Vendor Spotlight

‘Anything worth doing is going to take some trial and error’

IMAGES AND STORY BY HANNAH HERNER

When Pierre T. came to Nashville in December 2019, he had a job set up as a tile installer, a trade he learned at 15 years old. He worked the first two weeks on that job and never got paid. That was enough to put him on the streets.

Since then, he’s been in and out of hotels, and got onto the waitlist for affordable housing. He can’t afford to wait two weeks to get paid right now, so he relies on day labor and The Contributor.

With no single selling spot, Pierre uses his outgoing personality to establish rapport in any neighborhood he sells in. He says the racist remarks he hears almost made him leave, but one thing that’s evident about Pierre is that he doesn’t quit easily.

How did you get started at The Contributor?

I’ll never forget, I saw a guy who was selling The Contributor. I gave him two dollars for the paper and I read it. I remember being overwhelmed with the info about the homeless community in Nashville and America. I was drawn to these facts. Being homeless myself, I could relate. I saw the man again and bought another paper. I asked him how I could become a vendor. He told me where to go. I’ve been selling Contributors ever since.

You’ve said it’s important to you to share information with your customers.

I take pride in stopping and explaining. And people tell me all the time ‘thank you, I never heard somebody explain it.’ I show them the papers, show them the statistics. A lot of people take us the wrong way of just being panhandlers. No, we’re vendors. I like to get involved.

Have you always been so outgoing?

Honestly, everyone I come in contact with, they leave smiling. I’ll be honest and say something like ‘y’all look good together, be nice to each other.’ And they’ll say, ‘Thank you, thank you, what’s that you got there?’ ‘Oh, this is The Contributor.’ And it goes from there. I meet a lot of friends like that. It’s beautiful, it really is — when you can mingle with people and sell your paper at the same time.

A smile has more nourishment than a glass of milk. That’s an old Jewish proverb. You’d be surprised how far a smile will take you.

What are some of your interests?

I love music, always have. Music to me is very important in culture and our society. I’m a musician myself. I’m a bass player and a drummer. I’ve played in bands. It’s been years, but I still got it. Plus I sing. I used to perform in New Orleans a lot. I love Louis Armstrong, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Otis Redding. Those guys — something’s wrong with you if you can’t feel something in their music. I’m a soul child.

What keeps you motivated?

I was complaining about no shoes until I met a man with no feet. I thank God every day that He opened my eyes and gave me an opportunity to do something. I just never have been the kind of person to just sit under the shade tree all day, just idly let my day go by. I get up and find something to do. And The Contributor really give me something to do.

What do you want people to know about you?

I’ve never been the type to need a lot of attention, I just want them to realize, count your blessings before you complain, before you point a finger or judge anybody else. That’s what they can learn from me. So many times, even selling this paper, there’s a lot of negativity out there. Some people are just downright racist. Other than that, I just want to tell people that we’ve got to love each other and we’ve got to learn a lot from each other. Quit judging each other and stop the hate.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of becoming a Contributor vendor?

First of all, I’d tell them, you can’t give up. Anything worth doing is going to take some trial and error. You’ll get the hang of it. Most people give up during the first couple of days. They decide this isn’t for them. But you gotta say ‘I’m going to make this work.’ Try different spots, different ways to approach people. Smile more. Draw people to you. You have to be the example. People will be in their Mercedes-Benzes all miserable, frowned up. Miserable as ever, and they got money. They see you smiling, real joy. They might say ‘something told me to stop and do this for you.’ You can’t give up. You can’t let one person discourage you. Ten cars might pass you, but there might be that one that stops. You won’t know if you give up.