Fredericton clothing boutique aims to tackle barrier to employment

When Ben Harrison first started as an employment counsellor four years ago, one thing really stood out to him.

"You can have all the skills in the world, you can have all the experience, but if you can't look your best when you're looking for work, it can be just an added barrier," he said.

At the time, Harrison took on clients through the Let's Workprogram at the Capital Region Mental Health and Addictions Association. Now he's the association's executive director, which has just opened a second-handstore aimed at providing people with affordable work clothes.

It's called Brighter Days Boutique and is located in the heart of downtown Fredericton something Harrison said was intentional.

"A lot of people come through the area every single day, a lot of job seekers and a lot of people that are working already, and I think it's an important place to be as a hub for people looking for affordable workwear," said Harrison, speaking to Information Morning Fredericton atthe Queen Street location, above the Radical Edge store.

Workwear can mean different things for different people, he said, so the donation-based store will have everything from suits and dresses to nice jeans, footwear and accessories, as well as scrubs, work boots and hard hats.

Harrison said one of the first emails he got was from someone who does landscaping work whoneeded clothing to wear in the summer heat.

And making sure the clothes are affordable isalso essential because even at thrift shops, clothing prices have gone up.

"All of our clothing will be very reasonably priced, with the note that everything will be accessible," he said.

"If folks come and they don't have a dollar to their name, we want to make [them]well-equipped to be looking for work.

"We'll make sure that if you need a pair of pants, you're leaving with a pair of pants."

As a non-profit, the association will appeal to the community for financial support to make things like this happen, as well as to keep the service going, said Harrison. He said people have already expressed interest in supporting the venture.

Harrison said when he wasan employment counsellor, he had a client with a PhD in computer science who had recently come out as transgender. The clienthad one piece of feminine clothing and because they wore it constantly, it was tattered and was a barrier to finding work.

Harrison said once they were able to find gender-affirming clothing, they went on to get a great job, making good money.

"That's really exciting to me, to help folks understand the barriers that are in place and how easy changing a shirt can be, but the success that it can unlock," he said.

"That story is really what sparked ... this initiative."