Little Shop That Helped Migrants Is Flooded, Seeks New Home

The record setting downpour that flooded the city on Sept. 29 forced a boutique shop that was offering free gently used clothes, toys, books, bikes and strollers to migrant asylum seekers to permanently shut down.

The Little Shop of Kindness, run by the migrant aid group Team TLC headed by Ilze Thielmann only moved into the shop across from Bryant Park in April. But the flood on Sept. 29th caused the ceiling of the ground floor shop to collapse, destroying most of the donated clothing and forcing a permanent evacuation of the shop.

Now Ilze Thielmann is using a drop off service in Harlem to collect donations, but still hopes to find a new home to re-establish the boutique store where migrants could search through tastefully displayed donated clothing, toys, books and shoes.

Team TLC, a non-profit organization had been aiding migrants since the surge began in early 2022–first with a welcome center in the Port Authority bus terminal and then since April with the store that it called the Little Shop of Kindness. They had earlier been forced out of the Port Authority by the city in March, but the Seventh Day Adventists heard of their search for a new site and allowed them to take over what had once been the religious organization’s reading room.

The store, which also offered help to migrants filling out asylum forms, was set up as a boutique where migrants could use fitting rooms to try on clothes that were tastefully displayed on racks by size, to give the place the look and feel of a regular retail store.

Over 116,000 migrants have landed in New York and while some subsequently moved on, there are said to be over 56,000 still here, stressing the city’s shelter system. Mayor Eric Adams has made the claim that the migrant influx “will destroy New York City,” and he estimates it will cost the city over $12 billion over the next three years. To accommodate the city’s skyrocketing cost of housing the migrants, he signed an order to reduce budgets of all city agencies by up to 15 percent and has called on the state and federal government to pick up the tab.

The store that relied on contributions from donors and the dedication of volunteer personnel and sorters was a lifeline to many newly arrived migrants who often showed up only wearing light summer clothes.

On September 25, the first flooding occurred when rainwater entered the back of the store, where the women’s and children’s clothing was displayed. According to the group’s head Ilze Thielmann, that flood only caused them to shut down the store for three days. However, the most significant damage occurred during the flash flooding on September 29–when over a half foot of water deluged the city in a 24-hour period.

“After the flood on the 29th, we are now shut down at [the 12 West 40th St.] location permanently,” shared Thielmann in an interview. She also requested support in finding a new home for the store. “We would love to have street-level space, approximately 2200 square feet, with room for a waiting area, a retail floor, and storage, as well as access to a restroom for our volunteers,” said Thielmann. “Midtown Manhattan is ideal, but we would be thrilled to consider any offer that might come our way.”

Even faced with a caved-in ceiling, damaged clothing and ruined antique furniture, plaster and floors, Team TLC hasn’t given up on bringing back the shop. When asked about their reaction to the flood, Thielmann said, “We are strong and resilient, inspired by the amazing people we serve, who have been through so much worse than this and yet still maintain hope and continue to fight for a better life here in New York.”

The need for their titular kindness was evident. When it was open, lines formed as early as 4 a.m., according to Irma Davidson, one of the volunteers. One week before the flood swamped the shop, a line of more than 40 asylum seekers waited in the chilly hours of the early morning, as sharply dressed office workers scuttled around them.

One of the 116,000 migrants who arrived in New York City since last spring is Maria Morocho, who trekked from Ecuador with her family. Standing in the back of the line, shivering in an open-front cardigan, she spoke about their journey. “Together with immigrants from Colombia, Venezuela and Peru we had to cross rainforests to get to the border,” she said. “It was very difficult, and I wouldn’t have made it without their support. They would always say ‘Vamos, vamos, vamos’ [Let’s go].”

While the shop’s security guard was handing out tickets for entry, Morocho explained that financial hardship was not the main reason for their immigration. Their 15-year-old daughter became a victim of gang violence after she refused to give money to her attackers. “All I want for her is to study, get good grades, and learn the language. I want my daughter to be what I couldn’t be,” said Morocho, with tears in her eyes.

This wasn’t Morocho’s first time “shopping” with Team TLC, but it was her last at that location.

Following the flood, the shop’s staff packed over 40 contractor bags of ruined clothing. With the winter around the corner and a recent surge in asylum seekers’ arrivals in the city, Team TLC has called for New Yorkers to contribute what they can, whether it be clothes, shoes, strollers or money.

But “THE MISSION CONTINUES,” according to Team TLC’s most recent newsletter. The non-profit is now partnering with Afrikana, a resource center in Harlem, to distribute the salvaged clothes to asylum seekers. While they search for a new retail space, they have secured a donation drop-off location on 7 West 83rd Street. Due to weather conditions and limited space, they accept only winter clothing, flat shoes, new underwear, and strollers.