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Creatively Tagged Boutique manager Mary Christ goes over some paperwork behind the counter of the new shop at 122 Main St., Wadsworth. The store is the newest supportive employment venture of Medina Creative Housing, which serves Medina County residents who have disabilities.
(Ann Norman, special to cleveland.com )
WADSWORTH, Ohio - Creatively Tagged Boutique just opened this week, but it's already generating excitement among shoppers and disabled residents in the community.
The newest supportive employment venture by Medina Creative Housing - and the first in Wadsworth - will celebrate its grand opening with a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. tomorrow.
The shop at 122 Main St. opened its doors for the first time during last Friday's Wadsworth Candlelight Walk. Its first official day of business was Tuesday.
Medina Creative Housing is a non-profit agency dedicated to improving the quality of life for people in Medina County who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The agency currently provides jobs for more than 60 students and adults in property maintenance and construction, coffee production, manufacturing, barn and horse management and at its hydroponic greenhouse, doggie day care and spa, and cafes at the Lodi Hospital and Brunswick Library.
Creatively Tagged Boutique in Wadsworth offers an eclectic mix of new and gently used clothing, jewelry, accessories and household items. The store is the newest venture of Medina Creative Housing.
"This is our first retail operation and our 10th work site, so it's another milestone for Medina Creative Housing," said Dianne DePasquale-Hagerty, the agency's CEO.
Being able to employ disabled workers in a retail shop is important, because working there can help them develop skills that could transfer to a job in the community at large, DePasquale-Hagerty said.
Mastering customer service skills can be a huge benefit for a worker hoping to fully integrate into the community.
"Sometimes that social piece is very difficult for our people," she said.
DePasquale-Hagerty hopes the shop will pave the way for more agency involvement in Wadsworth. She said Medina Creative Housing is already well established in Medina and Brunswick, offering multiple housing options and employment and training opportunities for disabled residents.
"We chose Wadsworth (for the boutique) because we are looking to develop housing here. Right know, we've only had one home for the last 22 years - and the same two gentlemen who have lived in it," she said.
The agency hopes to develop 16 new housing units on Grandview Avenue over the next couple of years.
DePasquale-Hagerty came up with the idea for the boutique -- which sells an eclectic mix of new and gently used clothes, jewelry and household items -- after a woman called offering to donate clothing.
When DePasquale-Hagerty explained that Medina Creative Housing didn't accept clothing donations, the woman said, "But it has tags and everything!"
"That spurred a thought in my head. We all have things that we've bought that sit in our closet with the tags still on them, things that didn't fit or we decided we didn't like but never returned," DePasquale-Hagerty said.
She thought that creating a store using donated items as inventory would be an inexpensive way to provide a retail experience for agency workers.
Shoppers can also sip -- and purchase -- Medina Creative Coffee at the new Creatively Tagged Boutique in Wadsworth.
Workers from the agency's property management and construction group completely rehabbed the storefront. They painted the walls, built a dressing room and installed a new ceiling, flooring and lighting.
"They have created a very warm and inviting space," DePasquale said.
Maryellen Hess Cameron, who helped get the project going, said the store's tagline says it all: "Owned, Not Worn."
"Many of the donated items we sell still have the original price tag on them," she said. That price is then discounted for the store's customers.
Clothing racks and shelves hold clothes, purses, jewelry, linens, puzzles, crafting kits, holiday items and home decor. Pieces of furniture and lamps are also offered for sale.
Customers can also purchase bags and single-serving packets of Medina Creative Housing's own select blends of locally processed coffee.
"We're always going to have a fresh pot handy," she said of the plan to offer cups of coffee to shoppers.
Store manager Mary Christ oversees a staff of four workers who have disabilities.
"I have had a love for people with disabilities for a long time now," said Christ, who had worked as an advocate for people with disabilities in the past.
"I love people and I love clothes and I love coffee and I love working with people with disabilities. Maybe not in that order," she said with a laugh.
Cameron said being able to work is vital for many people who have disabilities.
"There are so many jobs in the retail sector. It's a very important area for us to be opening up in. Our people will be able to learn retail skills so that they can move on to the regular employment market," she said.
DePasquale-Hagerty said people who have disabilities want to feel valued, accepted and part of their communities. She thinks the store will be an asset for Wadsworth.
"This is just a win-win for everybody, and we're excited for this opportunity," she said.
Creatively Tagged Boutique is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
The store accepts tax-deductible donations of new or barely used clothing, shoes, purses, jewelry, accessories and home decor.
Clean items on hangers can be dropped off during business hours at Medina Creative Housing, 232 N. Court St., Medina, or the Wadsworth Chamber of Commerce, 132 Main St., Wadsworth.