Last month I had the opportunity to check out one of our local businesses in SoCe called Grown Folks Clothing, just off of Broadway and E Harry St. As their name suggests, they have a fantastic selection men’s clothing, which includes everything from two and three piece suits, hats, dress shoes, socks, and generally anything you would want to have if you wanted to dress fancy.

The store’s name had caught my eye while I bicycled to work one day, so out of curiosity, I decided to stop by on my way home a few days later. When I walked in, I met the store owner’s wife, Marketa, who was tending the shop. I explained that I had seen the store’s sign and was curious about it, and she jumped right into a fabulous conversation with me about the store’s founding.

As we chatted, we ended up talking about homeless neighbors in the area. I had mentioned to her that I used to work with homeless friends in Dallas, which led to us discussing some of the homeless neighbors who dropped into the store semi-regularly. As we discussed and shared our feelings
about this reality in our community, lo and behold one of our homeless neighbors came into the store.

I was blown away by Marketa’s response to him. She was playful and caring, but also held firm boundaries with him. She did not let him get away with any antics, but also treated him fairly as a human being. The most striking moment for me was when she went to the back, found a pair of pants for him, and made a deal for him to help out with the trash.

Grown Folks Cothing is community minded space in our neighborhood. They journey with our literal neighbors, provide great clothes for older folks who want church clothes and teens who want something nice to go to their dances, all the while showing hospitality to some of our most marginalized neighbors in a fair way. We need great folks like them in our community to help us learn how to engage with our neighbors who struggle in a loving and respectful way.

So, be sure to take some time to check out the store, a true gem in our neighborhood!