This past weekend, a brand-new colourful mural was unveiled on the outside walls of Carman MCC Thrift Shop.
The local thrift store, which has been around since 1975, offers second-hand goods for purchase. The store has clothing, household items, sports equipment, books, movies, CDs, and more for people to purchase, all at lower, affordable prices.
Carman MCC Thrift Shop’s past president Gloria Penner spoke at the mural’s unveiling Saturday, telling how this project came to be.
“At the Carman MCC store we had this building with this large, blank wall, which I thought could be improved with a mural,” she said. “One day, a board member mentioned that she had been to the North Kildonan MCC Thrift Store, and they had a mural on their store. That gave me the push I needed to bring this idea of a mural to the board, and they all accepted the idea.”
She said the board is always looking for ways to improve the inside of the store, so they thought to do the same for the outside.
“We feel this mural gives the community an idea of what all happens in our store to keep it open and stocked for them,” she said. We also felt this would beautify the Town of Carman.”
The mural, painted by artists Justin Petkau and Amanda Redpath, personifies the thrift store and the town on its outdoor walls. It shows the annual plant sale, a toboggan going down a snow hill, a mother and child reading a book, people putting a puzzle together, and a woman sewing a quilt that says ‘Shop. Donate. Volunteer.’, a woman shopping for clothes, people moving furniture, and so much more, all in every colour of the rainbow.
The vibrant mural was painted throughout the summer and completed just in time for fall. Petkau designed it, with Redpath doing most of the painting.
“It was a lot of work,” said Petkau. “But that labour created the reward that I get from the flash of colours I get to see as I pass by daily. I hope the mural is a treat to others who catch a glimpse from their vehicles, as well as to other viewers who invest more time, noticing the elements that are reused throughout the painting and noticing the cycle of giving and receiving and noticing some of the specific treasures that my family has found at the thrift store over the years.”
Board vice president Linda Enns said the thrift store is so proud of all the beauty in town that they’re hoping this mural will only contribute to it.
