Atlanta

Atlanta hotel opens ‘career closet’ to help its employees dress for success

ATLANTA — In a hallway ‘behind the scenes’ at the Omni Atlanta hotel in downtown Atlanta, Deja Cherry is doing a little browsing.

“Oh my gosh! I can’t believe that people are willing to give these things for other people to be able to say, ‘hey — I have something to wear,’” Cherry said.

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Cherry works the front desk at the Omni hotel — proper business attire is a must. But it can cost so much.

“The way funds are, and inflation is, it’s hard to find things that are affordable.”

So, the Omni’s Jackie Duncan found a way to help. She rounded up gently used suits, dresses, shoes, you name it — thousands of items — for hotel staff members who need them. It’s called the ‘Career Closet’, and it’s all free of charge, Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen reports.

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“Hopefully the closet will serve to give those people the items they need. Not only business but also casual. We also took it a step further and we now have stuff for children,” Duncan said.

Duncan says they’re building a culture that supports diversity, equity, and inclusion. Cherry started working here a few months ago, and says she feels right at home.

“That’s something that definitely matters, especially nowadays. You want to be somewhere where you feel welcome. Somewhere you feel you’re going to be taken care of,” Cherry said.

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Duncan says she’s also going to ask local dry cleaners who may have business suits and such that were never claimed to donate them to the hotel’s career closet.

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