A no-cost shop tucked inside Peterson Space Force Base has long served lower-ranking military members and their dependents, offering everything from household basics to gently worn military clothing without charge. Shoppers holding a rank of E-5 or below, together with their families, may choose five items per weekly visit. Eligibility reaches across the region's junior service members, covering Army and Space Force personnel at the sergeant level or lower, as well as Air Force members at or below the staff sergeant grade.
What fills the shelves ranges from critical everyday supplies such as baby wipes to items that simply lift spirits, like a lamp or a picture book for a child. Donated goods — cups, bowls, holiday decorations, toys, and children's clothing among them — stock most of the inventory, and the flow of contributions surges during summer months when relocating service members drop off belongings in such numbers that boxes can pile up outside the building.
A separate room holds donated uniform pieces — fatigues, dress blues, and boots — that service members pass along before moving on, and those items can meaningfully reduce what a troop must spend to outfit themselves. Buying new, a dress jacket through the Army and Air Force Exchange Service runs roughly $192. The five-item weekly cap does not govern the uniform room, which draws visitors spanning from the most junior ranks to the equivalent of a full colonel, and everything selected there counts as only a single item against the weekly allowance.
Two volunteer co-managers who are both military spouses have guided the shop for decades, and they understand firsthand how hard it can be for young troops who have just completed basic training and are living on their own for the first time. Their approaches to supporting those visitors differ considerably in tone. One co-manager said she offers visiting troops hugs. The other tends toward practical guidance — cooking tips when someone heads out with food in hand — along with a frank push toward self-reliance, which she summed up as telling troops to "put your big boy pants on and buck up."
The pair also seeded Peterson's first on-base food pantry, funding it themselves before the Peterson, Schriever, and Cheyenne Mountain Spouses' Club took over and moved it into a larger facility. A smaller grab-and-go food area inside the Attic itself remains active and draws steady interest. Donations that cannot be placed on the shop's own shelves find other uses — soiled blankets, for instance, are directed to the local Humane Society of the Pikes Peak region for animal comfort.
A crew of 17 volunteers keeps the operation running by sorting and cleaning incoming donations, among many other duties. The shop operates Monday through Wednesday from mid-morning to early afternoon at 1525 Selfridge St.
Whether the volunteer team will expand ahead of the summer donation surge — historically the shop's busiest and most demanding stretch — is a question worth watching in coming months.