Helping low income kids prompts Muskegon entrepreneurs to open downtown clothing store

Deborah Johnson Wood

Worlie Johnson wasn't making the kind of money he used to make, and he and his wife Mary had to cut back on their charitable giving. So they launched SPELLBOUND, a men's and women's clothing and shoe store at 942 Terrace in Muskegon.

The Johnsons began SPELLBOUND several years ago as a program promoting history and spelling bees in schools, and awarded prizes to the winners. The new storefront allows them to continue providing for kids' basic needs: free haircuts, clothing, shoes, and funding for small scholarships for track athletes and for beauty schools.

"I worked at Pete's Shoebox and learned the business," says Worlie Johnson. "I was earning money for the scholarships. After the economy got bad, I took what I had saved up and got an account for 48 pair of shoes with Stacy Adams."

The store also sells designer clothing – men's suits, women's dresses – and clergy shirts, carrying enough inventory for customers to find what they want. Most items are custom ordered and delivered in three to five days, says Johnson.

Discounts are given to anyone who brings in a ticket stub showing they supported a school event, receipts from certain barbershops in town, or who say they belong to a worship community.

One way or another, the couple has funded free haircuts for school kids since 2005, says Johnson. The latest method is a deal through the store for free shoes for barbers providing the haircuts. Johnson says many of the barbers give the free haircuts and don't bother collecting on the free shoes.

"We started this to be a help to the community," Johnson says. "We wanted to do whatever we could do to alleviate the pain for the kids."

Source: Worlie Johnson, SPELLBOUND; Ed Garner, Muskegon Area First

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Development News tips can be sent to [email protected].