QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, November 17, 2011 Page 26
ANNIV page 26 HIDDEN GEMS OF
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Turning the page on mental illness Bayside bookstore helps disabled workers integrate into society by Kasey Schefflin-Emrich Chronicle Contributor
ince its inception in February 2010, the Bayside bookstore Turn the Page...Again has given a new life to used books and the employees who work there. The shop, which is believed to be one of only two secondhand bookstores in Queens that sell and accept used books, is situated between a hair salon and a dentist office at 3915A Bell Blvd. It is operated by the nonprofit organization Transitional Services for New York, which provides housing and support services for the mentally disabled. TSINY employs 14 individuals at the store with mental disorders who have had difficulty finding long-term employment as a result of their condition. “It gives them the opportunity to grow, learn more skills and get back into the workforce,” said store manager Elle Fliegel. The skills the employees gain emerge from the various tasks they are responsible for on a typical day, which include organizing and categorizing books, cashiering, computer work and dealing with customers. These duties are an attempt to give the workers a sense of normalcy and a chance for a better life, according to TSINY Chief Executive Officer Larry Grubler. “The goal of the bookstore is to give individuals who have a mental illness the opportunity to get real-life work experience and then go out and gain employment,” Grubler said. The employees work 10 hours a day for a
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The Turn the Page...Again bookstore has helped employees Kathy, left, and Maureen, right, gain PHOTOS BY KASEY SCHEFFLIN-EMRICH valuable working experience. period of six to nine months, with the hope that they will have moved on to another job by then. The staff at the bookstore assist workers in finding employment, which Grubler says has been more successful than he imagined almost two years ago. Since the store opened, eight employees have found jobs geared to their vocational goals. Employers hiring them include TGI Fri-
day’s, Sunrise Cinema, senior programs, Elmhurst Hospital and retail stores. Working at Turn the Page has been a positive experience for Kathy, a former receptionist, who has been there since August. She said she likes the “hands-on” environment and the friendliness of fellow staffers. “If you don’t know something they help you out,” said Kathy, who hopes to become a
salesclerk in the future. Maureen, from Springfield Gardens, who has been at the bookstore for the last seven months, said the job is very rewarding. “It supplements my income, but it also has exposed me to different kinds of books,” she said. “It has given me a wider appreciation for literature.” In addition to helping the workers, the bookstore offers a home to countless used books ranging from classics to romance novels to cookbooks in relatively good condition at low prices, with no book going for more than $5. There are usually special sales going on such as $1 for cookbooks and buy three novels for a special price. The shop also offers special amenities to customers, such as allowing them to create a wish list if they don’t see a particular book they want in stock. When and if the book is donated, staff members contact the readers and set a time for them to pick it up. “One customer has a wish list a mile long with pages and pages of classics in alphabetical order,” Fliegel said. Besides the list, the store offers coffee and snacks such as donuts and cookies. It even has a corner devoted to children’s books with tables and chairs. “I see parents and kids in the store all the time,” Grubler said. Turn the Page Again is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information, call (718) Q 767-2341
From a funeral home, a glimpse into the past Richmond Hill Archival Museum has extensive collection of memorabilia by Anna Gustafson Senior Editor
33rd Anniversary Edition
Inconspicuously tucked away in a room of the Kearns Funeral Home, the Richmond Hill Archival Museum at first appears to be a modest affair — glass cases and bookshelves line the walls, from which yellowed faces in black and white photos stare at visitors, their perfectly coiffed Victorian up-dos and hard stares forever frozen in time. But upon further inspection, it becomes clear that residents could lose themselves in the museum for hours while perusing stacks of Richmond Hill High School yearbooks dating back to the turn of the 20th century,
Jacob Riis and his family pose for a photo on 115th Street in Richmond Hill in 1909. The picture is one among many on display at the museum.
photos of World War I soldiers and famous residents — journalist Jacob Riis, radio pioneer Alfred Grebe and “Skippy” cartoonist Percy Crosby, for example — and a wide range of items representing a rich neighborhood history. “It’s a wonderful place,” Ivan Mrakovcic, president of the Richmond Hill Historical Society, said of the museum, located on the first floor of the funeral home at 85-66 115 St. “It’s very homey, and we’ve had so many interesting things donated by people from around here.” Residents can see a carriage jack from the late 1800s, a vintage cheerleading outfit from Richmond Hill High School and a radio from the mid-1920s that was donated by the Grebe family. Richmond Hill Historical Society President Ivan Mrakovcic stands in the group’s The Grebe radio factory was once located archival museum, which holds a wide range of photos and items that piece together on the Van Wyck Expressway in Richmond a colorful narrative of the neighborhood’s rich past. PHOTOS BY ANNA GUSTAFSON Hill, and Alfred Grebe, who was born in Richmond Hill and died in Hollis, set up a network called the Atlantic Broadcasting Corporation, which he operated until he sold it to CBS in 1929. Books written by former Richmond Hill residents Anais Nin and Amelia Edith Barr line the shelves, and a number of Percy Crosby’s “Skippy” comic books are preserved in a glass case. Crosby and his family moved from Long Island to Richmond Hill in 1900, and he documented many of his childhood escapades in Queens in his cartoon strip and 1929 novel. Residents who wish to spend time in the museum should contact the historical society at (718) 704-9317 or “Skippy” comics author Percy Crosby moved to Richmond Hill in 1900 Q visit the website at richmondhillhistory.org. and later wrote about many of his childhood adventures in the strip.