Williams, who would only say she that she's in her thirties, lives near the library, and is also a part-time student at Sarah Lawrence College, where she's doing coursework in environmental studies. Wearing a gray fedora and a matching dress, she said she doesn't shop for clothes: “I am anti-consumer. I am totally a bad consumer.”

And if abysmal earnings reports from retail concerns from Abercrombie and Fitch (ANF) to Sears (SHLD) to Gap (GPS) to Nordstrom (JWN) are any indication, Williams is scarcely alone in being a bad consumer.

Shortly before 2 p.m., more people arrived, and Williams interrupted our conversation to greet people and sort through their clothes. Fela Kuti and Marvin Gaye played in the background. “You always wear such beautiful clothes around the neighborhood,” Williams said to one neighbor, who smiled broadly.

Most were women, and they shared many reasons for coming: to empty out their closets, tap into a community, and for environmental and organic purposes. There was a utopian feeling to the scene: women and men; old and young; black and white; well-to-do and poor; large and small, all joined by common principles. Some told me it was cathartic -- almost spiritual -- to look at the rainbow-colored mounds of clothes and accessories (some from high-end labels) and consider their second lives.

As a subculture, swapping seems to have found a home in Brooklyn. Williams mentioned 2 larger groups that host monthly events. Courtney Bennett, who also lives in the neighborhood, organized one at the library last October. She then met Williams, who was doing the same. Working together, Williams spearheaded their combined efforts.

“People are asking if this happens every week,” Bennett said, something I myself overheard several times.

As I spoke to Bennett, more and more people came in. One 20-something girl stumbled in with 2 huge plastic bags of clothes and a laundry basket filled to its brim with shoes. She said they’ve been sitting in her closet for months. I overheard one woman call herself a swapaholic. I went over and, apologizing for eavesdropping, asked her what it means to be a swapaholic.

“For me, swapping is basically an environmental issue,” Felice Flores told me. “Our culture is based on this obsolescence…You have to keep feeding the machine.” She continued, “I live my life a bit differently. I’m not a politician; I’m not into saving the world. I want to do something in my life to feel good.”