From Kim Williams,
Director of Facilities, Communication, and Technology
(and enthusiast of all things vintage)
Pat Morales, our FCCF Facilities Caretaker, wedding Coordinator, Event Genius, and all around amazing human being, has taken a gigantic leap of faith and has opened Out of the Blue Thrift Store. The thrift shop is located in the corner lot at Echo and Weldon.
“I called it Out of the Blue, because that’s where it came from—out of the blue!”
Morales is no stranger to business ownership, having owned and operated two pizza parlors, and a coffee shop that was located in the space that Ampersand now occupies. She says that when she saw the building was for lease, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to turn a neighborhood eyesore into a place where folks can find new treasures.
In a fly-by-the-seat-of-her pants move, she opened her doors yesterday and says that she had 15 customers by the end of the day—and this without any promotion, simply a sign saying “Now Open.”
She plans on using her perfectly situated spot, next door to Fresno Art Hub and across the street from A Sense of Place Art Gallery to participate in Art Hop. Out of the Blue will be hosting local artist (and member of our congregation) Kirk Cruz showing his intricate and unique sharpie-marker art pieces tonight during Art Hop from 5pm–8pm.
If you’d like to support both Pat and Kirk, please drop by 2004 N Van Ness Blvd tonight. Congrats to Pat Morales on your new venture, and thank you for loving our neighborhood so much that you wanted to become a business owner here too.