Some potentially good news for the end of the year: after facing foreclosure for the better part of 2024, Carrboro’s CommunityWorx Thrift Shop – which also operates the neighboring YouthWorx on Main hub for youth-focused nonprofits – recently announced that they have been able to find a buyer, which will allow the nonprofit to stay open.
The buyer, as it happens, is another nonprofit: the Shared Visions Foundation, founded in 2002 by Jay Miller to assist fellow nonprofits working in health and human services and the cultural arts.
Now, there’s just one more hurdle to clear: CommunityWorx officials are working to raise $120,000 by the closing date, to cover the closing costs. That date is tentatively set for December 24, the day before Christmas.
Earlier this week, 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck spoke with Jay Miller and CommunityWorx president/CEO Barbara Jessie-Black.
Click here to listen to their full conversation. The transcript below has been edited for clarity.
Aaron Keck: How did the connection between you come about?
Jay Miller: Well, the N&O had been covering this situation and I saw a story about what was happening. It’s a nice institution that we need to keep, (including) YouthWorx: there’s a number of groups (there) that we’ve already supporting, and we like the idea of a coworking space that’s affordable for nonprofits. That’s been a dream of mine for a long time, to support that kind of work. I’m on the board of the Inter-Faith Council, (and) we’ve had board members lamenting about the potential loss of the clothing that CommunityWorx supplies to some of our members. Also I’ve been in commercial real estate, (and) the buildings are community assets. So it was a combination of several things that got me interested in (trying to) put together a plan. It’s getting on a year now, so it’s been a road.
Barbara Jessie-Black: I’ve known about Jay for almost 20 years, he and I have actually been on committees together. And we have supported (the Inter-Faith Council) with in-kind donations for about 30 years. So what I appreciated about this is the fact (of) nonprofits working together. This is the basis of CommunityWorx, the basis of how we move in and out of community. We look for ways to collaborate with other organizations. So when Jay came to us, it was like – you could feel like the universe had opened up this opportunity, for us to continue to do our work and to continue to provide stability for the organizations in YouthWorx.
Keck: I can vouch for that: you know I’m on the board of one of those organizations, the SKJAJA Fund, and the stability matters. Having that space makes it easier for all of those organizations to survive as well, so it’s a ripple effect all the way down. How has the last year been for you?
Jessie-Black: It’s been interesting! I’m a glass-half-full kind of person, always have been – (and with) the challenges that we faced, if you think about what COVID did to nonprofit organizations, I feel really blessed that we are still around. There’s so much to be grateful for. I will say, from a personal perspective, it’s been really challenging for the leadership team, right? I mean, I have some really amazing people that I’m privileged to work with every day, and it’s been hard – it’s been really hard – and I get emotional, because it was hard for all of us to look at this and say “we’re going to make this happen.” We’ve been dealing with this situation for 18 months now.
Keck: And not just finding a buyer, but finding the right buyer.
Jessie-Black: Right. I mean – you know, we could have sold this to someone already, but we also realized that we needed to have somebody who was aligned with our values, our values around equity, our values around how we participate with community, and not compromising that.
Keck: Which was a risk.
Jessie-Black: A hundred percent. I’ll tell you: that, I think, is where leadership really comes into play, both on the board and (among) the paid staff. I mean, sometimes it’s really easy to take the easy road, a person gives you money and you move on. But the reality of it is: when you are clear about who you are as an organization, and what your values are, and what you will and will not compromise on – the universe opens up a way. And the universe opened up a way when Shared Visions Foundation and Jay came into the picture.
Keck: Jay, I have to say, the thing that I got most out of your story – which is not the (main) point – but local media matters, doesn’t it? You see a story in the paper, and one thing leads to another.
Miller: Absolutely.
Keck: So what happens next?
Jessie-Black: We’re raising funds. We’re looking to raise $120,000 before our closing date, so we are asking the community to join us (and) support us, with donations of whatever is personally significant to you as an individual. We’ve gotten these really sweet donations of $5 to $10 to $15, people who come to the shop and then decide, “okay, let me give a donation while I’m here.” That’s been really great. And we’re also looking for larger donations: we’ve had folks who’ve committed four figures, even five figures.
Keck: What’s the closing date?
Jessie-Black: It looks like it will be the day before Christmas.
Keck: And what’s the future of the space? What’s the future of the thrift shop?
Jessie-Black: It will look exactly like it does now, with slight tweaking. We still have space on our third floor that we’re looking for nonprofit partners to lease, and YouthWorx on Main has a membership opportunity. One of the things that the sale has done is (to) provide the stability that we need in order to fundraise, to write the grants that have supported YouthWorx. Instability doesn’t (help): if people aren’t sure you’re going to be around, why would they invest?
So I’m here to say: we’re going to continue to be around for the next 20, 30, 40 years. And our goal is to get the community’s support, to continue to have us in that space.
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