In the Works 005: The Non-Profit Founder

American garment craft was built on workwear. Plain Jane New York was built on that same foundation, creating the modern wardrobe essentials that working women actually need. By women, for women.

IN THE WORKS is a series about the women who get things done. Each edition goes inside what she's working on, where she goes, and what she wears through all of it.

Photos by Hally Darnell.

I’ve spectated the New York City marathon every year for nearly a decade. While I stand amongst my fellow spectators on the sidelines, emotions run high and inspiration overwhelms. You think to yourself, ‘I could do this next year’.

And that’s just the feeling from the sidelines. Imagine actually having run it. You’d feel like you could do anything.

That’s exactly the state Bria Parrish found herself after completing the New York City marathon for the first time last year. So, she took that feeling and, well, ran with it.

That feeling is what prompted her to start Still Good (which, side note, naming things is so hard!!! This is such a great name, we’ll get into it).

Still Good is a 501(c)(3) based in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. Their mission is to keep good things in the hands of neighbors and out of landfill, and they do that by hosting a monthly free shop. Taking donated items and redistributing them all for free at different venues in the community.

Still Good is no ordinary circular economy organization. Think about your favorite boutique or concept store. Now imagine walking out with everything for free.

One of our pillars is dignity, and taking the time to curate a shop and make it look nice for people to want to come and shop. And then things being free is just the added bonus.

Not to be shallow, but it’s giving sustainability, but make it cool. That’s kind of the goal. I feel like there’s so much overlap — secondhand shopping, curb finds, buy nothing groups. We put it all in one space and make it enticing.

I mean, just look at their Instagram feed…

We met up with Bria in Brooklyn at the Still Good storage unit before heading into residential Bed-Stuy to chat about her work, motherhood, getting dressed, her beloved Range Rover, and life in New York City.

On Work

Plain Jane New York: Was there a specific moment that made you say, I have to start this?

Bria Parrish: I ran the New York Marathon last year — shout out to my best friend Mariah, she’s the person who trained and encouraged me to do it. But once I ran the marathon, I kind of felt invincible, and I was like, I can do anything. So I’d had the idea of starting Still Good, and it kind of just all fell into place after that. I felt like — yeah, no dream is too big.

PJNY: What were you doing before Still Good?

BP: Well, I am/was a stay-at-home mom. And now that both of my kids are school age, I think I was kind of trying to figure out if I was going to start applying for jobs or figure out something to do on my own. And then Still Good kind of just happened, and so I’m just rolling with it.

PJNY: What do you love most about doing this kind of work?

BP: This is also going to be cliché, but talking to people, which is crazy because I’m so introverted and I have like a lot of social anxiety. But the best part about hosting like a free shop or like when I do the food banks is like talking to people. Like I’ve met so many of my neighbors that I wouldn’t have met otherwise, and I’m connecting with people, I’m learning their stories and why am I getting emotional? But it’s been very beautiful. And I think that we hear the “community” buzzword now, but I feel like boots on the ground — I’m talking to my neighbors, I’m making connections, I’m building relationships. That is exactly what community should be. So yeah, that’s been the best part. And it’s community without, like, incentive.

PJNY: What are you most looking forward to?

BP: To keep growing. I think I have huge dreams for what it could be, and I feel like it’s a marathon, slow and steady. So I think I’m just excited to see what Still Good could be, and hopefully it is what I’ve imagined or even more. I want a storefront. That is my immediate goal: to have a storefront that the free shop can live at on its own, and then we can have programming. We can have classes, we can teach people how to take care of their things for longer, and it’d just be like a central community hub. That is what I’m envisioning currently, but the sky is the limit.

PJNY: How did becoming a mom change the way you think about work?

BP: I feel like I’m very neurotic and Type A. And I think motherhood in general has forced me to slow down and be able to pivot, be able to regroup. Like, okay, this is not happening — what are we doing now? How do we keep moving towards the goal while also knowing it’s going to be okay.

PJNY: How did you come up with the name Still Good? It’s so good.

BP: I was on a walk and part of what inspired me to start this was I would see stuff on a curb and I would be like, the person who needs this is on the other side of Bed-Stuy — they’re not going to be able to find this item. We need it in one central place. And the recurring thing was, these things are still good. So it kind of just came from there.

I love naming things.

PJNY: What’s it like building something like this while raising kids?

BP: Maybe I'll reframe my answer because I feel like that was kind of sad, but it is exhausting. I am tired most of the time. I feel like I'm constantly having to decide what's important, what's not, what can wait, what can't. But, it's also really empowering. I'll be getting ready to go to an event or something and my daughters are like, "oh, Mommy, are you going to Still Good?" And I'm like, oh yeah, they get to see me build this out of nothing, which is very cool and important to me. So, fulfilling and exhausting.

PJNY: If someone comes across us and they’re like, “I want to get involved, I want to volunteer or donate” — how do they go about that?

