Thrifty BUSINESS
Shopping at Arc Thrift is about more than finding bargains; customers also support programs that benefit people with disabilities
Y ou’ll find her on any given day just inside the door of the JCRS Arc Thrift Store in Lakewood. Lorraine Espinoza offers each customer a big smile and a hello when they enter. She also tells them what’s on sale. “White tags are half-price today,” she informed a mom and daughter on a recent afternoon.
What separates Espinoza, 48, from the greeter you might find in another store is that she is in a wheelchair and has a voice that catches due to her struggle to breathe. She has cerebral palsy and asthma, conditions that have required multiple surgeries and endless patience on her part.
She’ll admit to having bad days and that she can’t afford to buy the new wheelchair that she needs, but what you’ll mostly hear from her is a stream of positive comments about her work, her life and her family. She writes poetry and likes to go to Denver Nuggets games. She will happily wear a costume to promote Halloween merchandise, or a silly hat when it’s time to shake things up.
Espinoza has worked at Arc Thrift for a decade and the part-time job is a highlight of her life. “My customers are friends,” she says. “I have watched their kids grow up.”
She tried and failed at another job because of
her mobility issues and lack of motor skills. “All they could see was that I couldn’t lift a box. Here, they find your strengths and don’t hold you down. You don’t feel handicapped.”
What Arc Thrift discovered in her, she said is “I’m a good people person. They liked my personality.”
Her comments are spot-on, said Lloyd Lewis, president and CEO of Arc Thrift. “With us, Lori found a place to be where people honor her and value her contributions.”
When Lewis joined Arc Thrift in 2005, the non-profit organization employed about 10 people with disabilities. The company has grown — it now has 25 retail stores in Colorado and a few more on the way – and has more than 300 employees with disabilities in its stores, warehouse and corporate office. “They are truly integrated and involved in all our efforts and that has become a very big thing for us,” said Lewis, who has a 14-year-old son with Down syndrome.
“It was something I felt was important — to support our mission of having people with intellectual and developmental disabilities gain self-respect, selfdetermination and independence in their communities and work place,” Lewis said.
Making a difference
Not only is Arc doing a good thing by providing work for the disabled, the employees also are indispensable to the organization, he says. “They love to contribute, they are team-oriented and love to help each other.”
“It’s the same for you and me as it is for our employees,” Lewis said. “A big part of self-worth is being productive and contributing in the workplace. Earning a paycheck, paying taxes and knowing they make a difference is truly one of the things that is most important in their lives.”
Seth Weshnak, 30, agrees. When he started working at the JCRS Arc Thrift store three years ago, he was putting in about 10 hours a week. He’s now up to 32 hours and is a cashier whose duties include training new cashiers.
“I love staying up on the register and looking out on the floor when it’s busy,” said Weshnak, who has been diagnosed with Aspberger’s and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He said he considers it “a huge honor” to be singled out to do the training and thinks of his co-workers as supporters and friends. “If I didn’t have this store and the people, I don’t know what I’d do,” he said.
Scott Jeffers is the store manager who recognized Weshnak’s math abilities and concentration. “You can watch them change over time,” Jeffers said employees who receive encouragement. “They stand taller and feel proud. They come to work feeling good because they know how much we need them.”
Jeffers said working with Weshnak and Espinoza has been a learning experience for him and his able-bodied employees as well. “The disabled are motivated and have goals. They just might need a little extra time to do things. I am in awe of what they do.”
His role as manager is also personally rewarding. “I didn’t know they would end up being my family and friends,” Jeffers said. “We do things together and at Christmas they come to my home and help me decorate.”
Of the 50-plus workers at the Lakewood store, 10 have disabilities. And a subset of them, such as Espinoza, Weshnak and Rico Torrez, are Arc ambassadors, a designation that enables them to get enrichment programs, job training and placement. They have monthly social outings where they go sailing, fishing, bowling and to karaoke events.
Making a contribution
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that just about 18 percent of people with disabilities were employed. Arc Thrift is doing its part to demonstrate to other companies that people with a variety of disabilities can make positive contributions in the work force, according to Lewis.
“There are a number of businesses that have learned from us and emulate us,” Lewis said. “We are now one of the largest Colorado employers that has disabled people working side by side with able-bodied employees.”
Profits earned at the 25 Colorado Arc Thrift stores are used to fund 14 Arc Advocacy chapters throughout the state. The chapters help people with disabilities get in the right school programs for them, and work with them to secure jobs, find housing and obtain medical services.
For the 2016 fiscal year, Arc Thrift reported $73.7 million in revenues. After expenses for running the stores, including operations and administration, it donated $14.4 million to its charitable programs. Arc Thrift also runs a recycling program and keeps thousands of pounds of clothing and other goods from ending up in landfills.
Supporters like Jim White, who is co-chairing the Sept. 9 Arc Thrift gala with Carrie Benz, appreciate what Arc does in the community. Before retiring a few years ago, White was at Volunteers of America, and received Arc Thrift vouchers for women and children leaving the Brandon House shelter so that they could shop and get what they needed for their new homes.
That generosity demonstrates one of many ways Arc Thrift makes a contribution to society, White said. “When you go shopping at Arc, there’s more to it than finding a bargain. They go above and beyond what a typical thrift store does.”