JENKS, Okla. — Two stores in downtown Jenks, Able and Co., and Bridges Mercantile, sell locally produced items, but also have a mission to help those with special needs find a purpose by getting them in the workforce.
When you walk into Able and Co., a friendly face is there to greet you.
"Welcome in," said Willie Steele, a 24-year-old employee at the men's store.
There's something very special about Steele.
"So, yes, I do have autism," Steele said.
Steele is part of the Bridges Foundation, an organization that mentors those with developmental disabilities to gain work skills and grow independence.
Nikki Jolly, the COO of Bridges, said hiring Steele was a no-brainer.
"But we wanted to give him the opportunity to step outside of what he was doing every day and come work here. And he's owned it completely," Jolly said.
The mission behind the program is to let clients advocate for themselves while working independently.
Able and Co., the men's store, opened in May 2025, right next door to Bridges Mercantile, the women's store of Bridges that opened in 2018.
"It was just a light bulb went off that they (students) need something to do past school to keep them independent and employable and social....it just has had a special place in my heart ever since," Jolly said.
Both stores sell locally made products and are located at 108b E Main St, Jenks.
The stores are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
"What has been so neat was with the students that we've had come in, is the local companies surrounding them, just the businesses right here, the small businesses have poured into them as well, like they come visit them," Jolly said.
Steele said the program not only lets him learn the lesson of making a dollar but also gives him a purpose.
"I feel like I do have a place in life. I do have a place in this world. It may not seem like for me after graduating high school back in 2017 I at least found something. Now that I found Bridges, thanks to my mom," Steele said.
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