It was a series of serendipitous events that unleashed one Prospect’s incredible artistic embroidery skills - ultimately landing him a job at Tiger Sports in Ridgefield.
For Joe, a gifted artist who has served as an Usher at the Prospector Theater for several years, sparks ignited when his he realized a dusty embroidery machine could bring his Star Wars: The Force Awakens sentiment to life.
“We have some Prospects who love Star Wars like it is their religion. Joe is one of those people, explains Prospector Theater founder, Valerie Jensen.
As the release of the first Star Wars movie in 20 years approached, buzz inside the Theater was at an all-time high. Prospects were gearing up for the opening, there were props, costumes, and theater fanfare. Joe sketched a picture of Star Wars character Yoda. “He was holding a lifesaver with a Prospector logo at the bottom of the lifesaver and it said, May the sparkle be with you,” explains Jensen.
Jensen admits, “Joe was so excited, he started to unwind - it was too much of a force for him.”
Jensen, whose mission is to transform her Prospect’s passions into professions, knew Joe had the determination and energy to do great things. She just needed to encourage him to take his Star Wars elation and energy and turn it into something even bigger than the box office smash hit.
“Joe is an amazing artist. I had the idea of bringing it [Joe’s image of Star Wars Yoda] to get digitized into embroidery stitches,” says Jensen.
Joe’s eyes glistened when Jensen showed him the mother of all embroidery machines. Yes, the tech-savvy, sophisticated machine that sat untouched due for years. “It’s ultra-professional - ten needles and way over our learning level, we had no idea how to program it,” says Jensen, adding, “I explained to Joe that Yoda could be embroidered onto his vest.” He was wowed.
Jensen helped Joe combine his artistic abilities, fervor for Star War and fascination with the Theater’s grand embroidery machine. The result?
Joe got to work. He read the lengthy embroidery machine manual. He learned to thread the machine, program the machine, and what’s more, he was able to communicate his new skill to fellow Prospects.”It was amazing to watch - people come up to him and it’s a conversation piece,” says Jensen.
It didn’t take long for Joe to master his craft. “He went from not knowing a thing about this monster of a machine, to being a master,” says Jensen.
The calm for Star Wars set in. “It’s very therapeutic listing to the stitches go on and on and watching your stitches,” says Jensen.
And, with Joe’s handiwork and determination, Yoda came to life on his black Prospector vest - and with it came smiles, joy, pride, and confidence.
Move over Star Wars. There’s more work to do. “Since then, he’s done a beast from Beauty and the Beast, Spiderman - his vest looks like a NASCAR vest. He’s so proud to show people,” says Jensen.
Word got out on the street (Main Street). Tiger Sports, known for stitching logos on athletic gear, reached out to the Prospector Theater to inquire about Joe. “He took a part-time job at Tiger Sports and is in charge of their embroidery machine,” says Jensen.
Once again, the mission of the Prospector Theater is realized. Meaningful employment. Bam.
Have you visited the Prospector Theater lately? Look for personalization on all sorts of Prospector accessories including scarves, vests, and hats.