"This is my great invention," Robert laughs.
He shows me a hard plastic case intricately outfitted with multicolored Christmas lights on one side and a battery-operated red safety blinker on the other. The lights appear to be powered by the battery, which in turn produces an impressive display for his collection of Real Change papers. And it keeps them dry.
A native of Detroit, Robert has lived and worked in Seattle for 19 years. "I miss my family, my brothers and sisters, but I love Seattle," he says, "I ain't planning on going nowhere."
When he's not selling the paper, Robert works for a temporary employment agency doing general labor and traffic control flagging. "You know, it's periodical," he says, "So this is why I do this." Selling the paper helps supplement his income, and keeps him off the streets. "I'm not homeless, but I ain't far from it."
I pause, waiting for him to say more. "I'm not unemployed by choice," he reminds me. "It's kind of hard out there."
And he'd rather work than panhandle. "You got to remember, we do buy the paper," he says. "I'm giving something back."
90-second video interview with Robert, by Alex Becker, Real Change Intrn & Contributing Writer.
You can find Robert giving back at the 17th and Madison Trader Joe's almost every day from 5 to 8 p.m., so be sure to give him your support. He'd probably be more than happy to show you his invention too.
To Real Change customers he says, "The issues are good, the cause is good, so just continue to support us and we'll continue to serve you."
And of course, "Merry Christmas!"