Ray of Sunshine: Thrift store provides jobs for special needs individuals

Nov. 27—Clad in a pink tuxedo shirt, Travis English sat in front of a bin sorting and testing donated toys.

"Ice Age," the 30-year-old English said, holding up Diego, a saber-toothed tiger figurine from the animated movie.

"Travis is a wealth of knowledge about movies and music. We are lucky to have him," said Jeff Sharp, founder and director of Everyday Sunshine Thrift Store.

Opened in September at GraceLife Church in Southeast Decatur, the thrift store, envisioned by the husband-and-wife team of Jeff and Andrea Sharp, employs four individuals with special needs. The Sharps hope to double that number by the end of the first year.

"Our goal is to not only provide jobs, but also provide socialization for them and a place for the community to interact with individuals with special needs," Jeff Sharp said.

Inspiration for the thrift store stemmed from the Sharps' 15-year-old daughter Amelie, who was born with a rare brain disorder, ataxic cerebral palsy and congenital cataracts.

"When Amelie started attending the ARC of Morgan County, we met other parents of children with disabilities. One of the main concerns that they all shared was, 'What is my child going to do when they finish school,'" Jeff Sharp said.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for people with intellectual disabilities is 80%.

One of the parents the Sharps met was Lisa English, Travis' mother.

"Travis grew up at the ARC of Morgan County. They offer an after-school care program for special needs students. That is where we came to know and love Jeff and his family," Lisa English said. "After graduating (Austin) high school in 2014, Travis started working at Terrell Industries in Hartselle. Then one day Jeff called and shared his dream and it was an answered prayer. Travis loves going to 'Jeff's Store.'"

Seven years ago, when the Sharps started discussing opening a business targeting workers with special needs, Jeff wrote an employee "dream team" list in his prayer journal.

The first name was Travis English.

"Travis is happy to go to work. ... Having a job is good for all of us. We all have a need to be purposeful, needed," Lisa English said. "He doesn't voice that, but the fact that he sets his lunch box out the night before tells me that he is enjoying this new journey in his life."

During his typical 8-hour work week, Travis puts stickers on books, records and DVDs, dusts the shelves and details the shoes.

"Travis is so gentle when he dusts. It shocked his mother. She said he's going to have to start doing it at home now. He also details shoes like he is detailing a car," Jeff Sharp said. "When you find what their skill is and where they can shine, it is pretty amazing."

Finding Bryant Woodall's role in the store's operation came easily.

"Welcome to my room," the 50-year-old Woodall said, walking into a space filled with hanging racks and dozens of bags of donated clothes.

A former department store worker, Woodall described the sorting, hanging and folding of clothes as "right up my alley."

"I go through hundreds of pieces of clothing a day. They keep multiplying, I don't know how it happens," Woodall said with a laugh. "It gets overwhelming at times, but then I calm down and start again." — Mentors and supporters

The Sharps met Woodall in August when he started volunteering at the thrift store.

"I go to First Baptist in Decatur. The people there know Jeff. I heard about the store and wanted to volunteer," Woodall said. "It felt great to be offered a job. I was looking for something. This fell in my lap."

Like with all of the employees, the first time the Sharps met Woodall, they asked what he did and did not like to do.

"Finding exactly what each person was comfortable with socially was very important for their success," Jeff Sharp said. "Like, with Bryant, he's very social one-on-one, but doesn't like larger groups."

"I get self-conscience with big groups of people. I like to be behind the scenes," Woodall said.

To prepare the employees, the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services provided a job coach and 12 hours of training for each worker. ADRS also determined how many hours the employees can work.

"A lot of these guys are on disability. We needed to figure out how much they could work so it would not interfere with their services, which can impact insurance. ADRS helped with all of that," Sharp said.

Along with ADRS, the Sharps received support from their mentor Dave Krikac, owner of Our Thrift Store in Franklin, Tennessee, which employees 25 individuals with special needs, and their church GraceLife.

"Our pastor, Orville Collins, was one of our main cheerleaders. He offered us use of the church's 5,000-square-foot fellowship hall for the store," Jeff Sharp said. "He passed away the week before our soft opening. We are so thankful for his support and the support of the church." — Creating connections

Beyond providing jobs, the Sharps hope the store serves as a gathering place where the city can connect with members of the special needs community.

They want people to get to know the Bryant who loves his church, puns, Auburn shirts, traveling and video games.

They want people to get to know the Travis who loves music, movies, dancing, swimming and "Home Alone" pranks so much his mother has to hide the bubble wrap.

"What I would love is for people to come in here and see Travis in the toy section and be like, 'Hey, there's Travis.' That would be really awesome to develop those relationships," Jeff Sharp said.

The store is open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Wednesday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Accepted donations include gently used clothing, housewares, kitchen items, books, records and new stuffed animals. Drop off donations Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

"The community has been very generous. We didn't know what to expect, but we didn't expect this. We have been given two whole estates. In two months, because of how much the community has given us, we have outgrown our donation area. We are so thankful we have had the community's support," Jeff Sharp said.

— cgodbey@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2441. Twitter @DecaturLiving.