After 4 years of operation, Moose Jaw Pride’s Rainbow Retro thrift shop will be permanently closing their doors on Sept. 24. 

The store was opened a few years back to give a stable source of income to Moose Jaw Pride outside of grant funding and charitable donations. Rainbow Retro also provided sustainable and affordable second-hand goods, particularly to low-income folks. 

However, Rainbow Retro did not become the source of income that organizers expected it to be. 

“While we are sad to let go of Rainbow Retro, it simply did not become the source of income we had hoped for,” said Cole Ramsey, Chair of Moose Jaw Pride’s Board of Directors. “We believe it is time for our position in the community to take a different form.”  

There will also be a proposed motion to allow for the liquidation and dissolution of Moose Jaw Pride. In order for the motion to pass, it must receive approval from 75 percent of Moose Jaw Pride members at the next AGM, on Sept. 18. 

Rainbow Retro played host to the Neighbourhood Warming Centre during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the support of the Moose Jaw community, the Warming Centre provided food, shelter, supplies, and peer support to people who needed it during cold winters and hot summers.  

A rainbow bench and a colourful mural depicting significant events in Moose Jaw’s Pride history is outside the building, and will remain indefinitely to honour the legacy of the store. 

The people of Moose Jaw are welcome to celebrate the success of Rainbow Retro Thrift Shop at a Grand Closing BBQ Bash on Saturday, Sept. 24. A free hotdog lunch will be available to the first 100 customers between 12:00 and 2:00pm, and guests are invited to find their last thrifted items before it’s time for the shop to shut its doors and sashay away.