Kelly Wiley spends her days endlessly running around, smiling and laughing with customers at her Davis Street thrift store, the Rose Garden. Opened to fund Wiley’s non-profit organization 2000 Roses, the Rose Garden offers everyday items such as clothing and home décor, but it’s not your typical neighborhood thrift store. Wiley’s employees are formerly incarcerated women who are trying to make their way back into society by gaining business experience and skills they need to hold a job, open a bank account or go back to school. Wiley recently expanded her shop to include a sewing shop, where Rose Garden workers learn to craft a pillow or remake a pair of jeans. “We’ll be taking fabrics from the store and making the stuff that doesn’t move into purses and pillows,” she says. The store recently received a $5,000 grant to help purchase sewing machines, computers and lighting for the new shop. The clothing made in the shop will be sold at the Rose Garden, as well as other stores and possibly online. All money received from sales benefits 2000 Roses.
 

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