'RAINBOW' CONNECTION

Inside The Rainbow Corner in Schenectady, shop owner Bev Means hunts for the keys to her jewelry case. Jennette, a shop regular, tried picking out a medal in the plastic casing but found them difficult to see. Means tried searching for the keys under her pile of papers, but they’re small and hard to find.

“It’s the blind leading the blind,” Means laughed. The two gave up, but the second Jennette began to walk out the door, Means found the keys. They rejoiced and Jennette gave a quick thanks to St. Anthony — patron saint of lost things — for the assist.

It can take some searching to pinpoint an item in The Rainbow Corner, but that’s all part of the store’s charm. The building is packed — literally, floor to ceiling — with an extensive selection of spiritual, religious and inspirational goodies. From decorated candles and books about faith, to sister anniversary cards and prayer pillowcases, it might be the perfect place for that last-minute Christmas gift.

Means like to refer to it as a “religious country store.”

“We’re not fancy with all the modern whatever,” she said, “so that’s what I like in it too, the different nooks and crannies.”

It fits the bill for her many loyal Catholic customers. Means herself is a born-and-raised Catholic and parishioner at St. Paul the Apostle (her shop is located just down the street from the parish and caters to a number of its parishioners.) While the store is filled with mainly Christian/ Catholic items, everybody can enjoy the whimsical and cozy charm of the store.

“When deciding on a name, we didn’t want to alienate Christians with a Catholic theme,” Means said. “And I’ve always loved rainbows because when I was teaching religious education way back when, the sign of a rainbow in the sky is a sign of God’s presence and hope, so this is what we decided on.”
Means and her husband, Bob, moved to New York from Massachusetts in the 1960s when her husband took a job with the state. The couple purchased the store’s building in 1980 as an office space for his part-time silk screening business. Bob worked as an entomologist with the health department, and Bev was a biology teacher but switched to caring full-time for their five children.

At the same time, Means noticed how hard it was to find Catholic religious items locally without having to travel to W.B. O’Connor’s Church Goods in Troy. So, she started her own little store in the front of the building.

“It started small in just this front room, and then we moved silk screening from (the back) to upstairs, and then we moved more things upstairs, and ... then the whole store was just a Catholic store basically,” she said.

The couple recently celebrated the store’s 40th anniversary on Dec. 1. “Without (my husband’s) approval and encouragement of the whole thing, I could never do it on my own like that,” Means said. “I love doing it and I love the people.”

Throughout the morning, a couple of parishioners from St. Paul the Apostle came into the store. The women chat and look around while Means offers guidance on finding something. Means noted that locating something is contingent on remembering where it was last placed. “You put things down, you move it, you might really have to think about, ‘Okay now where did I move it to.’ ” she laughed.

More than just a business, Means sees the shop as a way of evangelization. For all the work she puts into the shop, she doesn’t take a salary. “Between my husband’s pension and social security we’re doing okay,” she said. “I’m just happy we can take care of everything.”

Means noted that the store is steady for the most part but took a hit this year from the COVID-19 pandemic. She had to close the shop from March until June as part of New York State’s PAUSE order. “We’re hanging on, let me put it that way,” she said. “I’m still able to pay my bills; have to have lights and heat.”

During the time off, she and her husband did a lot of gardening. She handled the flowers while her husband did the vegetables. There’s even a crabapple tree behind the store that he planted years ago.

But Means is happy to be back in business. Getting to talk to her customers is a pleasure, and helping other people find items to connect to their faith is all part of the store’s ministry.

“I just adore the variety of things that hopefully will touch someone,” she said, “or if you give it as a gift, it will touch somebody, and all you can do is hope and pray that’s what it does.”

When the two parishioners head to the checkout, neither one asks for change. Means drops the extra coins into a bucket in front of the register and wishes them a blessed Advent. “See you on Sunday!” they call out, and the door jingles shut.