Vision House Gift Shop

Are you looking for the absolutely perfect gift... or a great little conversation piece for your home? How about a custom made silk or dried floral arrangement, a personalized gift basket, one-of-a-kind clothes that fit 18 inch dolls, furniture for the dolls, flags, afghans, candles, pottery, specialty items, and so much more!

We've got them all -- and more. At prices ranging from $2 to more than $100, but always a bargain.

Come In and browse.  We have Thousands
of items to choose from...

The Gift Shop offers customers wonderful merchandise and a wonderful incentive program: at no cost to you -- and we do the record keeping!

Pottery & Candles

We keep a file of names of customers, dates, and the amount of money spent. When $100 is spent, a 10% discount is offered on the next purchase made at the store (all purchases made at one time -- not limited to a single item). This past year, some customers waited 'til $200 was spent, put Christmas gifts on layaway, and saved 20% (the highest percentage allowed) on all of their gifts!

The reason we keep the date of purchase is that we give our customers a letter stating that 50% of monies spent at the store in a given year is a donation and therefore a tax deduction.

Victorian Pieces

The Gift Shop is one of the three businesses run by Vision House. This business increases the opportunity for members to learn the skills needed to empower them to return to the "real world". Here, in a safe, supportive and individually paced environment, members prepare for their successful vocational re-entry into the community.

Decorative Jars

The proximity of the store to the day program is a win-win setting. Should training questions arise, job coaches who train and assist members and later initially accompany them to jobs in the community, can obtain immediate feedback from the clinical staff.

Dolls of all types

Members become work ready at their individual rate. A brain injury often leaves a person without physical and emotional energy. A person's level of limit to stay on task may only be 10-15 minutes at first. Because of the proximity of the program, a member can work at the store for only 10-15 minutes before tiring and returning to the program. Time spent is recorded and used as a baseline to strengthen endurance and skill building.

Boxes & Pottery

Potential employers have a unique opportunity to observe a prospective employee in a natural environment, on the job and without the tensions that accompany an interview. They may also take an active role in the training process by identifying and preparing the members for skills required in specific jobs.

The store, therefore, is a safe haven in which members can develop their skills. They can try, make mistakes, correct them and move on toward the ultimate goal of one day reclaiming their place in society.

From a financial standpoint, the location of the store next to Vision House also is ideal in that it precludes the need for transportation and all its associated costs.

Boxes, Candles & Gifts

The naturally occurring interaction with the community results in informal learning about the problems and challenges of those with brain injury. And, without the volunteer help, we would face many difficulties.

The Gift Shop provides a "hands-on" vocational component. At the Gift Shop, members can learn all aspects of operating a retail establishment: communicating with customers, answering the telephone, running the cash register, stocking merchandise, inventory, pricing, budgeting, etc.

Decorative Pieces

Members may choose to develop their talents into marketable goods that are displayed and sold at the store: art, wood-working, the creation of stained glass, and jeweler have been received positively by customers. These projects involve going into the community to do competitive pricing, keeping track of time and monies spent, bookkeeping; all of the follow-through steps needed with any process.

Thousands more to choose from...

Some members will remain at the store indefinitely. Others eventually will move into jobs in the community. Those who leave may, if they wish, return at any time for further training and support.