Here’s how you can help local fave business Retro Emporium after their recent misfortune:

A Pop-up Shop event will take place this Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. at All Aglow Spa (map below).

The good news is that Retro’s inventory was NOT damaged; the bad news is the charming shop on Meeker won’t be open again until Monday, Dec. 21 after sustaining water damage from the apartment above. But you can still support this downtown Kent gem while visiting another bright spot in the historic Kent core – All Aglow Spa.

It all started with a water leak above, progressed to a larger emergency response, which gratefully removed the source of problems, but left behind a big mess to clean up above the shop. (The back-story on this incident is a subject for a deep dive since it is emblematic of human services needs exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Stay tuned for a follow-up in the near future.) Fortunately, Anne – the ever resilient owner – had paid attention to clues that an issue of this sort might strike and had protected her stock and shop quite well with quick deployment of tarps, bins and some sweat and tears. What could have been a full business disaster anytime of the year, couldn’t have hit at a worse time with the holiday season in full swing.

Enter a good neighbor. All Aglow Spa (another small business down the block) reached out and invited Anne to do a pop-up event in her space this Friday, Dec. 18. “Crying big fat tears, y’all,” said Anne in a Facebook post. The event will include shopping a generous selection of the signature vintage pop culture toys and merchandise with an 80’s & 90’s focus we’ve all come to associate with Retro Emporium, as well as two different photo backdrops for customer selfies. Don’t miss your chance to snap a shot with Buddy the Elf, or Clark W. Griswald from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and do a little good in our local biz hood.

“All the support from the community has been really appreciated,” Anne said.

We say “Come on down Kent, and drop a few dollars to help this small independent business recover from the unexpected.” Oh, and why not pick up an Aglow Spa gift card or book a service in gratitude for their good neighbor spirit!

Can’t make it Friday? Be sure to follow them on Facebook and be sure to stop by when they open again next week.

All Aglow Spa is located at 224 W. Meeker Street:

Scott Schaefer

Founder/Publisher/Editor. Three-time National Emmy Award winning Writer (“Bill Nye the Science Guy”), Director, Producer, Journalist and more...