A local business, Weave Gotcha Covered, is breaking down barriers by building up women who struggled with addiction, homelessness, or past incarceration.
The business, which specializes in custom window treatments, fabric furnishings, and upholstery, helps give makeovers for homes, but also gives employees who work there a fresh start.
“Everybody has been through similar walks of life, like this workroom...it's a lot easier to come to work,” employee Angela Smith said.
Co-founder Kelly Wilson said she started the company back in 2005.
“I did not ever plan on having a business. It was not even on my radar. But back in 2005, my family was one of the front running families that lost everything after the 9/11 fallout. And my friend and I started sewing for people,” Wilson said.
Since then, Wilson ran towards financial freedom, breaking down barriers, and bringing women with her who were dealing with their own personal struggles.
“Just like I had, and that can be a number of things. It could be post incarceration. It could be lack of transportation, homelessness, drug addiction,” Wilson said. “And it's all about us moving forward, and we can't leave any women behind.”
For Smith, this line of work is more than just a job.
“They say that recovery starts with a foundation. Well, Weave Gotcha Covered has been that foundation for me,” she said.
Smith will be six years clean next month.
“In a normal workplace, women or individuals in recovery say, ‘Oh I have to worry about that, I can't tell people this, because they might judge me,'” Smith said. “This is like a free for all because nobody passes judgment as to what's going on in our lives.”
It’s a business that’s turned into a family, working together to help build their community.
“When a new company comes into town, everybody understands the jobs it'll bring, the economic impact it'll bring,” Wilson said. “But what people don't really do the math on is a woman who is in a poverty line, the cost that she's incarcerated, the cost she's in social services, those far outweigh the economic impact the employee brings on the other side of the equation.”
Some of these women are part of a 100 Jobs for 100 Women program through Amethyst Place, helping women find employment.
If you know of a business that would be interested in partnering with this program, click here.
