New community thrift store in Philadelphia's Brewerytown section gives people fresh start
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A new community thrift store in Philadelphia's Brewerytown section is giving the formerly incarcerated and people battling with addiction a chance at a fresh start.
"Every day I wake up and try to figure out how can I continue to live up to this last name," Michael Worthy, general manager of Philly Unknown Project, said.
Worthy has been in recovery for 16 years.
"What this program means to me is connecting with other people like myself and giving them an opportunity to grow, to become the person that they were initially intended to be," Worthy said.
The nonprofit provides opportunities through work development and job placement.
"Basically when people come out of treatment and incarceration what we do is we work with them and pay them a per diem, so they have money in their pocket. So they do not go back to where they came from. Or they don't end up back in active addiction, or they don't end up back in the system, as people say," Britt Carpenter, the executive director for Philly Unknown, said.
Carpenter launched Philly Unknown after beginning his own recovery journey nine years ago.
Carpenter's idea for a community thrift store was years in the making.
"To give them jobs. To give them a sense of security, connections to others, support and to be able to start them on a new journey and a new life," Carpenter said. "We started a thrift store because it's repurposed and sort of like all of us in recovery. We are repurposing and restarting our lives."
The Thrift Store is located at 2819 West Girard Ave in Brewerytown. The grand opening is Friday at 11:30 a.m. and everything in the store is just $5.
All proceeds will go back to Philly Unknown initiatives.