BP: You can sign up on our website. We have a volunteer form. We also have a donation page and everything is linked there. We need everything — event support, donation support, donation pickup support, social media, web design, all the things. And luckily, I feel like a lot of the support I’ve gotten so far has been through people volunteering their services and their time. It’s me running the stuff behind the scenes, but fully reliant on my community support. So please, please volunteer.

PJNY: Where do you look for inspiration, both for the mission and from day to day?

BP: That’s a hard question. I think I get inspired at every free shop. Something I’ve dealt with is imposter syndrome — I’m like, is this actually impactful? Is this something that’s needed? There’s so many other similar ways to redistribute things. And something that caused me to pause at a free shop recently was there was a bag full of hangers — just empty hangers from the event. And I was like, oh, obviously this is working. People are taking things, this is the system working. So that inspires me — seeing Still Good work in real time and seeing people get excited about it, people’s reactions. I haven’t had one bad interaction. Recently at a shop, this guy came and got a toaster, and I overheard him like, “oh my God, my toaster just broke, I’m so excited — now I have the thing I need and it was for free.” So I think seeing the process work in real time is what’s inspiring to me, and that’s what makes me keep going.

PJNY: What other parts of running a nonprofit surprised you?

BP: I don’t know that anything behind the scenes has surprised me. I feel like I have an operational background, so the day-to-day is my norm. I’ve also worked in customer-facing spaces a lot, so interacting with people is normal for me. I think the most surprising thing so far has just been people’s response. Again, I was dealing with imposter syndrome and worried whether this was needed or not. And the response has overwhelmingly been supportive. I think that surprised me because I was doubting myself, and then people are like, “girl, what are you doing? This is right on time.” So that has surprised me — people being so, so supportive.

On Life in New York City

PJNY: What do you love most about living here?

BP: Oh my God, I feel like Bed-Stuy specifically. When I first moved to New York, I lived in Flatbush for 6 months and I loved Flatbush. But as soon as I got to Bed-Stuy, I was like, oh, this is home. I love talking to my neighbors. I love being able to walk to get my coffee at my favorite coffee shop every morning. I love my apartment. I think I’ve just built a beautiful life here, and I’m grateful to be here.

PJNY: One place that feels very New York to you?

BP: Okay, it’s not a place — I guess it’s more a moment. Whenever I’m coming home from a night out, on the way back from the city to Brooklyn, and you’re going across the bridge and you look back and you can see the skyline — every time I’m like, wow, I can’t believe this is my life. That is the most New York thing for me.

PJNY: One place you take someone who’s visiting?

BP: I’m going to butcher the name, it’s in Thai, it’s called Ler Ler’s. It’s on Tompkins [in Bed-Stuy]. Incredible Thai food, the vibe is great, the service is amazing, and they have a really good lychee martini, which is my favorite. I just took my best friend there and she loved it too.

PJNY: Best place to meet up with friends?

BP: I just discovered I have access to my rooftop, so I’ve just been inviting everybody over. I’m like, come, let’s have a glass of wine on the roof.

On Style

PJNY: Favorite vintage or shopping spot right now?

BP: I don’t shop in person. I’m an online, Depop, eBay, Poshmark girly. I think that’s my rotation. If I get in a flow state between the three of those, it’s a good night, it’s a good shopping time.

PJNY: What do you think about when you’re getting dressed?

BP: Comfort. If I’m not comfortable, I just simply cannot. That’s my golden rule.

PJNY: Favorite way to style your Plain Jane tee?

BP: With a baggy pair of jeans and flip-flops.

PJNY: How has your style evolved?

BP: I don’t know that it’s evolved per se. I feel like I’m just more confident in what my style already was. So if I’m struggling to get dressed to go out with my homegirls, I’m like, just remember the uniform — trousers, t-shirt, kitten heel or flip-flops or ballet flat if it’s cold. I will wear flip-flops in the winter though, I’m not above it.

PJNY: What makes an outfit feel like you?

BP: Flip-flops. Yeah, flip-flops. I’m a self-proclaimed flip-flop enthusiast — that’s a tongue twister. I literally will put flip-flops with any outfit, I’m sorry, I don’t care. They go with everything.

PJNY: Describe your personal style in 3 words.

BP: Comfy, casual, and chic.

Rapid Fire

Go-to coffee spot? Che, on Malcolm X Boulevard.

Favorite season in the city? Spring or fall. I hate extremes.

Best walk? Anywhere around Bed-Stuy, maybe someplace by the water. I’m not gonna lie, somewhere in Bed-Stuy.

I don’t leave the house without… Sunglasses and headphones.

Something you’re excited about right now? My birthday trip — I’m going to Sedona.

Something you’ve been listening to a lot lately? I’ve been revisiting — Stevie Wonder is my favorite artist in general, but I’ve been re-listening to his whole discography, and I’m very pleased.

Current obsession? Trad Room’s Spicy tuna crispy rice. I order it every night.

Your perfect NYC day in 3 stops? Coffee, maybe a thrift shop if I’m being ambitious, and then a good drink at the end of the night.

Thanks for reading <3