There's now a 'Little Shop of Kindness' in Manhattan for asylum seekers

In late February, Team TLC NYC, an organization that until recently greeted thousands of asylum seekers arriving at the Port Authority with clothes, toiletries and basic kindness, hit a major hurdle.

“The Port Authority wouldn’t let us into our storage room because there was a rodent problem,” said Ilze Thielmann, who runs the organization. This meant that the group was hampered from handing out jackets and other clothing to migrants, at the height of the winter.

But that problem disguised a stroke of good luck.

Thielmann and other volunteers were forced to search for a new space where they could provide basic necessities for asylum seekers. With much fanfare this week, the organization launched “The Little Shop of Kindness” or “La Pequeña Tienda de Bondad” – in, a cozy storefront facing Bryant Park, where the city’s newest residents can procure free clothing, toys, books – even jewelry for those trying to start a new life.

The space at 12 West 40th St., decorated with murals and paper lanterns strung across the ceiling, is operated by the Greater New York Conference of Seventh Day Adventists.

Thielmann said the church came to her organization's rescue after she expressed her plight to Pastor Everette Samuel during the winter.

“She asked me, ‘Can you meet me someplace right now?’ recalled Thielmann, who dropped everything and headed straight to the location, where she was instantly floored.

“I said, 'Oh, my god.’ I never would’ve dreamed of something like this,” said Thielmann, who noted it was a remarkably “normal-looking place, as opposed to a church basement or a bus terminal.”

“They can actually try on clothes and choose clothes in a respectful environment,” she said, and recounted the story of one visitor, a “tough customer” with scars and tattoos who came with his 2-year-old son. Thielmann said he teared up after asking how much everything cost, and discovering it was all free.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Pastor Samuel said the Little Shop of Kindness was “a sacred space,” one where “people come and their needs are being met.”

“You will never take a bra for granted anymore,” said Samuel. “You will never take an underwear for granted anymore.”

I’m grateful that New Yorkers are welcoming us and I’m grateful that they’re giving us some basic necessities.

Eudys Villafranca, visitor to the Little Shop of Kindness

According to Thielmann, the Little Shop has been doing a brisk (free) business with some of the more than 72,000 migrants who have arrived in the city since last year, many bused here by border-state officials. Still, she said, the store constantly needs donations – namely underwear, Spanish-language books for children, and smaller rather than larger clothing for men – and directs New Yorkers to the organization’s website, so they can either mail in donations or bring them in person to the Bryant Park location.

On Thursday, 28-year-old Eudys Villafranca arrived at the Little Shop of Kindness with her 5-year-old son. Speaking through an interpreter, she said she and her husband fled Venezuela with their two children due to “lack of freedom, lack of food, lack of jobs.”

Her family currently stays in the Roosevelt Hotel, she said, and is struggling without work permits. She heard about the Little Shop of Kindness through another migrant, and came in search of clothing for her son and daughter: shoes, pants, underwear and socks.

“I’m grateful that New Yorkers are welcoming us and I’m grateful that they’re giving us some basic necessities,” said Villafranca. “And that way in the future I can help others the same way that I’m being helped.”

Hours are Monday, 2-6 p.m. (for set up and drop-offs only) and Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Drop-offs are accommodated anytime during store hours but can be arranged in advance outside store hours. Send inquiries to [email protected].