit you from stem to stern, and then you put them in a bag, and you exit stage left at no fee.”
Before Ainsley died, she asked her dad for help getting rid of some old clothes. Her only request was that they were not sold. Kilgore said, “My philosophy has always been, and I think Ainsley’s was as well, that you’re giving the clothes away anyway, so why don’t we just give them to someone who really needs them?”
With the support of his co-workers and local retail experts, Kilgore designed Ainsley’s Closet to resemble a commercial store. He wanted to give people in need the chance to “shop” for their own clothes. That’s something he remembers Ainsley, who he referred to as a fashionista, loved to do.
“It’s not stuff that’s just being given to them,” he said. “They can actually pick and find an outfit that really, truly works for them.” This is an approach the state’s director of opioid response, Gordon Smith, believes can help break the stigma associated with addiction.
Smith said, “These types of things that help a person in their dignity and in their individualism is huge, so whether it’s housing, clothing, food security – all incredibly important.” He explained addiction is a chronic illness, and it should be treated as such.
The small storefront is guarded by a stuffed bear made from one of Ainsley’s shirts. It sits on a shelf beside a photo of Ainsley and below a sign that says, “The darkest nights produce the brightest stars.”
“She was that bright star on a dark night,” Kilgore said. The phrase is a reminder of his daughter’s brilliant personality. Ainsley’s friends describe her as the life of the party and a friend who was willing to join in on any adventure.
Kilgore said that quote on the wall also reminds him of the stars in the sky on the night she died. A photo of the moon and stars from Nov. 15, 2024, hangs on the opposite wall.
He said, “I think that was her just saying, ‘Hey Dad, I’m OK. I’m OK. Things are going to be good.’ And then, the next day, the sun rose. The stars came back up, and Ainsley’s closet came into existence.”
Kilgore has already given away more than 1,000 articles of clothing and helped 643 people in the year he spent getting Ainsley’s Closet ready to officially open. “It’s her closet,” he said. “You know, people are just kind enough to donate to it, but she’s kind of the driving force behind all of this and who we are and what we’re doing today. And I’m hoping that will continue for years to come.”
Kilgore hopes to expand the closet to other Everest Recovery locations in the future. He can be reached through the Ainsley’s Closet website to coordinate a donation drop-off or make a shopping appointment.
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