New Beginnings Resale Shoppe in Sheridan has a new location that can display everything in one room. It is now handicap accessible and includes more visual impact for incoming shoppers. The new space also offers more opportunity for its community and its workers. — Submitted photo
SHERIDAN — Back in 2008, a group of parents found their young adults didn’t have much to do after they graduated from school.
There were no programs in their community to help them gain skills and no places for them to work. So, putting their head together, they founded New Beginnings.
New Beginnings Resale Shoppe in Sheridan is an opportunity for young adults with special needs to have the chance to work and learn skills that will help them gain employment within their community.
Each year brings a little more growth to New Beginnings and this year, their 14th year, brings them a larger and more accommodating location. Manager and Job Coach Tracy Wertman said the move has been anticipated for a while.
“For many years, we knew that we would find another building, just another stepping stone but we made use of the space that we had and we were happy with the space that we had, this opportunity came and we didn’t have to think twice because we knew this was the right time for us to be able to do this,” Wertman said. “We have a wonderful landlord, and he purchased the building for us to move into.”
The new location allows New Beginnings to display everything in one room. It is now handicap accessible and includes more visual impact for incoming shoppers. Not only does the move offer more space, but also offers more opportunity for its community and its workers.
New Beginnings offers an opportunity for young adults with special needs to have the chance to work and learn skills that will help them gain employment within their community. — Submitted photo
“And this building actually allows for more opportunity for them, which is what our main goal has always been is to continue to grow,” Wertman said. “It’s a whole blanket of opportunities for everyone, for the community, because we do have more space to sell things, to display things. We have more storage room, and we have more room for the consumers that we work with to be able to learn different things in different areas. Where before it was just the resale part of it. Now we can expand on that and be able to teach them more things and train them in different areas.”
The employees of New Beginnings learn all about the inner workings of retail. They deal with money, sort the different donations that come into the store, and learn how to organize and categorize different items. New Beginnings Board of Directors member Janet Baldwin emphasized the amazing opportunities this Shoppe offers to young adults.
“This little non-profit changes lives,” Baldwin said. “Our young employees learn job and life skills in a safe and happy place. Our beautiful community works with us through their great donations, purchases and sharing the spirit of optimism.”
New Beginnings is a 501c3 non-profit where most of their inventory comes through donations. Wertman explained what they accept to be donated.
“We take in donations of new and gently used items,” Wertman said. “Whether it be clothing and shoes, or small household goods, plate sets, wall décor. We don’t take furniture at this time and we don’t take appliances or TVs anything like that. But things are coming in all the time and if they don’t know whether we take it or not it’s a simple phone call and we can answer those questions for them.”
New Beginnings also has fundraisers throughout the year for people to be able to come out and support them. On the weekend before Halloween, they hold a Christmas open house, and on Thanksgiving Day they have a Turkey Trot. Each Spring, they have a fashion show held at the Sheridan Community Center. This year it will be on April 30.
“The community support is phenomenal, we really truly wouldn’t be here without our community support,” Wertman said.
She also noted that New Beginnings focuses on setting, dreaming, and achieving goals.
“We always have goals, goals are huge here. We teach the young adults goals, goals and dreams,” Wertman said. “Somebody said if you’re not making goals and you’re not dreaming big then there’s something wrong so we always have visions of what we want to be what we want it to grow into. And this would allow the different jobs that we’re thinking would allow them to train in different facilities, train for different facilities, rather than just retail. They can expand on that and have different jobs to go to besides just here. Once they gain employment in the community. That is huge”
Helping and supporting each individual is what New Beginnings does best. Everyone who walks through their doors is treated the same no matter what.
“Our main mission is to instill hope, provide support, and mentor individuals with special needs and empowering them to reach their highest potential,” Wertman said. “That’s our main goal always. And they just thrive here and we love that. That’s what we want to see and we’re just proud and honored to be a part of their journey. The individuals that we have here that volunteer they have what they call microbusinesses within the Shoppe. So, they make things, I help them make things. And then they sell it and the proceeds from that help them earn a wage and it all goes back to them.”
New Beginnings Resale Shoppe
Location: 221 S Main St., Sheridan
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Information: Call (989) 291-3200 for any more questions or visit their Facebook Page at newbeginnings/lots for any more information.
Donations: New Beginnings accepts donations at their donations door in the back ally of their building.
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