JWHS student helps create Bailey’s Closet to honor friend

The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — Cassie Sparrow remembers her friend Maryanne “Bailey” Huffman as a fashionista.

“Bailey loved thrift stores and could put together great outfits with what she found,” Cassie, 16, said with joy in her voice. “She’d get upset if she had to pay more than five dollars for a T-shirt.”

Cassie and Bailey’s mother, Ann Huffman, focused on the young woman’s appreciation for thrift and love of second-hand clothes when they decided to honor her memory by creating Bailey’s Closet.

Huffman was 20 years old and a college student when she died in September 2015 after overdosing on Smarties laced with a synthetic hallucinogen called Flubromazolam, a psychoactive drug.

“Bailey was like a big sister to me,” Cassie said recently. “We grew up together.”

Bailey’s Closet will be filled with gently used prom dresses, shoes and prom accessories for girls who are thrifty and stylish.

A fundraising basketball game was held Friday night at James Wood High School, Bailey’s alma mater. The current varsity team played alumni from Bailey’s Class of 2013.

Proceeds will be used to buy second-hand dresses and hangers as well as pay for dry cleaning.

The basketball game netted $1,708 for Bailey’s Closet after expenses, Cassie said. About $600 was spent on T-shirts for the players and decorations prior to the game.

The game was attended by 134 people, including members of Bailey’s family.

Cassie credits Bailey’s mother with the idea for Bailey’s Closet, but she is keen to make it a success for years to come.

“Right now, Bailey’s Closet is a room in my house,” Cassie said, adding there are already 200 dresses there. “My mom and Ann have been amazing, and everyone’s been so generous.”

Over a few weekends each spring, beginning in 2017, the prom dresses and accessories will be moved to James Wood High School.

“Girls can come in, pick their dresses, and leave deposits,” Cassie said. The deposit ranges from $100 to $150 and will be refunded if the dresses are returned in good condition.

“Some of the dresses are worth $500 or more,” Sparrow said. “The deposit means the dresses will be returned. Our fundraising will pay for dry cleaning, so the dresses can be worn again.”

On the day of the prom, young women can also have their hair and makeup done at Bailey’s Closet.

In its first year, Bailey’s Closet will be open to James Wood students. If it’s successful, Bailey’s Closet will be open to all local high school students in 2018, said Cassie, who is a junior at James Wood.

“I want everyone to remember the great things about Bailey.”

— Contact Cathy Kuehner at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.