Local business helping men find affordable professional attire

COLORADO SPRINGS — As section of Black Heritage Thirty day period, Information 5 is highlighting a black-owned enterprise which is helping males in the group costume to impress.

The Men’s Xchange supplies men in have to have a extensive wide range of discounted satisfies, shirts, jackets, and ties. Anything in the store is donated and under $50.

Before Robin Schneider was the manager and curator of Artwork111 Gallery and Art Provide in downtown Colorado Springs, he was a male just finding out of most cancers cure and in need of a supporting hand.

“I had just gotten out of remedy and I wasn’t doing extremely properly. I experienced been laid off from Verizon, I had been there for seventeen several years. I was functioning a negligible occupation at the Good Arts Centre, hoping to get my life collectively,” claimed Schneider.

He ultimately got his blessed crack when Pins and Needles employed him on as a curator, but he didn’t have the costume don demanded for the work.

“Through some mates who understood what James was making an attempt to do, they arrived to the gallery and James came around, calculated me up, and set me in a suit,” claimed Schneider. “It labored wonderful for opening the gallery.”

As shortly as customers walk into the Men’s Exchange, they will see Schneider’s image on a board total of men whose life have been without end transformed by the store.

“Every single working day, just about every month, just about every week, each and every year we get to contact someone’s everyday living in a distinctive way. It is an awesome thing to clear away this barrier for work and development for individuals,” mentioned James Proby, Founder and Main Ethos Officer of The Men’s Trade.

For far more than a ten years, Proby has aided these in the group get employment and competencies to obtain work. Just after looking at a growing will need for affordable professional apparel for adult males, he resolved to begin his business.

“With us, every little thing that you close up shopping for here you can have on out of the store and directly to a task job interview if required or regardless of what the next lifestyle occasion is. We wanted to obtain a way to take away garments as a barrier to advancement to your future level of lifestyle,” claimed Proby.

To continue on serving to guys in the community, Proby suggests they’ve partnered with area nonprofits that can refer 1 individual a month who might will need dress put on.

“We partner with nonprofits largely since we aren’t intrigued in seeking to replicate expert services, we needed to determine out how we could augment products and services. So we you should not want to change nearly anything that the nonprofits are undertaking because our nonprofits are carrying out some amazing do the job, but they are not ready to do anything. So we are always making an attempt to figure out exactly where we can come across collaboration as opposed to level of competition,” stated Proby. “

Mateo Littlebird, the Useful resource Coordinator for Oxford Residence, states the adult males they deliver to The Men’s Xchange go away with newfound self-confidence.

“They leave the shop with not only a suit and accommodate separates in clear packaged bags, but they also depart with the self-assurance that they can only get from any individual in a skilled placing that treats you with regard,” mentioned Littlebird. “Possessing superior apparel is important. Often that is all it normally takes to modify your frame of mind.”

He states those people who leave Oxford Residence, a network of self-run, self-supported recovery residences, recognize that they require the tools to accomplish the objectives for their up coming stage of life.

The business making a big impression in men’s lives, one suit at a time.

“After a 7 days when I have to go to the financial institution up the street, I stage in there and give him a hug. Every single week, without the need of fall short,” claimed Schneider.

Individuals fascinated in The Men’s Xchange can call them at (719) 418-3372 or e-mail cosmensxchange@gmail.com.