After a whole season of canceled parties and postponed weddings, Simply Silverware in St. Clair is back to work and looking forward to a bright future.
Owner Jennifer Gildenpfennig has owned and operated the business for four years, employing adults with special needs who wrap plastic silverware with napkins for customers who are hosting graduation parties, weddings, baby showers, and other events.
Gildenpfennig, who has worked as a teacher with the Macomb ISD, said that wrapping silverware started as a classroom project and then grew into an actual business. Her employees are adults with Down Syndrome, Autism, or other special needs who have aged out of other programs. Simply Silverware allows them to get a paycheck, get out of the house for a while, and have a purpose while making money.
Shae Sheppard, one of the employees, said that she likes to work. Her co-worker, Jeff Anger, expressed pride in “making piles of silverware”.
Right now, business is picking up and Gildenpfennig has dreams of opening another location elsewhere in St. Clair County and turning Simply Silverware into her full-time business. Her employees also provide gift wrapping in the holiday season and assemble party favors and wedding decorations.
You can learn more at their website, https://simplysilverware.square.site.
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
