A high schooler starts work at a tea shop. He makes no money, but rather is there to learn the ins and outs of the work-a-day world. He isn’t sure what skills he will need for a successful future, but this will give him a start.

He’s put in the kitchen. He is nervous and makes a lot of mistakes – food is ruined, dishes broken.  He learns, and the next year he opts to seek out actual employment, once again in a food shop. He becomes the manager on his second day of work.

The young man’s rapid advancement was due to what he learned at A Place to Begin, a mentoring program at Just a Bit Eclectic, a tea shop on W. McNichols owned by Darlene Alston.

The tea shop began as a long-time dream and as time went on became a reality. It serves a variety of tea, has a light deli menu and sells vintage and handmade items. After Alston achieved her dream, she wanted to help others realize their goals and noticed a problem around her neighborhood.

Young people had trouble finding jobs and building skills needed to find and hold them down. In the past the Detroit Public Schools had programs to help kids develop those skills, but slashes to the budget had either gotten rid of them or created opportunities for a much smaller pool. Many were left out.

Alston had always loved kids and believes all children should believe their dreams are possible. As a mother and small business owner, she was the perfect person to step in and help.

“Do what’s right because it’s right, and for no other reason,” Alston says.

She describes the revelation that she could make a difference as a religious-type moment, and she started the non-profit, A Place to Begin. The six-month program mentors young adults between the ages of 14 through 21 and helps them explore career, educational, vocational, entrepreneurship and job fields.

The program runs 16-20 weeks. The group begins training late in the school year. Actual work is in the summer at Alston’s tea shop, the training ground for these young people. They work in the store, kitchen, and farm behind the store where she grows the herbs for her teas.

Alston begins the program by talking to the young people about their personal goals then discussing the best way to achieve them. After that, there is a lot of group work so they can help and encourage one another, keep focused and don’t waver.

What the young people learn at A Little Bit Eclectic is clearly more than just cooking, cleaning, basic business, farming, resumes, and how to properly interview for a job.  Most importantly, Alston teaches them how to achieve their goals and that the direction their lives take is their responsibility.

She closely observes the kids under her charge so she can help them with issues such as boosting confidence, lowering ego and dealing with family situations. In one case, she helped a young woman who finished the program decide to spend more time with her family rather than immediately try and get a job or go to college.

The program can handle 10 trainees at once, but so far has kept it to four a year. In the three years it has been in existence two kids have gone to college, three are still in high school, and two have found steady work.

Alston would like to have more businesses join her. While some have shown interest, she doesn’t want to push too hard and waits for them to come to her. Those that do will be rewarded by giving young people a chance to succeed.

That fits in perfectly with the Just a Bit Eclectic mission statement. “We cannot change the root of a child’s existence, but we can nurture the soil where they are planted.”

Editor’s Note: To learn more about Just a Bit Eclectic visit their website.

  Comcast Business, Darlene Alston, Just A Bit Eclectic Tea Shop, minority-owned business, Small Shops