Now that Robert Egan has a full-time job, the only time he and I see each other these days are very early on Saturday mornings. Hence, our interview occurs at the Street Roots front desk during the excitement and hubbub of an early morning Saturday of a now weekly Street Roots.
“I’m a dollar short of 40 papers,” says Robert. The smell of freshly brewed coffee wafts through the air, the laughter of other vendors fills the office. I tell him that we could give him a loan of $1 when fellow vendor Willie Bradford drops a dollar on the counter to help him out.
“Thank you, Willie,” says Robert. “I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve done the same thing for people.”
And it’s true. Robert is often generous with this earnings, dropping a dollar on the desk, giving a newer vendor some of his papers, paying it forward in any way he can.
Since the last time we interviewed him, Robert has gone from a part-time position through Labor Ready to full-time employment at Arctic Glacier Ice, the company Labor Ready had connected him with. He started working with Arctic Glacier in the summer of 2013 through Labor Ready. The supervisor said they wanted to see him the following season. He went back last April, worked seven days a week throughout the summer, then, at the end of the season, got hired permanently. During the summer we didn’t see much of him at Street Roots. Now, with the winter, his hours have scaled back a bit.
“I’m working 40 hours a week right now Monday through Friday, having fun, enjoying myself,” says Robert with a laugh.
I ask him about how it feels to have a permanent job after a few years of working as a temp. “My self-esteem has skyrocketed,” Robert says without missing a beat. “I’m one of those people who can’t not work. I’ve always got to be doing something.”
I find it amazing that even after a full workweek, Robert takes the time to sell Street Roots. He’s made himself a regular fixture at Grand Central Bakery on Hawthorne Boulevard. Some nights, he even goes out after work to sell the paper.
“The way I look at it is Street Roots is my relaxation and socialization time. I’ve developed a lot of friendships through Street Roots that are likely to last a lifetime, both within the organization and with my customer base.”
I ask him about weekly (publishing) and how his customers have responded. “So far weekly seems to have a good response, everybody congratulates me and us. A lot of people are really happy.”
But, there’s also some education involved with his customers. “I had a customer last Thursday,” Robert says. “I told her the new one came out Friday and she said, ‘Wait a minute, this one’s only been out a week!’ There’s some education that goes al ong with it, but everyone seems happy that they’re coming out weekly now. I think people are really embracing the idea.”
“I want my customers to know I really appreciate them and the good response that they’ve had,” Robert says. “I’m really happy that I’m able to do this for them.”