VERNON — In a small storefront on West Main Street, the dreary cold of winter is canceled out by the spring-like smell of flowers in bloom. In a back room, works of art are being created — birdhouses, wall hangings and centerpieces — out of wood and wine corks.
It has been a busy season for Floral & Gifts of OWC Too!, with orders for floral arrangements steadily coming in between the holidays.
"We just got through Valentine's Day. That was insane," Opportunity Works CT Development Director Stacey Gilmore said. "Mother's Day is coming. That's going to be even crazier."
For Opportunity Works CT Inc., a nonprofit first incorporated in 2009, the floral and gift store is not only a way to support the salaries of its workers but is a resource for those with intellectual and physical disabilities to develop life and job skills to lead more independent lives.
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The store opened in November, with a ribbon-cutting held in January.
"We're providing opportunities to a population that doesn't have a lot of opportunities in the community," OWC Executive Director and Co-Founder René Lambert said. "The shear fact that until very recently they were allowed to be paid below minimum wage — the only population to be able to be paid minimum wage for the work that they did, says a lot as to what society has thought their worth was."
The organization received a $65,000 grant from the state Department of Developmental Services to renovate the space at 45 West Main St., using the funding to tear down walls, buy a cooler and floral supplies and pay for plumbing and electrical costs.
Gilmore said she works at the shop with one part-time staff person and one part-time driver, adding that they are still trying to figure how many people will be needed to be employed there.
"Our goal is to have workers in the transitional program work at the floral shop," she said. "They are here with us for a specific amount of time to obtain skills and get them focused on where they want to go in life."
The shop is Opportunity Works' second location. Its original store, at 374 Pomfret St. in Putnam, has five employees and three additional individuals.
"They have a good presence. The community supports them, a lot of community involvement with local radio stations, shelters," Gilmore said. "We get a lot of donations and we share the wealth. If we can't use it, we give it to another nonprofit who can."
Besides floral arrangements, which can be ordered online, the Vernon shop boasts an array of other handmade gifts, including birdhouses, Adirondack chairs and custom woodwork.
Lambert said the workers who are trained through Opportunity Works have gone on to work in food service, warehouses, in retail and in the school system.
"They want to work, they want to be normal, they're great workers," she said. "This is their jam. They get to come in, produce something, they get kudos, money in their pocket and, just like anybody else, you want to be productive in society. If we can make them live their best lives, give them the best they can have, that's a win."
Floral & Gifts of OWC Too! is open Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
March 3, 2025
Reporter
Jamila Young is a reporter with the Journal Inquirer. She has been with Hearst Connecticut since June 2023. She is a 2014 Journalism graduate of SCSU. She has previously worked for The Bristol Observer and Step Saver newspapers. When not working, she enjoys going to concerts, comedy shows, watching TV, listening to music, and hanging out with friends.