In mid-May, the Tenderloin's Glide (330 Ellis St.) will launch a new service for low-income and homeless neighbors: Glide Goods, a cost-free convenience store offering essential items to those in need.
Kenneth Kim, PsyD, the new clinical director at Glide, said the idea to launch a cost-free convenience store grew out of the mandate for his new position: integrating the many disparate services the organization offers under one roof.
After joining Glide, Kim quickly observed that staff at the walk-in center were tasked with offering a slew of services all at once. One of those services was providing hygiene kits, which community members would drop in to pick up. But given the clinic's focus on building long-term relationships with clients, handing out hygiene kits was a lower priority for staff, and ended up becoming more of an afterthought or interruption.
Kim also noticed that as Glide's funding decreased, the quality of the hygiene kits had also decreased. They ultimately resembled the hygiene kits provided in prison, which could be triggering for some clients with histories of incarceration.
"That's not the message we want to send," Kim said, noting that Glide has never operated under the assumption that "if you're homeless or poor, you should be happy with whatever."
As a result, one of Kim's first initiatives is Glide Goods, which will be organized as a pop-up shop in Freedom Hall. Community members can pick up a wide range of basic necessities, from toilet paper to toothpaste to feminine hygiene products, in exchange for nothing—neither money nor demographic information.
The multipurpose room in Freedom Hall, where the store will pop up regularly. (Photo: Brittany Hopkins/Hoodline)
Soon after the idea for Glide Goods was born, Glide had the good fortune of linking up with Adaptive Path, a service design firm that was recently acquired by CapitalOne and subsequently launched a nonprofit arm. After presenting Adaptive Path with all of the projects Glide was working on, Kim says it was immediately clear that the firm was drawn to Glide Goods. They quickly jumped in, interviewing staff members and clients to define what Glide Goods should look like.
Adaptive Path helped Kim and his team narrow down their key values for the shop: harm reduction, choice and engagement. Staff members and volunteers who run the shop will be on hand to give clients what they need, but will never impose their own principles on visitors, Kim explained.
When it comes to inventory, they aim to offer a rage of choices—even if it's as small as offering the option of stick deodorant or gel deodorant. And just being open and available gives Glide the opportunity to engage with community members, letting them take the next step deeper into their service offerings whenever they're ready.
A sign for Glide Goods. (Photo: GlideSF)
Together, Glide and Adaptive Path designed the shop's the user experience, creating signage and printing a photo-based flip book of their inventory—so anyone can shop, regardless of the language they speak or their reading level.
Earlier this month, they held their first one-week pilot. Going into it, they still had concerns about how they'd maintain their inventory over time, and whether clients would abuse the system, Kim said. But they were pleasantly surprised by how "considerate and thoughtful" their first visitors were.
For example, the bonus item one day was two pairs of brand-new socks. Despite the high demand on the streets for clean, dry socks, a number of customers questioned whether Glide would have enough for everyone if they took two, choosing to just take one pair instead. One shopper, living in a nearby SRO, even returned with a donation of items she received elsewhere and couldn't use.
But there were some hard lessons, as well. Some clients found the stock photos in the flip book misleading, as they didn't match the items they were ultimately given. To remedy that, Adaptive Path donated a photo printer, so staff can take and display photos of the exact items in stock.
Cultural sensitivities also needed to be considered when ordering supplies: one customer was outraged that the shop offered combs, but not hair picks. Another pointed out that the bottles of lotion the shop had in stock were the exact same variety handed out in prison.
There are still many moving pieces for Glide Goods to iron out—particularly collecting more supplies, as the first batch was largely donated by Adaptive Path. But Kim hopes to start opening the pop-up shop regularly by mid-May. To ensure it's easily accessible to their existing clientele, Kim plans to align the shop's hours with those of the dining room and weekly needle exchange.
Ahead of the official launch, donations are being accepted via Roonga to help Glide stock up on key items like socks, toilet paper and first-aid kits. Those interested in volunteering in the shop, ideally for a period of at least three months, are encouraged to apply here.
