Saturday was a day for puttin’ on the pink in downtown Seymour.
The reason? To celebrate the grand opening of Seymour Pink Center & Gift Shop, the dream of Seymour Pink founder Mary Deming.
Seymour Pink, Inc. is a grassroots initiative to fight breast cancer. The nonprofit organization raises funds for research, empowers breast cancer survivors and offers financial support to those diagnosed with the disease.
Deming founded Seymour Pink in 2009 to honor the memory of her mother, Theodosia McInerney, who died from breast cancer at age 55.
Since then the nonprofit organization has raised more than $500,000 in its fight against the disease.
On Saturday supporters, breast cancer survivors and their families stopped by the storefront at 3 Franklin St. to wish Deming and her Board of Directors well.
Deming said she hoped everyone who enters the store will feel “hope, excitement, and electricity.” She pointed to groups of large color photographs that adorn the freshly painted pink walls.
“Each cluster of pictures has a (breast cancer) survivor in it,” Deming said.
Having a presence in downtown Seymour not only puts a face on the organization, but also provides a place for people to come to talk about breast cancer, she said.
Seymour resident Laurie Casey, who described herself as a friend of Seymour Pink, said she recalled Deming saying at a meeting last year that when she retired she wanted to open a store.
Deming and her husband, Bruce Deming, retired in June from teaching science at Seymour High School.
Mary Deming credited an anonymous “angel” with helping her acquire the space for the retail store so swiftly. She said the organization needed to get the store “up and running” before October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The third annual Pounding the Pavement for Pink 5K fundraiser will be held Oct. 4, and on Oct. 15 the town will celebrate its fifth annual Seymour Pink Day.
The Demings’ colleague, Seymour High School science teacher Caroline Sweeney of Oxford, serves on the Board of Directors. She said the organization’s volunteers all bring diverse skills to the table as they work toward a common goal.
“The community is like our family,” Sweeney said.
Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce President Bill Purcell was on hand Saturday to congratulate Deming and participate in cutting a pink ribbon to make the opening official.
The shop sells a variety of items emblazoned with the Seymour Pink logo. They range from hoodies, T‑shirts, and pajama pants to hats and mugs.
It also features beaded bracelets created by Ansonia resident Alyssa Antonucci and pink cupcake-shaped soaps made exclusively for the shop by Lisa McMurray of Wallingford, a Derby native and breast cancer survivor.
Hours are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays, 3 to 6 p.m. Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.
