Dinosaurs & Roses makes move to New 2 U thrift store

The Dinosaurs & Roses Resale Shoppe has a new home. Michele Morgan-
Devore, executive director, has moved her nonprofit in with Qury Edmond’s New 2 U thrift store at 921 W. Owens Ave., Suite 170, next to Family Dollar. Combined, they are now called New 2 U featuring Dinosaurs & Roses.

The relocation came after Morgan-Devore’s month-to-month lease at 6029 W. Charleston Blvd. met with economic reality. The space had been rented to a different client for far more than what her nonprofit could afford. She had a month to move.

“I was telling Qury about it over lunch, and I said, ‘Thirty days, no way can I accomplish finding a perfect place, getting a lease, making tenant improvements,’ and she said, ‘Let me open my doors to you.’ Those were her exact words.”

Morgan-Devore closed up shop at the Charleston location April 15. The following day, she reopened in the Historic West Las Vegas location.

Edmond called it a perfect fit.

“I’d been to her store many times,” she said. “It was one of my favorite places to go ... but I saw this as part of my dream, what I wanted to do here. I’ve been stalking her for years.”

Dinosaurs & Roses still has a presence in The Lakes at 2764 Lake Sahara Drive. Tax-deductible donations can be dropped off there and at the West Las Vegas shop.

To make the most of the new arrangement, the women plan a number of events to position the shop as a facet in the community.

While planning how to house the two entities under one roof, they discovered that their late mothers shared a love of books. So now the 6,000-square-foot shop includes plans for a book corner. They tossed around names — Dora and Ruth’s Reading Corner, Ruth and Dora’s Book Nook. Edmond plans to sign up retirees to read to children after school.

“I personally believe every community needs culture,” Edmond said. “This community, it really yearns for acknowledgment.”

A portion of one wall will be a revolving showcase for the work of local artists, a sort of mini exhibit. One artist’s artwork will be featured each month, offered at full price. One of the artists is T-shirt designer Nick Giordano with Another Joy Foundation. How does he feel about the spotlight-style arrangement?

“Whoever gets the spot, deserves the spot,” he said. “I’m just very excited to be a part of her foundation. If I gain business through (being featured), it’s an extra bonus.”

The women said they complement each other’s strong points. Morgan-
Devore is all about being behind the scenes, organizing and marketing. Edmond is more about the day-to-day running of the shop. She said she plans to host a variety of community-based events at New 2 U. Where some shop owners might not want little children running around, knocking things over, she said she doesn’t see it that way.

“It’s an opportunity to educate, an opportunity to give back. ... I don’t see it as a burden,” she said. “The more the merrier.”

Edmond also owns a mobile hot dog stand, Designer Dogs. That, too, will figure into the store’s events and promotions. Morgan-Devore has close ties to Foreclosed Upon Pets and is making plans to bring dog adoptions to the shopping center.

“They can set up right outside the door,” she said.

Dinosaurs & Roses also has a working relationship with a plethora of organizations, institutions and agencies, including The Caring Place, the University of Nevada School of Dental Medicine, the UNLV College of Education, Women Veterans of Nevada, St. Jude’s Ranch, the Jewish Community Center of Southern Nevada, the Women’s Development Center and the Candelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada. Dinosaurs & Roses offers special promotions where a percentage of sales goes to support them. May was the Las Vegas Urban League’s turn. It handed out 20 percent donation cards to be shown at checkout.

“We’re just now seeing how it’s going to work,” said Karen Lewis, the Urban League’s outreach coordinator. “We’ve heard really good things. ... We manage a federal grant that helps our veterans with utility costs and rental and things like that, so when we get flexible dollars, it helps us manage the things we can’t spend on with the federal dollars. Things like laundry baskets full of Tide and things like that, the necessity stuff.”

Morgan-Devore said she gets new merchandise donated every day, which is brought to the store. Edmond said it’s needed as she sells merchandise as soon as it hits the floor.

“So you always find something new here,” Edmond said.

It’s another example, they said, of how well their new arrangement works.

Store hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. For more information, call 702-277-3752 or visit dinosaursandroses.org.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 702-387-2949.