They come to this small closet, tucked inside the sprawling Goodwill Industries store on Charleston's West Side, to borrow crutches, wheelchairs and walkers.
The clientele includes teenagers recovering from sports injuries, people who've had knee and hip surgery and seniors who just need a little help getting around the house.
You don't have to pay a dime to take home anything inside Goodwill's "Durable Medical Equipment Closet." You can borrow the equipment and return it when you're done.
"We're just trying to help with the basic things," said Kathy McKinley, community relations director of Goodwill Industries of the Kanawha Valley. "It's expensive equipment you can't readily hand off to a neighbor."
Goodwill's retail store has always sold assisted-living and medical equipment - and still does.
"There are still people who prefer to buy it, so we still do that," McKinley said.
But over the past year or so, Goodwill staff has been setting aside some of the better pieces and storing the equipment in a closet.
In addition to wheelchairs, crutches and walkers, there's usually a portable commode or two, bathtub seats, canes and sometimes transfer benches. It's best to call before you come to Goodwill to check on the medical equipment closet's inventory.
People recovering from injury and surgery aren't the only ones using the closet.
Some equipment borrowers might be waiting for their insurance company to approve the purchase of a new item. Others might want to try out equipment before they buy it, or need a spare pair of crutches or an extra walker to keep at the house. Some insurance plans don't cover all types of medical equipment.
"If you have a sick loved one, you're money is going to so many things anyway," McKinley said. "It's nice to know there's an option."
Customers can keep the equipment as long as they like, and they don't have to return it if it breaks.
All of the medical equipment in the closet is donated by people who no longer have a use for it. The closet doesn't have electric scooters or hospital beds.
"We want people to now they can come here and get a pair of crutches or a walker," McKinley said. "If we have it here, it's because community members have supported us, and we want to support them back."
To contact the Goodwill store at 215 Virginia St. W. in Charleston, call 304-346-0811.
Reach Eric Eyre at ericeyre@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4869 or follow @ericeyre on Twitter.