MISSOULA — It's a brand-new store on a busy Missoula street.
The owners say it's a place with a thrift store vibe, only they sell new items. But there is more to it than meets the eye. The story behind the store is about a promise to be kept. There’s make-up and essential oils, quirky purses, bling, soaps and acceptance at the T3 Boutique which stands for They, Them Theirs.
“It's been an overwhelmingly positive response. And there has been a couple of people that came in that we got to educate and explain what the pronouns are and how important it is. Just self-respect,” Tosha Neal-Ragsdale told MTN News.
The store is a family affair, and as Kyndra and mom Tosha work, it is under the watchful eye of Yettin-Kayla, their beloved sibling and child who was killed three years ago at the age of 15 after being hit by a car.
“Yettin was just unique, incredibly intelligent, tested out of high school when she was a freshman. Could write novels, was really just the heart and soul of our family,” Tosha said.
This store is something they had always talked about — a place where Kyndra has her own makeup line; which was one of the dreams she shared with Yettin.
“I was just...we’re going to be models and actors in the movies and have makeup and clothing lines and be pop stars,” Kyndra recalled.
The store funds their foundation “Sunflowers and Stardust” which was created in honor of Yettin Kayla. The family is building a memorial park in Alberton which will be for anyone to find peace in a world that sometimes struggles to understand those with a different point of view.
“We're still human and just because we do not go by typical pronounce does not mean you should hate us or that we’re any different from you,” Kyndra said.
“This place is meant to be a safe place,” added Tosha. “There is no ‘he or her section’. It is a hobnob of everything and everyone because nobody is cookie cutter.”
T3 Boutique is also a place where pronouns simply represent people — a place that gives back and looks forward to a more tolerant world.
“We're going to make a difference. I know it. I do. I can feel it,” Tosha concluded.
T3 Boutique is located at 2200 Brooks Street, Suite A, in Missoula, near the Tremper's Shopping Center. The phone number is (406) 540-4081.
