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It’s official: Equal is open!

23 September 2016

Business is booming at Kisharon’s latest social enterprise, Equal, a gift and home accessory store at 818 Finchley Road, Temple Fortune, NW11 6XL. This is a charity store with a difference because everything on sale at Equal is brand new and its upmarket goods and sleek interior would be worthy of any West End store.

On Thursday night (September 22) at the official opening, Chief Executive Beverley Jacobson outlined plans that included “training young people with learning disabilities through supported internships in all different sorts of work skills so we can find out what their skill set is… and match them into employment opportunities.”

Behind the scenes were a lot of ‘micro enterprises’ – all of which had contributed towards Equal opening in time to sell goods for Rosh Hashanah. On sale were cards and works of art designed by adults from supported living and Hendon and Stamford Hill adult day services; a honey cake and cookies baking enterprise run by volunteers and helped by adults with learning disabilities – who also packaged and labelled dried fruit, nuts and sweets for the shop.

Bev added: “I’ve been at Kisharon for eight years and the way the world of disability has changed in that time is remarkable. The adults we are supporting were all in day services doing activities. We really wanted to include them in life and the way to do that seemed to be through work.”

The shop is proving popular with adults from Kisharon’s supported living service, many who turned out for the launch. Moishe Goldblatt wanted “to polish the silver and make everything nice,” while Debbie Rosten said the shop was “very cool.”

“I like it very much and I would like to come and work here,” said Bev’s daughter Talya, 22. She had volunteered at Equal the previous Sunday packing Rosh Hashanah goodies and greeting customers.

Bev paid tribute to the many volunteers including Claire Zulman, who had seen a similar concept in South Africa and wanted to replicate it.

Claire said: “The positive response to Equal has been overwhelming, it is like a dream come true.”

The shop has attracted dozens of new volunteers. Andrew Plaskow said: “I came into the shop with my wife, got talking, and I ended up volunteering here.” Another volunteer, Melanie Bobbe described the shop as “very impressive. I know I’m just a volunteer but I want it to go really well, as if it was my own shop.”

Bev added: “The whole thing couldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for people’s exceptional goodwill. We had our lawyer, Nick Green, draw up our lease for us as a pro bono exercise and then the most astounding thing happened when we were trying to fit out the shop. We were introduced to the most incredible man, Menashe Sadik – he is real tsaddik – and he said: “We are going to do this, this and this.’ I said: “Hang on we have a budget!” And he said: “This one’s on me!” “I am grateful for the opportunity to do such a mitzvah and to give back to the community,” said Mr Sadik, a businessman.

Mr Sadik joined Rabbi Harvey Belovski to fix the mezuzah on the door, assisted by Moishe Goldblatt.

Rabbi Belovski said: “I am pleased to see that Equal has so much support from people of all ages in our community who recognise all the good work that is being done. Kisharon is at the forefront of providing the very best support for people with learning disabilities and giving them employment opportunities they would not have otherwise had.”

On the premises soon, will be the Equal creative agency. This will replace the much-loved Kisharon Print Shop as an expanded service and is believed to be the first marketing and branding agency to be run as a not-for-profit business, offering ideas, concepts, print and design.

Beverley Kaye, Equal’s Creative Head, explains: “Equal is not just a store. It’s a social enterprise where the stakeholders are people with learning disabilities. We are changing the face of charity shopping and people will be really surprised to see just how far we’ve taken the concept of a not-for-profit business.”

The last word goes to Bev, who said: “Equal is the shop front for Kisharon’s employment service which currently has 80 people with learning disabilities working in businesses across London. I am very excited by everything that we are doing at Equal. There is so much potential.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Pirkei Avos
“The world stands on three things: Torah, the service of G-d, and deeds of kindness.” Kisharon looks at the person not the disability, teaching Torah, Middos and Mitzvot embracing and cherishing everybody’s special talent and bringing out the best in them.