From gems to daycare (Grand Gulch closes, Lighthouse Learning expands)

One panel of the Grand Gulch Gems sign - Optopolis

This one admittedly went a little under the radar here at Optopolis; a shop known as Grand Gulch Gems on East 8th Avenue closed a little while back, and now, a locally-owned daycare known as Lighthouse Learning Center is renovating and expanding into the space.

A glimpse at the history

Grand Gulch Gems and its closure

Originally owned by James Haddenham, Grand Gulch Gems was initially filed with the state of Wyoming in 2016; it opened on July 19th, 2017 as confirmed by Facebook posts made by two Cheyenne residents at the time (Sidney M. posted about it, and Jessie T. recorded a short video of the store). Store advertisements seen in Cheyenne Traders indicate that the shop offered geodes, rocks, gems, fossils, pewter mining scenes, and more.

Around 2018, things took an unfortunate twist that led to James Haddenham passing away, leaving the property in the hands of James' son. Fortunately, the store didn't totally disappear. Gwendolyn "Gwennie" Smith-Russell, a licensed mental health and substance abuse therapist and counselor was able to make use of the rock shop and also offer her services out of the location. A document from Cheyenne Regional Medical Center dated summer 2019 includes Grand Gulch Gems in their list of denim and diamonds contributions.

Grand Gulch Gems was located at 107 East 8th Avenue between Warren and Central, just south of Vitalant (formerly United Blood Services); the building was previously (as of 2011) occupied by a business called Scrapbooking. Although not much about the early years of the building is known right now at Optopolis, the Laramie County Property Assessor's GIS map displays that the building was built in 1963.

The parking lot next to Grand Gulch Gems has been converted into a playground. - Optopolis

A Facebook post from a company known as Fairlight Estate Sales LLC indicates that Gwennie's Grand Gifts (also known as Grand Gulch Gems) was set to close at 7 PM on August 18th, 2022. The store's closing event is also listed on AuctionNinja which states that, "At 75 years of age, Gwen is closing the doors to her dream store," and it notes that she had a "passion to begin a new step in her life."

Lighthouse Learning Center begins

According to the open house page for Lighthouse Learning Center, this daycare "began as an in-home center." Miranda Reddell stated that she started the daycare in January 2024, and as of September 13th, it continues to operate out of Miranda's home.

Lighthouse Learning Center to relocate and add second daycare

Since June 2024, Lighthouse Learning Center has been actively working to transition from an in-home daycare toward two dedicated daycare centers. This is in an effort to "meet the increasing demand of childcare within our community." Miranda Redell and others have been working to clean up and renovate the former Grand Gulch Gems building.

Sign encourages people to call to enroll new attendees at the daycare - Optopolis

The new Lighthouse Learning Center will be located in the former Grand Gulch Gems building at 107 East 8th Avenue. It has two separate sections; one will serve as a transitional learning classroom for 2-year-olds, and the other will serve as a "Year-round Pre-K Playgroup" for ages 3, 4, and 5.

As part of this transition, the second daycare (called Lighthouse Littles) will be located next door to Grand Gulch Gems in, what the Laramie County Property Assessor GIS calls, a Ranch 1 Story. Located at 103 East 8th Avenue, Miranda shared that Lighthouse Littles will accommodate youth 0 to 23 months old. It is expected to provide "a more intimate and calm environment" that is separated from the older age bracket.

This former house next to Grand Gulch Gems will be part of the "Lighthouse Littles" daycare. - Optopolis

Miranda mentioned that they will have two teachers for pre-k, one teacher for the 2-year-old group, and two teachers for the infant and one-year-old group. The majority of the parking lot between the two buildings was converted into a playground that will serve both daycare centers.

As of September 19th, Miranda currently expects to be using the new daycare facility as soon as Monday, September 24th, and she feels that this new location will better be able to serve the Cheyenne community.

Will you miss Grand Gulch Gems/Gwennie's Grand Gifts? For those with littles, what are your thoughts of Lighthouse Learning Center's new location? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Originally published: 09/20/2024 at 1:29 PM MT

Updated: 09/20/2024 at 4:23 PM MT to correct dates where August should have been September, also clarified the timeline of the renovation.

Location: Cheyenne, WY, USA

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