A New Special-ty Store

I was recently in Ventura, CA for a conference, and during a free afternoon some friends and I took a stroll through its beautiful downtown. Just past the Old Spanish Mission, we came across the thrift store shown in the picture, and its sign made us look twice. Thankfully, my friend had a camera phone, so I now have proof that the Retarded Childrens Thrift Store actually exists!

After a fair amount of snickering and inappropriate jokes, we went inside, and discovered a gigantic thrift store with loads of old clothes, appliances, cookware, etc. I was tempted to buy a scarlet three-piece corduroy suit that must have weighed 10 pounds, but I decided that there wasn't enough room in my suitcase. The highlight of the experience occurred when an employee came on the PA saying "Attention all Retarded Children shoppers, we will be closing in 30 minutes."

Apparently, this store is some sort of charity for developmentally-disabled children, but shouldn't they change their name? I know that "retarded" used to be the P.C. term, but it certainly carries some nasty connotations these days. Also, is this the only such store, or are there Retarded Children Thrift Stores all along the West Coast? If anyone has more information, please share...