At COTS boutique in Petaluma, free clothes for new lives

As Carlos Briancesco emerges from the dressing room of a Petaluma clothing boutique, he sports a broad smile and playfully spins around to show off his new outfit, a casual ensemble that’s impeccably coordinated in complementary brown tones.

The 37-year-old hasn’t worn new clothes in awhile, and he’s definitely enjoying the moment.

“You look good, you feel good, you project it,” said Briancesco, one of several clients shopping on a recent afternoon at the Work: Ready Apparel shop operated by the Committee on the Shelterless, or COTS, a nonprofit organization that provides a wide range of services to help break the cycle of homelessness for adults and families in the Petaluma area.

Briancesco, with a big build and standing 6-feet, 3-inches tall, was thrilled to find three outfits and a pair of work boots all in his size. He’s not always an easy fit at a standard department store, but the discovery is even more impressive considering that the clothing, shoes and accessories at the COTS boutique are donations, almost everything previously worn.

The spacious and well-appointed boutique helps build confidence for those seeking employment or starting out in new jobs. Everything is offered free of charge, with volunteers serving as personal shoppers who book appointments and help select and coordinate outfits and accessories.

“That confidence is going to translate in an interview. It’s one of the most important things that get people on the road to success,” said Jenna Garcia, a COTS program manager who helps run the apparel program.

“You never know who’s coming in or what their individual circumstances are. They’ve hit rock bottom and have lost confidence in themselves. Because of one thing or another, they’ve ended up homeless,” she said.

Life had been going well for Briancesco, who grew up in the Mission District of San Francisco. He had moved to Sonoma County, where his girlfriend is from, and had a job as a kitchen worker in the hospitality industry. Although finances were tight, the couple and their 21-month-old daughter had a place to live and managed to get through each month.

That security was derailed when Briancesco got a staph infection and was unable to work. The family was soon evicted, stayed with friends and then lived in their car before moving into COTS housing, where they’ve been for about a year.

“We were living paycheck to paycheck but we were backtracking,” Briancesco said of the couple’s descent into homelessness.

He found a job a year ago at the Goodwill store in Rohnert Park, and the family is slowly moving forward. Selecting some much-needed clothing at the COTS boutique was an emotional boost for Briancesco.

“You can walk a little taller,” he said. “It’s nice to get back toward normal again.”

He also was cheering on fellow shoppers from COTS, offering compliments and high-fives to Fredrick Jones, 42; Jamekia Jackson, 40; and Desiree McGinnis, 36. Each was leaving the boutique with a few clothing items and a renewed sense of pride.

Mike Johnson, the CEO at COTS and formerly homeless himself, said the boutique was designed as a dignified way to help clients move ahead in their job searches and on the road to self-sufficiency.

“People are not just the sum of their problems,” Johnson said. “(Clients) have the same hopes and dreams that anybody else does.”

The apparel program was established just over a year ago to complement COTS’ Work: Ready job search and retention programs. Although budget constraints have reduced the employment programs, the boutique is all-volunteer run and operates from a rent-free, 3,300-square-foot space in a business park off South McDowell Boulevard Extension.

Basin Street Properties donates the space and pays the utility bills. The boutique moved in October when its original space in the Theatre District was rented out, with the local development firm offering COTS the even larger space where it’s now located.

Open twice-weekly, the boutique features two large dressing rooms, a spacious room just for women’s shoes, racks and racks of men’s and women’s clothing and a separate room for accessories like handbags, jewelry and scarves.

The shop has a decidedly upscale look, with original paintings on loan from artist Gail Foulkes and eye-catching displays like one in the “men’s casual” area showcasing a plaid shirt, blue jeans and a baseball cap arranged with a fishing guide and vintage water canteen.

Even with its large inventory, nothing is haphazard. Every item is in place and thoughtfully arranged for shoppers.

“It’s like going into Macy’s or Nordstrom’s,” Johnson said. “That’s really the point. We’re trying to treat people as human beings. It’s like believing in people until people believe in themselves.”

The apparel program already has assisted more than 100 people, from providing slacks, blazers, button-down shirts and ties and skirts, blouses and dresses for job interviews to more casual on-the-job clothing for hospitality and construction trades.

Monthly donation drives bring gently worn clothing, shoes and accessories, from name brands like Ann Taylor, Banana Republic and Coach to the more practical jeans, sweaters, tops and athletic shoes typical for a wide variety of jobs.

“People are so happy to help,” said Susan Timko, a retired public health nurse from Rohnert Park who volunteers with Gisela Hurt as boutique co-manager. “We’ve seen such generosity.”

Hurt, a Petaluma resident with a background managing photo shoots for retail catalogs, said the shop serves a dual purpose. It both helps homeless clients move forward and also allows donors to re-purpose their clothing in a most meaningful way.

COTS shoppers “don’t hold back” with their gratitude and appreciation, Timko said.

Helping coordinate an outfit that can lift spirits and build confidence is rewarding for the co-managers and their team of six volunteers.

“That’s the best part of it,” Hurt said.

COTS will accept donations of spring and summer wear for homeless job seekers and newly employed workers from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, March 25 at the Work: Ready Apparel boutique, 1694 Corporate Circle.

For a list of specific needs, visit cots-homeless.org/index.php/news/donation-day-work-ready-apparel or facebook.com/help.cots/?fref=nf. For more information about becoming a volunteer, call 765-6530 or email jenna@cots-homeless.org.

Contact Towns Correspondent Dianne Reber Hart at sonomatowns@gmail.com.