We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jody Powers. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jody below.

Hi Jody, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

Being a social entrepreneur was never on my radar, but when God intersects your burdens with your gifts, you have no choice but act or you will feel unfulfilled in life. I started Amelia’s Closet and Liberty’s Station because I saw a need for individuals with employment obstacles to have the opportunity to gain meaningful work. Everyone wants to feel a sense of purpose and having a job is a gift of hope and potential. We assist those that were previously incarcerated, are in recovery, have a disability or other have other challenges.

Through Amelia’s Closet we gift women a personal shopping experience at our boutique, provide a full makeover, employment helps, and week’s wardrobes when they are hired. Many of these women have some college education and degrees but fell victim to bad choices, theirs or others’.

Liberty’s Station is a job training cafe that specializes in combining grilled cheese and those with disabilities. We’re open for lunch Thursdays through Saturdays and hope to start breakfast hours soon. We train in the fields of food service, hospitality, bakery, retail, custodial and barista training. Our occupational therapy staff assesses their progress and helps with job placement following their paid internship.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

For years, I noticed a problem that needed to be addressed but it was too big of a job for me. I wasn’t qualified. Growing up, I was a shy, highly insecure introvert, and a follower-type more than the leader-type; some of that has never left me. I still prefer working behind-the-scenes. The problem I witnessed was real but I thought, what could I possibly do to make a difference? I convinced myself that that huge task wasn’t for me to deal with. So I didn’t.

Years later, God had been nudging me for months to resign my eighteen-year position as a graphic designer. I wasn’t fulfilled in that role any more. So I resigned and it wasn’t until I nervously stepped one trusting foot into the proverbial “swelling shores of the Jordan River,” that God then parted the waters by sending my husband a different job opportunity that would compensate for me not working. (He wasn’t even looking for a different job!)

I was enjoying my new role as a stay-at-home wife and Nana but after five weeks, God reminded me of that “problem that needed to be addressed” from years past: I had a burden for women visiting my church after they had been released from jail. I could tell they felt insecure about their appearance, and I wondered, “If no one is helping them with church-attire, who in the world is helping them with business attire to start their new life?!”

The idea for “Amelia’s Closet” – a clothier of hope, was soon created, and within two days, the name and logo (my only comfort zone task) were created. I asked a few friends to help me on my newfound passion-in-the-making, and fortunately they all said yes.

Amelia’s Closet “Provides professional apparel & hope to deserving women as they open the employment door.” We give women a second chance at making a great first impression as they reenter the workforce. We assist the disabled, elderly, veterans, and those released from jail, rehab and shelters. We provide personal shopping experiences in our beautiful shop and gift these women with outfits for job interviews, makeovers head to toe, employment tips; and then two seasonal wardrobes after they are hired. It’s so much more than the clothes. We give these women dignity and hope for their journey.

Our main volunteer source has always been adults with disabilities. We became a life and job skills training site for four agencies that assist adults with disabilities. These volunteers loved coming to work at Amelia’s Closet each month, several asking for a job there. I could see their potential and their desire to have meaningful work to do. I then became burdened to do something more about this issue.

“Liberty’s Station” – fueled by potential, is now open! “Serving individuals with employment barriers through meaningful job training and placement by developing their God-given potential.” Basically, it’s a food truck and coffee cafe that trains and employs adults with disabilities or with other employment barriers. This paid job internship program includes food service, hospitality, custodial, retail, bakery and barista training throughout the week, along with event rental space. It is open to the public for lunch Thursdays through Saturdays, 11a-2p. Our menu is simple – ten different gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, soup, salad, sweets and amazing coffee. We plan to expand those hours as we have more funding and volunteers to fill in the gaps.

I still like to work behind the scenes. But this is what I call fulfilling work!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Being transparent and humble has helped build our reputation. This is a new endeavor for us and we continue to learn as we go, both from our experience and from the experience of others. We don’t act like we have it all together. We’re open to peoples suggestions and ideas.

Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?

We have to have multiple revenue streams because grilled cheese sandwiches doesn’t make payroll! We offer venue rental in our space when we are closed, even our commercial kitchen. We have a mobile coffee cart that serves businesses and organizations at special events. We also have our own specialty coffee line that we brew in house and also sell bags directly to consumers. We also have a retail area where we sell local items and even items our interns create.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ameliascloset.org/ https://libertysstationtn.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ameliascloset_org/ https://www.instagram.com/libertysstationtn/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmeliasCloset.org https://www.facebook.com/LibertysStationTN/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jody-powers-615ameliascloset/

Image Credits
John Goodwin photo credit for Jody’s headshot