Dec. 25--Carol Soave walked out Grosse Pointe North High School, her arms overflowing with designer clothes and a smile on her face.

Her wallet was $40 lighter. Her heart -- and those of more than a half-dozen special-needs workers with Full Circle Upscale Resale shop -- was lifted because her bucks are helping them toward independence.

"This is so great," the Grosse Pointe Farms mother said. "I'm here looking for my daughter. The dress selection is superb. The people are very friendly. I can't wait to come back."

Program director Mary Fodell hopes the shop leads to something bigger, such as the developmentally disabled workers landing paying jobs or starting their own small businesses.

Full Circle, a subsidiary of the Arc Grosse Pointe/Harper Woods, partnered with Grosse Pointe Public Schools to establish the store, which provides job training for special-needs residents in the area.

They learn how to interact with others and to come to work on time. They sort, launder, organize and set up the shop where they sell new or gently used clothes on Saturdays. When the store closes, workers and parent volunteers return unsold merchandise to storage.

The shop's niche is selling expensive labels such as North Face, Ralph Lauren and Ann Taylor, and cocktail and evening dresses donated by Bridal Couture shops in Birmingham and Plymouth at a bargain price -- $15.

The shop has raised about $5,000 since opening with a September. Money raised is the beginning of a kitty that Fodell hopes will lead to a storefront shop where workers can continue to develop their social, intellectual and occupational skills. The shop could lead to micro-businesses owned and operated by people with special needs.

Fodell, a retired Grosse Pointe Public Schools teacher who is on the Arc's board of directors, would like to move into a storefront by June. The shop needs about $30,000 to cover a year's rent and possibly hire a part-time manager.

"I like to take care of the money," said Wendy Cope, 49, of Grosse Pointe as she smacked the top of the cash box.

Dez Peoples, 17, of Grosse Pointe Farms sported a big smile when he said his favorite part of the job is simply helping.

While workers see some of the people they've helped with their budget-priced clothing, there are countless others they'll never know -- abused and neglected girls, runaways and homeless women just out of prison. Some are in residential treatment homes, shelters or transitional houses.

"This is the best-kept secret," said Kathleen Neumann, Matrix Human Services' vice president of child and family services, who bought dresses and coats for some program clients. "It's giving them clothes they wouldn't have otherwise."

Laura Kellett, a Michigan Children's Law Center attorney who represents abused or neglected children in Wayne County Juvenile Court, steered some clients to the shop.

"I think it will benefit the community, especially during these economic times, to have a place to get some decent clothes," she said. "Especially for these teenage girls, who don't have a lot of money."

Kellett of Grosse Pointe said the shop also benefits the workers, whom she understands because her daughter, 22, has Down syndrome.

"I really believe the No. 1 problem or issue for people with cognitive impairment is employment. ... It is the most difficult aspect of my daughter's life -- trying to find a job."

Amy Pohlod, owner of the Bridal Couture shops, said she plans to donate again. Next time, it'll be bridal gowns for the Feb. 7 Bridal Fash Bash to benefit Full Circle at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial in Grosse Pointe Farms.

"It's such a great organization that you can't possibly say no," she said.

Contact CHRISTINA HALL at 586-826-7265 or chall@freepress.com.

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