Colorado Antique Store Under Fire For Selling Racist Merchandise

A southwestern Colorado antique store has received some heat recently for selling racist merchandise.

The Antique Corral in Cortez has been the target of criticism for selling items with racist overtones like signs that say "We Serve Colored Carry Out Only," "Colored Seated in Rear," and "Public Swimming Pool - White Only." Angry residents on social media have called for a boycott of the store.

The owner of the store, Cheryl Dean says she's not racist and has been selling this kind of merchandise for 15 years. She doesn't consider it to be offensive, saying there are stores that sell black memorabilia. However, the last two signs in the store have been sold and she now says she won't be restocking because the wholesaler is no longer selling the signs.

Obviously, these signs are extremely offensive in today's world. They should have been offensive 60 years ago. Perhaps as long as 20 years ago, people would look at this merchandise and just consider it to be historical memorabilia, not something that promotes or condones racism. But, times have changed and these things are not welcome in today's society - in any context.

In a store where everything that's being sold is historical in nature, I don't believe the sale of racially-based merchandise from a particular period of the past necessarily means the store owner is racist. But, selling this stuff is bad judgment and poor taste.

[KRQE]