In a little retail store and studio in Clearfork, customers shop for candles, clothing,
jewelry and accessories with a higher purpose in mind.
The items for sale at The Worthy Co. are made by women who have survived trafficking,
prostitution, and addiction. And every penny of profit goes back to supporting them.
Recognizing the challenges survivors face—such as criminal records, trauma, and
addiction—The Worthy Co. offers more than just a job. It provides a safe, therapeutic
environment where women can rebuild their lives.
“We observed women doing the incredibly hard work of healing from trauma but
consistently struggling to secure dignified employment that provided a living wage,”
said Melissa Ice, founder of The Net, an anti-trafficking organization that is the parent
non-profit for the store. “True freedom requires economic independence. Many of the
women we serve had their exploitation begin during adolescence, robbing them of
opportunities to develop basic workplace skills that most of us learn in our first jobs.”
Since its 2018 launch by Melissa Ice and Sarah Bowden, The Worthy Co. has supported
21 employees and provided 18,000 hours of dignified employment. “We’re really proud
of these numbers because each one represents a life being transformed,” Ice said.
Worthy Co. started out in a little renovated house on the Near Southside. Right now,
production and manufacturing still take place there while the company operates a retail
pop-up shop at The Shops at Clearfork.
Women working at The Worthy Co. develop workplace confidence, gain practical skills
and experience a safe and supportive community. The organization’s enrichment
program also supports personal and professional development. Participants engage in
activities like trauma-informed yoga, nutrition classes, and reading survivor-led
materials, fostering growth in all aspects of their lives.
Ice said her proudest moments are seeing team members recover and thrive, from the
woman who was able to save enough salary to buy herself a car, to the artisan who
worked her way up to a management position at the store and now works as a recovery-
support specialist.
‘The joy of watching Mary save enough for her daughter’s braces and tell me, ‘I finally
feel like a good mom,’ – the impact of that is hard to describe,’ Ice said.
The Worthy Co. chose JPMorganChase to be its bank because of its commitment to
supporting social enterprises, Ice said.
“From the beginning, Chase understood our unique business model. Our bankers
recognized that we weren’t just focused on bottom-line profitability, but on creating
sustainable impact through business operations, and they offered financial solutions
tailored to this dual mission,” she said.
“JPMorganChase also has been instrumental in our growth by actively advocating for
our mission within the broader business community. They’ve promoted our products at
local events and created meaningful connections with potential partners that might
otherwise have been inaccessible to us,” Ice said. “These introductions have opened
doors to exciting potential opportunities.”
The Worthy Co. has defied the steep odds facing most small businesses, especially
during the extreme challenges of the pandemic lockdown.
“In the six years since it opened its doors, the impact of The Worthy Co. on the Fort
Worth community has been profound,” said Angie Dinh, a business relationship
manager at Chase. “It has provided survivors with pathways to independence while
creating high-quality products that its customers love.”
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