HELLO, kings and queens. My name is Shawn L.
No matter where I’m at, I refer to people I meet as “King” or “Queen.” It started when I was in prison. In prison some will go against you, but some will go along with you. It didn’t matter who you were, I was gonna call you king or queen. I was known as Mr. King and Queen in prison because of that. After 10 years of being in prison, my counselor asked me if I was getting out any time soon. I was like, “no, I guess I gotta do the whole 20.” He told me I was getting out in five years. When I learned that, I was excited, but I was also nervous. I knew I had to start figuring out what I was going to do when I got out. I didn’t know where or how to start, but I wanted to do a business called Kings and Queens. It was far away at the time, but I knew I would need to get a certain amount of money together to start my business.
As my release date approached, my business plan turned into t-shirts and hats with “Kings & Queens” on it. But, when I got out, I ended up being homeless because my mother wasn’t at the house we used to live in and nobody could tell me where she was because everybody in our neighborhood that I knew had moved. I didn’t find my mother until like two years later. She was like, when did you get out? I was like, oh I just got out today. I didn’t want her to worry.
So, here I am, out of prison after 15 years and trying to figure how to get back on my feet. After a year of being out, I ran into a Contributor vendor named Josh and he told me about the paper. I came to my first Contributor paper release meeting in 2009 back when we had them in the big sanctuary and I had a lot of fun. I met the staff there and they got me started selling the paper and also helped me get together documents I needed for housing and other services.
After selling the paper for about a year, I knew that I wanted to do something different on my corner. It was around Christmas of 2010 and I decided to dress up on my corner. At that time there was a costume shop called Performance Studios on Thompson Lane. I went there and they suggested Santa costumes, but I wanted something different. When they suggested reindeer, I said ohhh! At that time I was a big dude so I was worried they wouldn’t have my size, but they did. So, I bought some lights to display on the wall near my spot and I rented the costume, and the nose lit up and everybody just loved it. That’s how it started and by February I did Cupid (no diaper because it was too cold!). I wore all white and rented angel wings and a big bow and arrow. I couldn’t afford the halo though. Then I went down there again for an Easter Bunny Costume. I tried scary costumes for Halloween, but after I scared two kids, I had to take it off. The next day I came up with something playful instead of menacing. About a month later I was a Thanksgiving Turkey and then I always stayed Rudolph for Christmas.
My customers loved the costumes, and I wanted to have my own costumes instead of having to rent them. The woman at the costume shop even started to make me a few, but the store closed and she moved and we ended up losing touch. This year, I found an Easter Bunny costume at this balloon place out on Charlotte. I was able to buy this one, and now I’m in search of people who make costumes. I’ve a lot of ideas for costumes if I can find someone who can create them!
I’m also working on new designs and getting setup with equipment in my house so I can make the shirts and hats myself. My new products will have a royalty style with crowns, swords, knights, jester hats and checkered diamond patterns. I’m working with TKO to get some graphics together.
As far as The Contributor goes, it saved my life when I first started. It gave me a job and it’s just wonderful. I wouldn’t want to stop doing it. This is one job that I stuck with and I don’t think I would ever leave. I did it while I was homeless, I did it when when I was living in my first place, I did it during COVID, and I did it while I had other jobs at the same time. It’s just wonderful. It’s like family.
Being out there with my customers is wonderful. You don’t get cheers from everybody, but that’s just part of selling the paper. I’ve been flipped off, had water or whatever else thrown at me, I’ve been called the n word. Those are the bad parts and the things you put up with. But the good outweighs the bad. Selling The Contributor lets me know I can pay my bills, It lets me know I can move forward in life. It’s like no other job. I’m independent and can make my own decisions. The Contributor gives you life, it gives you meaning and it gives you love.