New boutique store advocates for special-needs people

The background is neutral, done in soft grays with black industrial shelving and a high, open ceiling. Dandelion pictures dot the upper walls, monochrome close-ups focused in on seeds — on wishes — ready to fly.

Wide windows wash the floors and the clothes with light, and on opening day Monday, shoppers drifted between display racks and tables.

Displays line the walls, and on one hung a sweeping dark blue, long-sleeved sweater, and jewelry sparkled on display towers flanking the sales counter.

The idea, said owner Traci Ritter, is to bring a different boutique-clothing experience to the women of Cape Girardeau while bringing awareness to special-needs advocacy and inclusion.

Wish is at 213 S. Broadview St. in Cape Girardeau, and includes two local special-needs administrators on the advisory board.

Clothing and accessories sit on display at Wish on their first day of business Monday in Cape Girardeau.BEN MATTHEWS

Ritter said she’s been around upscale retail her entire life, and it’s especially meaningful to her because of the philanthropic angle.

“We wanted to bring unique, different brands into Cape Girardeau,” said Deena Ring, assistant superintendent of social services at the Cape Girardeau School District, who was on hand for the soft opening Monday. “We have moderately priced up to more exclusive lines. Our goal was to give the women of Cape Girardeau choices.”

Just inside the front door, the display case holds jewelry from three artisans, Ring said.

One is Aurora Jewelry of Georgia; another is an Irish vendor whose necklaces feature pendants with flowers pressed between glass.

“They’re really unique,” Ring said.

“Traci and I decided on the name Wish because we felt like it had endless possibility,” Ring said. “Some people look at dandelions and see a weed. We see an endless supply of wishes, of opportunities.”

Ring said she has spent years in Cape Girardeau seeing a need to connect more people with special needs to job openings.

Ritter, whose special-needs daughter is 26 and has struggled with finding a job, said she thought there had to be a way to connect not just her daughter but anyone with special needs to jobs that could help people feel fulfilled.

In 2009, Ritter worked with her daughter to pass Kaitlyn’s Law (Missouri HB 236) to allow people with disabilities to march with their peers in graduation ceremonies even if they plan to take additional classes after graduation.

About a year ago, Ritter started Reclaim 4:23, a not-for-profit organization, after visiting Re-Made for a Purpose, a store in Fulton, Missouri, staffed by people with special needs who were building and re-purposing donated items for resale in the shop.

She said she posted about it to social media, and the response was immediate.

“We formed a board of directors,” Ritter said, which includes five people.

Ring is one, and Beth Emmendorfer, assistant superintendent of administrative and student services with the Jackson School District, is another.

Other like-minded people joined in, looking to promote inclusion, Ritter said.

Proceeds from some product lines carried by Wish will go toward funding the Reclaim 4:23 organization, Ritter said. She said she hopes it can open a retail space for Reclaim 4:23’s re-purposed items to be created by community members and people with special needs.

In Fulton, Ritter said, there’s a natural connection between the store and the community.

Donations come in from people, of furniture that could be reclaimed, of old windows that can be decorated or even pieces of old scrap wood that could have sayings painted on them.

Reclaim 4:23’s retail space is still in the works, Ritter added. Several organizations have suffered from legislative cuts to programs that are trying to cover the gap with donations.

But Wish is up and running.

Ritter said she’s bringing in Dreamers Coffee, a company that hires people with and without disabilities to promote inclusion.

Sales from that line, along with Thistle Farms natural home and body products and sammysoap of St. Louis, will contribute toward Reclaim 4:23’s funding.

Wish’s grand opening is planned for Oct. 6 and 7, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and promotions planned, Ring said.

“We just have a love for people who have special needs, and we hope to contribute through this store,” Ritter said.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630