on the cover / By Yelena Kisler

Thrift Store Angels

Down on 10th Street in Arcata, within an unassuming warehouse that blends with its surroundings, lies Angels of Hope Thrift Store. A small standalone sign marks the entrance to the parking lot. At first glance it is like any other thrift store. When you walk through the glass door it smells like grandma’s house without the cooking, like something aged. In front of you is one huge room with racks of clothes, a maze of aisles containing unknown surprises. The ceilings are high and the florescent lights are a little obtrusive. There is an orderly chaos here — you see everything from baby booties to irons, from stemware to coffee tables — and yet everything has its place.

Many items inside have passed through multiple households, and they carry with them memories from each family: a sippy cup bears the name “Robert” in rainbow letters, a brown leather-bound photo album with gold Old English script that reads “Memories of the Liksey’s,” a faded Lawrence Welk record, a set of glass salt shakers with pointed tops. They all get dropped off at Angels of Hope Thrift, the last stop just before the garbage can.

Angels of Hope was founded by Rose Baker and Lisa Callahan, both of whom were foster parents to hundreds of kids for many years. According to the store’s Web site, in 1991 Rose’s son was dying of cancer when she made him a promise. From that promise emerged Angels of Hope, which opened in 2006 as a way to help at-risk youth learn skills to improve their work ethics and social skills. The store teamed up with government programs such as Independent Living Skills (ILS) and Welfare-to-Work, which referred individuals to the store for job training. The name of the nonprofit agency that Baker and Callahan started — the agency that now operates Angels of Hope — is called Youth Ability.

Welfare-to-Work is a state-funded program in which all able-bodied welfare recipients are required to participate. The program provides job preparation, on-the-job training, vocational training and other services geared towards getting participants into unsubsidized jobs. ILS is a program for foster youth that helps with the transition to living on their own, but ILS runs out the day before their 21st birthday. This program, which runs out when the kids turn 21, provides workshops, classes and individual services to help foster youth develop life, work and social skills.

Shannon Hardin is the manager at Angels of Hope. She is tall and slender with long chestnut hair tied back in a sloppy bun. One long earring dangles from her right ear; it is surrounded by a couple of studs and some unoccupied earring holes. She has a nose ring and a tattoo that peeks out from under the left sleeve of her Zeppelin T-shirt. She has big brown eyes and a sly smile that can hide her toughness. (“[Shannon] makes work really enjoyable, really comfortable,” says Deleon, “but she also knows how to get us in line, and keep us on top of our shit.”)

Unlike almost everyone else at the store, Shannon got the job the traditional way: through Craigslist. She is one of three people who get paid from the store’s profits. When she applied for the position Shannon had no idea about the Youth Ability program or the training that was done at the store. Once she realized that it wasn’t just another retail job she became even more interested.

“We’ve gotta get this iPod thing figured out,” says Eva to Shannon on her way out of the office. “This is important stuff.” Shannon explains that everyone is sick of the music and the two of them were trying to load more songs to play. “There’s always something to do,” she says. “Just when I think I have the store [perfect] I find some other way to make it better.”

Mike was referred to Angels a few months before his support at ILS ran out. His brother Nick had already been working there when Mike arrived in May of 2009. Angels “has been a blessing,” says Mike, his voice shaking a little as he says the words. On his first day he was very quiet and shy, says Eva, “but you could tell by the look in his eyes that he was just taking it all in.” Mike says at first he was just thankful to have a job and wanted to try his best. “I was ready to do anything it took,” he recalls.

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