Rainbow Retro holds grand opening
For Joe Wickenhauser and his army of Moose Jaw Pride volunteers, this ‘labour of love’ doesn’t just apply to the Rainbow Retro thrift shop and drop-in centre, it’s an honest-to-goodness meaningful description of how much time and effort was put into making the local business a reality.
“It was a pile of work, but we always felt there was a need for something like this for people who are transitioning,” said Wickenhauser, executive director of Moose Jaw Pride. “We need to be have some way of offering cheap clothing so there’s someway of making that possible. “It’s been months in the making... we’ve been looking at different spaces where we could have a little bigger dropin space, maybe a little store, then this offer came up from Mitsu Sweet Cafe and we were really blown away when they chose us to be here.”
Mitsu Sweet Cafe formerly occupied the space and posted an ad on social media offering free rent for a year to a worthy applicant. Moose Jaw Pride applied with a proposal and were accepted, kicking off a whirlwind of activity that culminated with their grand opening at the 345 Main St. North store on June 21.
More than 50 people packed the building’s hallway and store for the event, which showed off all the new facility had to offer – more than 2,000 square feet, compared to the 100 they had before, including the store and an area with couches and chairs for folks to relax. “Shortly after we moved into our old space, we realized we would need more since there was such a demand; hundreds of people were visiting our drop-in space last year and it was just a 10x10 room,” Wickenhauser said. “So now we have a lot more space for people to just come and hang out and be themselves in a safe space. We have a lot more visibility as well in the community, being on Main Street, and letting people know that we’re here, we’re in the community and there’s lots of ways for people to connect with us and support.”
The project officially kicked off in September when they applied to Mitsu Sweet Cafe. After their acceptance, lease negotiations and planning, Pride staff and volunteers started on renovations and held a soft launch in April. “(The excitement) was tempered with ‘this is going to be a lot of work’, but I think, yeah, it’s kind of hard to believe that we’re here and we’re moved in. My office is even decorated and all that,” Wickenhauser said with a laugh. “It’s been months of struggle but it’s great we’re finally here and finally open...We had tons of volunteer hours and tons of people helping out in so many ways. They are the heartbeat of the community and the hands that make this possible so we’re happy to have that support.”
The event also included a fun house in the evening, as well as a host of entertaining events and a prize draw. The store is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. To make a donation, check out their website for items they can accept at moosejawpride.ca/thrift or call 306-692-4242.