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SALT LAKE CITY — Many stores have great deals this time of year, but one store may have the best deal of all for those who need it most.
B.J. Stringham is a fifth-generation owner of Utah Woolen Mills located at 59 W. South Temple. He decided one way he could help the homeless is by making them look good for job interviews.
“I feel like there needs to be more than just selling suits,” he said.
A post on the company’s Facebook page states, “At UWM we have been incredibly blessed for so many years and are excited to give back.” Starting Jan. 1, for every suit the company sells it will find someone who needs “an extra hand in getting back to where they want to be.”
Much of what the store sells is the best from all around the world: “There are a lot of people who just want the best,” Stringham said.
He loves how people look when they try on new clothes.
“You’re going to walk out of here looking like a million dollars,” he said to customer James Sabey.
Sabey had never shopped at Utah Woolen Mills before. He is homeless and couldn’t believe how different the clothes made him feel.
“I don’t know what to think about it,” Sabey said. “It’s like, wow. Really, yeah. My head is spinning. I don’t know what to say.”
“You actually remind me of the model from Eton,” Stringham told him. “Look at that. Looks just like the model from Eton.”
Sabey said life on the streets isn't easy. He called it "very tough, very tough. It’s hard to get out once you get in there.”
It’s also tough walking in for a job interview not looking your best, but now Sabey can wear a suit from Utah Woolen Mills for his next job interview.
“Right off the bat,” Stringham said, “they’re going to think, ‘This guy knows what he’s talking about. This guy pays attention to detail,’ all these things you’re going to be telling them without saying a word.”
The company provided Sabey a suit free of charge. He is the first of possibly hundreds who will find out what a haircut, shave and a new suit can do for someone’s confidence. Not even he recognized himself when he first looked in the mirror.
“It looks awesome,” Sabey said. “When I look at the after picture, that doesn’t even look like me. It takes me back to when I felt better about myself.”
Stringham understands not everyone will be successful just because of a suit.
“Obviously, we can’t control what they’re going to do with it … but for us, we’re thinking we’re going to do our part. We’re going to put them in what they need to be put in and then, hopefully, they’ll make the right steps,” he explained.
Sabey said he’s ready for the chance.
