When 11-year-old Obocho Peters saw that some of his friends’ families could hardly afford to dress their kids, he decided to do something about it! But the sweet boy had no idea the journey it would lead him on…
Obocho’s Closet
While growing up in Brooklyn, New York, young Obocho Peters frequently saw his peers and their parents struggle to find nice clothes for cheap. For years, he brainstormed how to help. Then it came to him! Peters decided to open up his own thrift store, calling it Obocho’s Closet. At first, his shop of donated affordable clothing only operated online, when it opened in 2018, selling each item for just $10. However, soon, it became quite the hit in New York, and, in December of last year, Peters opened a physical store on his birthday!
Believe it or not, even Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams came to the grand opening along with countless news outlets. Of course, the story of Peters and his store quickly went viral, and people around the world wanted to help. So, the young man set up a GoFundMe where people could donate, in order for the store to purchase some clothes to keep the shelves stocked. “It makes me feel like the hard work I’ve been doing in this community…it finally paid off,” Peters said.
Inspiration Behind The Thrift Store
The inspiration behind his thrift store is very child-like – after all, Obocho is an 11-year-old! On his GoFundMe page, he shared that he’s a huge fan of the movie series Avengers. So, after watching Avengers: Infinity War in the cinema, he wanted eight toys from the film, just like any other kid. Unfortunately, his mother could not afford them.
Peter’s solution was different than other kids’, though. Instead of crying and pleading, he gathered the clothes and shoes he wasn’t wearing anymore and sold them to buy the toys he wanted! “I was inspired by all the superheroes helping to make the world a better place. I wanted to be a hero myself by helping my mom,” Peters shared.
Continuous Support
Peter’s mother’s troubles also made the young boy realize something else: “I realized that other families must face these same challenges when taking care of their children. That idea turned into the mission I have today — to help the community GROW.”
Now, Obocho’s Closet is doing better than ever! So well, in fact, that Peters and his mom found another way to give to the community: they launched free financial literacy seminars! During the workshops, they’ll teach kids and their parents to save money for education, start a business, and get to achieve financial goals at a young age.
“You have to nurture kids when they come up with ideas, and you have to pay attention to everything they say because they’re telling you how to groom them to be a better version of themselves,” Peter’s mother, Sasha, shared.
“This young man personifies the great things young people are doing across our country and particularly in Brooklyn,” Borough President Eric Adams said in his speech. We could not agree more!
Sources: MSN,