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Let’s add a little joy to your day with this heartwarming story out of South Carolina. It was brought to us by Brian at Lewis & Irene. This is an organization that is dedicated to giving people with disabilities a chance to work! From this story and the photos below, you can really tell that they have become a family in their efforts to change the lives of others. Truly this story will get your day off to a better start!

Lewis and Irene first began in 2013 when the Taphouse Family embarked on a journey to share their love of life, family, and fabrics with the world. Lewis & Irene is based in the United Kingdom in a quaint little town of Romsey where many of their designs are inspired from. The company name comes from the parents and grandparents of the current owners.

In October of 2017, a new US division of Lewis & Irene was born in partnership with Brian Wacaster who had been in the industry for several years. The US division is in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

As with any new business endeavor, there were growing pains, and one of the issues that kept nagging at Brian was finding the right warehousing space. In late 2018, the answer came to him. Brian is actively involved in his community and serves on the local Disability Board. The Board runs a couple of workshop locations in the area where it provides job opportunities for those with disabilities. Brian decided to put the company moto “threaded with love” into action and launched a new partnership with the group that is called MaxAbilities in January of 2019. “This has whole heartedly been the best decision of my career” Brian tells us as it has provided a unique opportunity to ensure folks who sometimes are overlooked or are labeled as inferior get a chance to prove that they can be a productive member of society just like someone who may not have a disability. These folks absolutely love to work! The joy that you see on their faces when a new order comes into the workshop to be processed is really quite something! I feel like a hero when I enter the workshop as it is often a competition to see who can give me a hug or a high five first. These folks have become members of my extended family and I have been so richly blessed by them!

Job training is provided for these individuals as well as supervision to ensure that orders are processed correctly. They pride themselves in shipping within 24 hours of receiving the order and often shipping it the same day.

This partnership is particularly special to Brian as he is the proud father of two daughters, his youngest Avery who is now 9, was born with Down Syndrome. From the beginning, my wife and I decided that her disability would never define who she was. It is my hope that my partnership with Maxabilities will not only inspire Avery to be everything that she can be, but also inspire other business owners to consider the benefit of employing some of these wonderful individuals. I can promise you that it will be one of the best decisions you ever make!

So, if there is one thing that Brian would want you to know about Lewis & Irene, it’s that every box of fabric that you receive from them has been packed and threaded with love!

For more information on Lewis & Irene, you may visit their website at lewisandirene.com or contact Brian directly at brianw@lewisandirene.com.