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Good to grow: Scott Twp. mom's new venture creates path for daughter
Gia Mazur Merwine, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
7 min read
Sep. 17—When Melissa "Missy" Good's daughter Noel was born with Down syndrome, the future seemed uncertain and scary. Though, the Scott Twp. woman could have never imagined the full and colorful life that was in store for her daughter.
Recently, the Upvalley mom of three began a new venture meant to use her daughter's skills to set her up for success. Noel's Closet, a thrift and consignment shop on Route 6 in Childs that specializes in women's clothes and accessories, is run by both Good and Noel, providing the teenager with hands-on work experience when she graduates from high school.
"No matter what, you're always going to worry about your kids, but giving them that place to grow, (and a place) where you can do it together, that helps," Good said.
Good remembers worrying that life would be more difficult for Noel developmentally, as well as socially, but her fears were never realized. Noel not only thrives among her peers, but also is one of the most confident and social kids she's ever met.
"Kids who have Down syndrome have an extra copy of a chromosome (aka Trisomy 21), but I always say they also have a 'happy' gene. They're the happiest kids," Good said. "Noel is literally always smiling, and it brightens everyone's day that she meets. She is a people person and loves to be social."
In addition to dozens of early intervention programs that helped Noel, the student at Lakeland Junior-Senior High School also has a robust social life. She participates in the Special Olympics, attended her first dance, Night to Shine, this past February, and she'll be going to Lakeland's homecoming dance next month.
Lakeland School District also has a thriving Life Skills program that Noel has been a part of since elementary school. As high-schoolers, she and her classmates are in charge of running a coffee cart, which sells and delivers drinks and breakfast items to teachers in the mornings. They also host a bake sale and run the school store that sells gently used prom gowns to students. Along with the customer service aspect, Noel has gained retail skills, like learning to work the cash register, using a point-of-sale system and working with money.
"It's all Noel talks about when she's home. She just loves it so much," Good said. "It got me thinking, though, that maybe this was something I could do for her future."
Lakeland's Life Skills program encourages its students to have a future track that helps to transition them into the work force, and Good always wanted to open some sort of family business to bridge that gap for Noel. Good journaled possible ideas and started circling around a retail store. Fast fashion is affordable, but horrible for the environment, she said, and quality clothes are sometimes too expensive for the average shopper in today's economy.
Most people also don't like to wear the same thing more than once, thanks to social media. Once the outfit is posted, you're less likely to wear it again because you feel like everyone has seen it, Good explained. But above all, people still want to look good. Taking all of these factors into account, starting a thrift and consignment shop that sold gently used clothes for affordable prices seemed like the perfect idea.
"Noel knows how to work a cash register and she's great with customers. Also, what teenage girl doesn't love clothes and shopping?" Good said. "It's not only fun for both of us, but it's giving her the ability to work and learn so she could be independent."
A mom to three girls — Maria, 23, who works as a nurse; Gianna, 21, a nursing student; and Noel — Good also has been a teacher in Lakeland School District — Scott Campus for 26 years. She has a degree in special education and has taught numerous grades and subjects over her nearly three decades in the field, but currently teaches fifth- and sixth-grade social studies. Good never had a plan B, she said, and wanted to be an educator since she was a little girl, even "teaching" her dolls and stuffed animals during "classes" in her childhood home as a kindergartener. Good's role as a teacher and a mom blended together over the years, which is why creating the store and its business plan came so easily.
After she settled on a consignment and thrift shop, Good knew she would use a family-owned commercial building in Childs to house the store. She then began researching what she needed to open the shop and what similar businesses were doing. She bought retail equipment like a point-of-sale system online, and scoured Facebook Marketplace for racks and shelving units. Her husband of 28 years, Joe, is a contractor and he was constantly working inside the store to get things ready for her, as well.
Next came inventory, most of which was donated through word-of-mouth, which blew Good away. She and her family then sifted though the piles to curate the perfect pieces for the store. The majority of the clothes have only been worn once or twice and many still have the tags on them. She just recently received a donation of about a dozen brand new Dooney & Burke handbags.
"I'm overwhelmed with how generous people have been and the things they've donated," she said. "Everywhere I go, someone is like, 'How can I help?' and it's just amazing. People in this area especially want to support a good cause. Sometimes when I think about, I get choked up. I can cry because people are so supportive."
Good also finds inspiration in her family. Hard work and tenacity runs in her blood as her dad put himself through college at Wilkes University, with a wife and three kids at home, working on the side to make ends meet and eventually working his way up to vice president of the company he worked for. Good's mom fought to remain in the warehouse at Tobyhanna Army Depot, even though she was strongly advised to work as a secretary in the office. She became Tobyhanna's first female supervisor while also running a beauty shop out of the family's house. Good's husband is self-made and built up his contracting business over 32 years.
They each embody the values of hard work and determination, Good said.
"Nothing comes easy or without sacrifice, but if you keep moving toward something, it will pay off in the end," she added.
All three encouraged Good's dream of opening the store and her daughters help out, too, including her middle daughter who is in charge of running the social media accounts.
"This is such a family business, which always was the goal," she said. "I did this for Noel so that she could plan for the future, but this store has really been the best thing that's ever happened to all of us."
Noel loves to tell everyone she meets about her store, Good said, and Noel helps out with tagging, working the register, sorting and folding clothes and more. However, her most important role is chatting with customers and making shoppers feel welcome. Good hopes to maybe one day turn the store into its own program for students in life skills classes or other transitional learning tracks. Until then, Good plans to launch the shop with pop-up events and special sales to drive interest before creating in-store shopping hours. While Noel's Closet has more than enough inventory right now, Good also will announce when the store will seek donations on its social media accounts.
Thinking back to when Noel was born, Good couldn't see past her own fear and worry, but she encourages other parents of children with disabilities — or anyone looking to make a bold life move — to not give in to the doubts. Everyone should approach life just like Noel would — with a positive outlook and a fearless attitude.
"Anything successful or worth doing started with a good idea," she said "You can't overthink what's going to go wrong, you just have to make it happen. You can learn from your mistakes and fix it next time, but fear of making those mistakes shouldn't stop you from doing something. You have to just go for it."
