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WHEATON — Gary Brunette’s favorite part of his job is getting to use the price tag gun on all the clothing items STARS Resale Shop sells.
“It was my idea,” Brunette said, explaining how he asked to learn how to use the price gun.
But tagging clothes is just one of the many tasks STARS complete as part of their jobs at STARS Resale Shop near downtown Wheaton.
STARS Resale Shop is a partner organization of STARS Family Services and College Church's STARS Disability Ministry, said Carol Casey, who runs the STARS Washington House group-care home in Wheaton.
The church ministry has provided a variety of services to those with disabilities and their families in the Wheaton and surrounding areas for five decades, while STARS Family Services was later founded as a separate non-profit to provide housing for adults with disabilities in the community, Casey said.
Those who receive services from the organizations are commonly referred to as “STARS.”
STARS Resale Shop, which opened in 2009 at 1072 College Ave., sells gently used items that have been donated, said Becky Cook, who runs the shop. All net proceeds benefit STARS Family Services, and so far, proceeds have exceeded more than $110,000 since 2010.
While STARS Resale employs a few paid staff members and 20 volunteers, eight of the workers are STARS themselves, like Brunette, who lives in STARS Family Services’ Washington House group-care home, and one worker with a disability who is not part of the STARS program, Cook said.
STARS Resale Shop helps these workers gain job-related skills, and they are evaluated at the end of every work day. Managers go over what and how the STARS did while they were at work, Casey said.
Michelle Young, partner coach for the STARS, works with the STARS to teach them appropriate behavior, customer service and professionalism on the job.
“Our goal is independent work,” Young said.
In addition to pricing clothes, STARS Resale workers also hang clothes on racks, take out the garbage, organize clothing into price bins, clean, greet customers and collect items from the donation bin, Brunette said.
“There’s no time to relax,” he said. “You just got to go, go, go.”
STARS work at the resale shop on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Two work each day.
The Wednesday team is Matthew Kuecker and Lauren Chase, and both said they enjoy pricing items with stickers.
Cook said sometimes customers will come to the store to visit with the STARS who are working there that day.
“Some people just stop in because they know they’re going to see a friendly face,” she said.
The friendly spirit shared with customers extends to the relationships among those who work at the resale shop as well.
“It’s like a family at STARS,” Brunette said. “We work hard, and we talk to each other a lot.”
About STARS Resale Shop
Founded: 2009
Location: 1072 College Ave. in Wheaton
Hours: 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday
Notable: STARS Resale Shop is an outreach ministry of College Church's STARS Disability Ministry and provides funds for partner organization STARS Family Services.