This holiday season, a Tenderloin business has thought of a way to be of help to homeless people.
A vintage clothing store Vacation is now gathering blankets, jackets, and new socks now through the year’s end with a goal of giving it out to people who need help, KRON4 reported.
The pandemic has affected the neighborhood, the store’s owner Kristin Klein said, adding that she had witnessed it on a daily basis.
She came up with an idea to extend help.
She said: “It gets a bad rap and sometimes it’s pretty bad down here but there are some pretty great treasures in the neighborhood.”
For almost a decade, the vintage clothing shop has been standing on the Ellis and Larkin, Tenderloin corner.
“A lot of folks are hesitant to come down to the Tenderloin and then when they do they’re like this shop is so great–I found my favorite thing at your store,” she said.
Recently, Klein thought of a way of how her business can be of help to people in need.
“In the spirit of the holidays if you want to bring in clean blankets and clean wearable coats we’ll make sure that they get distributed in the neighborhood and you’ll get 10 bucks off your purchase in the shop,” she said.
Her decision to gather jackets and blankets was sparked when one of her friends, Calvin, needed it when he experienced homelessness.
“He comes by and he doesn’t really ask for much but every once in a while when he says he needs a jacket we give him one. Sometimes he needs a blanket, sometimes he needs a pair of socks,” she said.
Klein said Calvin expressed his gratitude and they also wanted to give help to more homeless people in the Tenderloin.
Among her plans is to offer a $10 discount on her store for people who donate gear for the cold weather.
“I’ve watched the ups and the downs of the tenderloin. We’ve been really advocating the neighborhood, giving people a positive reason to come down here,” she said.
