Mini department store in Albany dedicated to foster children

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - On July 13, 2021, Pastor Charlie Muller of the Victory Church cut the ribbon on a new mini department store called "Our Store" that will help provide foster kids with brand new items for free. Since then Muller has been serving the regions' foster children by providing hundreds of them with much-needed items.

Muller has been taking at least one child who is in foster care per day through the store since it has been open. This store all started after Muller opened a foster home in Guilderland and saw that when the children were coming in, they had little to nothing with them.

"Almost every one of them came with very little or no spare clothing," Muller said. "And a lot of times it was just a garbage bag with certain items in it. But it was a reality when we started seeing it. Some kids came with nothing."

Muller said the goal of the store is to make sure that if a foster child or parent comes into the store, they can get any items they may need, whether it's clothes, shoes, hygiene products, or games.

"We want to make sure, if a foster parent comes in, no matter what age their foster child is, they can probably get what they need here," Muller said.

Muller gave the store the name "Our Store," so that it would resonate with the children.

"We opened up "Our Store," and that's exactly what we called it, "Our store" so the kids that come in they feel like, "Wow, this is our store this is my store; I can come shop, and they are going to be there for me," Muller said. "When the kids walk in, their eyes just light up and they are like, "Woah.""

The space was even laid out to look like a real store, with an entire wall dedicated to shoes, and racks of clothes. There are also sections made for infants and games.

The store has only new items that come from stores that have closed or items that were donated. Muller said the store makes sure it takes in new items instead of hand-me-downs, which makes a world of difference in making kids feel like their peers.

Muller emphasized that the store is also available for young adults who may be aging out of the foster system and are looking for items that may help prepare them for college or a new job.