Browsers welcome
Tristan Schmid, host, List-en Up!))

Schmid:  Melvin Satterfield endured some trying times as a youngster, but he’s managed to turn his difficult experiences into positive ones for teenagers in his neighborhood.

Satterfield owns Browsers Welcome, a furniture refinishing and repair store with three locations in Columbus, Ohio’s German Village and Bexley. Growing up in New York City, Satterfield lost his mother at the age of two and grandmother at 14. While watching TV in a homeless shelter, he became Inspired when he saw Bob Vila glue a chair. and Satterfield decided to set out on his own. Shortly thereafter, he found his calling.

Satterfield: I was picked up and adopted by a lady who owned an antique store; she let me work there. She let me do everything: deliveries, pickups, furniture refinishing, caning, and making new pieces.

Schmid: Satterfield parlayed those early experiences into a career, and hopes to help local kids do the same.

Satterfield: I never knew later on in my life after being picked up by her at a young age that it would be so valuable to me. I think a lot of other people like her should do the same thing. I’ve noticed what a difference it’s made in these kids’ lives here. If she didn’t do it for me, I would never know how to be able to do it for them.

I learned a trade. I earned my own business and I didn’t have to go around asking for a dollar — that’s how we meet some of them that come here. We tell them, “There’s a lot more than the dollar, and I can tell you, because I’ve been where you’re at.”

So that’s how I got started and why we do this.

Schmid: Satterfield recently started an entrepreneurship program at Browsers Welcome, where local kids gain professional experience and skills by learning from Satterfield and working on furniture themselves.

Satterfield: I see the kids’ lives changing one by one.

Schmid: Like Satterfield’s shop, the entrepreneurship program arose from humble beginnings.

Satterfield: One day I was here working and a young man came by with his uncle, with his pants (sagging) way down… and I said, “How would you like to learn furniture refinishing?” and his uncle asked me, “Would you be able to help him?” I thought, “How did I look the day someone turned around and helped me? I think he’s going to be the one guy that I’ll show the rest of them that this works.”

This one guy – he’s not here anymore, but he has a job, a haircut, nice clothing — we sent him on a few job interviews because his woodworking skills weren’t there yet. He seemed as though he’d like something else. He did get hired at a job. He worked here for a year before he left.

I think the first year of dealing with him — teaching how to go on an interview, teaching him how to have respect for customers, how to do a good job on something — I think that got him started on what he did want to do.

DeQuion Anderson was the first one that started here. He’s sent two of his brothers over here since then. He’s realized that it helped him, and he made sure his younger brothers got a hold of it too.

Satterfield: After you learn, you need to start doing it for other people. We have a lot of clients; we’ll give you some, as long as you know how to keep the same quality we’ve been keeping.

I’m going to help you, believe me, I am.

The more people that invest in us, we’ll invest in them. That’s more than getting your furniture done, to me. That’s why this job means more than just doing furniture when I come to work. Because I come to work and not just the furniture’s here: these young lives are here too. It’s very important that I teach them.

Satterfield: We’ve got several kids their GEDs, and we’ve gotten several young men right back in school who were thrown out.

Schmid: So far, more than a dozen kids have been involved in Satterfield’s program, which has caught the attention of other local organizations.

Satterfield: We won the South Side Business of the Year award, and we won the Franklin County Commissioners Award for our work with the young men.

Schmid: Browsers Welcome has been recognized for great work from Angie’s List, too: the company has won the Angie’s List Super Service Award for the past seven years in a row for helping its customers.

Even before Satterfield started the entrepreneurship program, he was helping those in his community. He found John Forbes sleeping in the alley behind his shop and asked if he wanted a job, and he’s been working there ever since.

Forbes: I never knew I’d be this far in life. I got my family back now: my kids, my grandkids, and all of them.

We sand, stain, polyurethane, we do it all here.

My favorite part is the finish, and I know an ugly piece of furniture looks beautiful when it comes out of here, and that makes me happy. When I get done with this piece, it’s going to be so beautiful that I’m going to smile when it’s done, and it feels good to help teach these kids how to do it, too, it feels really good.

Schmid: Satterfield hopes other businesses will start programs
to help local teens.

Satterfield: Not everyone is into furniture repair or woodwork. Kids might be into photography, printing, or just running a gas station. Maybe instead of calling the police when you see them standing in front of your store, when they approach and ask you for a dollar or something, then you have the opportunity to open up the avenue of “do you want to do something for yourself? I would be able to help you.” And if you come back with the right attitude, then we can help you even more.

That, I would like to see more businessmen do, because it’s a hard thing to do, but when you see the results you’ll be very happy. And this is one of the only shops whose business hasn’t been busted up or graffitied. If you’re friendly and nice to the kids and you teach them a trade or even just how to be men by being around you for a while, that’ll make a better neighborhood for everybody. I’m sure it will.

Schmid: To learn more about Browsers Welcome, read the full story at magazine.angieslist.com. And if you know of a local service company who does great things, please share your story with us by clicking the “Contact” button at our website, angieslistpodcasts.com.

Until next time, this is Tristan. Thanks for taking the time to list-en!