Gift registries after divorce offer a new way to support loved ones

Monogrammed towels. A toothbrush holder for four, rather than three. Shared bedding. For people putting a life back together after divorce, mundane household objects can be painful marital reminders.

Also difficult can be the absence of items that departed with the ex-spouse.

Olivia Howell knows all too well how it felt, going through her own divorce in 2019 after eight years of marriage and two kids. Her husband decamped with his stuff and she donated other items that triggered unwelcome emotions to a thrift shop.

“What was left in the house was almost nothing,” she said.

Howell then got busy replenishing, and trying to make the experience better for others through Fresh Starts. It's a gift registry specifically for rebuilding after