It’s located in a very pleasant, but generic, office park off a major highway. That’s about the only ordinary thing I can say about this storefront named Loft 181.
Because Loft 181 is NOT ordinary.
Billed as a “boutique-style” shop, Loft 181 caters to a very unique segment of the population: girls in foster care and girls and women who are victims of sex trafficking.
Loft 181 is also not ordinary because a key component of a retail store is missing from their premises: the cash register. And they are open for business by appointment only.
Females who come to shop at the 3000+ square foot store are not charged for anything they choose. Instead, this boutique – with its very strong shabby chic, upscale vibe – treats all its clients as valued customers, although no money exchanges hands.
The volunteers who help the visitors are personal shoppers and, in their own words, “hope dispensers.” And they certainly are. From the moment the girl or young woman arrives on the doorstep of this voluminous “clothes closet,” she is greeted with warmth and personal sustained attention for the approximately 90 minutes she will be there picking out clothing, jewelry, accessories, beauty products and undergarments.
One girl.
One appointment at a time.
Before a client arrives, one of the very special things a volunteer does is write the client’s first name on a framed picture hanging right outside the dressing room she will be using.
Jennifer Whitten, Loft 181 store manager, and Emily Petrilli (senior director of planned giving for the umbrella non-profit One More Child) filled me in on the details. “Often this attention to the girl or woman could be the very first time in her life she has received positive feedback. As Loft’s personal shoppers learn more about the girls and women, their clients literally ‘open up.’ Counteracting the dark circumstances of their lives is as much a part of the process as the actual wardrobe choosing. And,” adds Jennifer, “instantly leads to a much sunnier perspective for them.”
The volunteers who help with the personal shopping also are aware of the concept of “trauma-informed care” – a general mindfulness of the type of things the girls have been through and what is appropriate and not appropriate to say. People who are trained in trauma-informed care understand that a person’s life experience — especially past trauma — has a direct effect on that person’s behavior. Great care is given to how to act so nothing negative is triggered in respect to the girls.
Loft 181 strives to provide a safe, nurturing space where clients get full-on, one-on-one attention – where they are treated with respect and dignity.
There is total attention given to each detail every step of the Loft 181 experience. For example, there is a prominent tag with the client’s name in a cheerful script already on the bag that will hold the client’s choices. They are also given a prayer card before they leave and details of their particular story are written and filed so that when they next visit, the volunteer can ask them follow-up questions – demonstrating interest and compassion.
Rooms and nooks and crannies are segregated by contents:
Gown room
Shoe room
Jeans room
Racks of t shirts and jewelry
Tables of purses
Intimacy room – body care products and intimate apparel
(Most items in Loft 181 are gently worn – except for underwear, which is brand new.)
Toward the back of the sprawling expanse of rooms is the counseling and fellowship room. Comfy couches and snacks abound. After shopping, patrons kick back their shoes and eat home-baked goodies donated by volunteers – and some deep and meaningful conversations naturally take place.
“Any particular challenges facing Loft 181?” I asked Jennifer.
“The clients just keep coming – it is a constantly revolving door – the boutique serves about 300 women a year and gives out about 10,000 items of clothing annually,” notes Jennifer. “We have about 30 consistent volunteers and we could use more of these personal shoppers.
The only day off limits to assemble a wardrobe is Tuesday – that is sorting day for the donated clothes that come in and it is chaotic – from 9am to 3pm. Volunteers are needed for that too.”
As I got ready to depart from this magical space, I couldn’t help but ask two final questions:
Were there any limits on how many items of clothing a client could take at once?
Jennifer’s reply: We tell them we do have limits on things, but we are not good at counting.
What is the most prevalent reaction among the patrons?
Jennifer’s reply: Why would you do this for me?
Why?
Because the people at Loft 181 believe every life should be loved and valued.
If you believe that too and would like to volunteer or donate much needed items (like size 7-8 gently worn shoes or plus size clothing), please contact store manager Jennifer Whitten at jenniferwhitten@onemorechild.org
Before I left this beautiful space, Jennifer, Emily and I talked about the concept of synchronicity – the simultaneous occurrence of events which appear significantly related, but have no discernible casual connection.
Shortly after our chat, I hastily scribbled down notes in preparation for writing this newsletter.
LOFT 181, I wrote down, is a faith-based Christian initiative. And then I took a closer look at Loft 181:
1 and 8 when read from left to right
And
1 and 8 when read from right to left
= 18
The number 18 in Judaism – my religion – is a significant number, which means life. And the angel number of 18 conjures up the power of infinite possibilities. Exactly what Loft 181 does.
Imagine that!
Keep Preserving Your Bloom,
Iris Ruth Pastor