Since their opening in 2019, the Little Shop of Kindness run by Team TLC NYC has served thousands of migrants who arrive in New York City from around the world. As of January 17, 2025 Team TLC NYC has shifted its model in order to focus on providing legal support to migrants. According to a statement on the Little Shop of Kindness’s website, “The Little Shop of Kindness has closed its (physical) doors. While the shop is no longer in business, Team TLC NYC will continue and strengthen its work supporting migrants and asylum seekers through legal triage tables, pro se legal clinics, and know-your-rights sessions.”
Director Ilze Theilmann realized that “the influx of new arrivals into the city has fallen precipitously,” since October 2024, and there are “still a lot of asylum seekers in New York who have been here for a while and need other forms of assistance in addition to, and perhaps more than, clothing and supplies.” As a result of this change, Team TLC NYC decided to close the Little Shop of Kindness and center their mission on strengthening their legal team and providing migrants with other support systems which are still being finalized. Prior to this change, the Polygon spoke with frequent volunteers at the Little Shop of Kindness in order to understand their experience at the shop.
Approximately 5.1 million asylum seekers have entered the United States since 2022 according to CIS.org. During the months of January through September 2024, the Little Shop of Kindness provided resources to over 4,700 migrants. Not only does the organization serve migrants from all over the world, but it also positively impacts many of its volunteers, allowing them to build connections with various asylum seekers and other volunteers who strive to support this mission.
Founded by Ilze Thielmann, the Little Shop of Kindness, located on the Upper East Side, is a store where asylum seekers shop for free accompanied by a volunteer who serves as a personal shopper and takes them around the store while also translating for them. Other volunteers at the Little Shop of Kindness help sort clothing items, watch children, and above everything, serve as a friendly face for the guests. Many volunteers also feel welcomed by the warm atmosphere and have built long lasting relationships at the shop. “The connections that I have made is something so special about the shop … it is something that makes the shop so unique,” said Margot Pliska, volunteer at the Little Shop of Kindness and current junior at Ethical Culture Fieldston School.
The Little Shop of Kindness acts as a bridge between the different communities of volunteers and guests, bringing them together to form meaningful connections. “I’ve bonded with guests and this has opened my eyes to a whole new world and experience that I never would have gotten elsewhere,” added Pliska. Volunteers at the Little Shop of Kindness express gratitude for having the opportunity to volunteer at the shop, and are excited to connect with so many different people. “You see the way [volunteers] interact with the migrants, some don’t speak a word of Spanish, French, Portuguese or Arabic, but they communicate by being so kind and warm,” said Thielmann during an interview with CNN. Other volunteers feel similarly about their importance in the guest’s lives. “We’re not only giving them food, clothing, water, we’re also sharing the experience of what New York City is all about,” said volunteer Irma Davidson during an interview with CBS News. Being able to serve as a friendly face to these newly arrived asylum seekers during a time of need impacts both the volunteers and the guests themselves. “[I have met] people who come from a place and experience that is so different from [my own life] and here we are laughing and speaking, and it is so amazing,” mentioned Pliska. One family who Pliska helped in particular had a long lasting impact on her personal life. “I would not be able to experience this if it wasn’t for the shop,” she reflected.
Various students from Poly Prep Country Day School have also volunteered with the Little Shop of Kindness and formed connections with many of the shop’s guests. Current junior, Chloe Guedes Smith ‘26, enjoys spending time at the shop as it gives her an opportunity to meet new people from all different backgrounds. “They are all very friendly and I can have conversations with them even though we do have a language barrier,” said Guedes Smith. “It is a really unique space, I have never seen anything like it,” she added. Eliza Rorech ‘26 has also volunteered with the shop throughout her sophomore and junior years of high school. Rorech describes these experiences as “eye-opening” and is grateful for this opportunity. Guedes Smith along with many of the shop’s other volunteers carry these experiences with them. “[Volunteering at the Little Shop of Kindness] gives me a really great sense of perspective…I have realized that there are so many people living so many different lives in this city and it is really important to find a way to help others,” she concluded.
The atmosphere at the Little Shop of Kindness has not only impacted a volunteer’s connection with the guests, but also the relationship between some of its frequent volunteers as well. “You see kindness between the volunteers and the guests but also between the volunteers themselves,” added Pliska. Rorech acknowledges that volunteering at the Little Shop of Kindness is a fulfilling experience in more ways than just being able to help the guests. “I’ve formed connections with volunteers of all ages. It’s really nice to be surrounded by a community of people that cares about the same issues that I do,” said Rorech. The warm environment of the shop immediately brings volunteers closer together. “I feel very lucky to be here, I think as much as I give I get from the atmosphere and the volunteers and the people who are coming for help,” said manager Caroll Singer in a video for the Little Shop of Kindness.
