Maxine loves to shop, however, as the mother of two and the main source of income for her household, she doesn’t always have the time or resources to buy new clothes. That’s why she’s always loved the clothing room at At The Crossroads. For Maxine, looking for new clothes at ATC is her “retail therapy.” She loves to match different pieces and craft a whole outfit. It’s not just about the clothes; it’s about how they make her feel.

As someone who doesn’t get a lot of time to herself, when Maxine is looking for a new outfit, she starts to daydream and imagine what might be possible. If she wore this outfit, what kind of new job might she be working at? Maybe in this outfit she could go back to school. Looking at clothes frees Maxine’s mind to think beyond her day-to-day. In her words, “I have a lot of things that I want to do. I have dreams, I don’t ever stop dreaming … I can still go back to school, I can still finish an education, I can still get a degree. Those are things that are long-term goals, so right now I’m just letting it be because I have to be the anchor of the family.”

“I have it, I know I do, I just don’t have the time. But once I do, be careful because I’m going to get out there and I’m going to find me something that I really really really am supposed to be at and I want to thrive in it because I want to grow.” -Maxine, ATC Client for 13 years

Even without the time to work towards her long-term dreams, Maxine enjoys the small things, “I think I find the joy in the littlest of things. Still being with my husband after all these years.” She loves spending time with her 10-year-old daughter, who Maxine says is her main focus. Maxine describes her daughter and calls her, “My little activist girl: she’s led Malcolm X rallies, she’s been an emcee for her after school program, she’s made a rap video. She’s done a lot of stuff for a little 10-year-old self. I’m proud of her … She has no fear of things. Even when she was a little baby, she has no fear, she just goes into things and she knows that it’s something that she wants to do.”

Watching her daughter grow up quickly before her eyes, Maxine reminds her regularly “to just love herself” and to “be herself as a kid.” Maxine talks about how she comes from a long lineage of strong women and she hopes the same for her daughter: “Look at the tree where you come from. It’s not easy, but do it smiling. Don’t ever give up.”

Listen as Maxine describes how “retail therapy” in ATC’s clothing room helps her dream big.