CHEYENNE - After the long-time owner's recent passing, The Emporium in Downtown Cheyenne is set to close and have its "last rodeo." Starting July 18th, the store will reopen, and everything will be 50% off.
A glance at the history
The Emporium is located inside of the Majestic building at the corner of Capitol Avenue and West Lincolnway, Downtown Cheyenne. The Emporium storefront faces Capitol Avenue and neighbors Paramount Cafe. According to the Laramie County Property assessor, the building was built around the turn of the 1910s, and it is currently owned by Paramount Holdings, LLC.
 View of the Majestic building and property from Capitol and Lincolnway - Optopolis |
The Emporium was owned by Virginia "Ginny" M. Macey who was born on April 11, 1934 and passed on October 9, 2024 as confirmed by the obituary available on Weiderspahn Radomsky's website. In the early 1970s, Ginny and her family moved to Cheyenne where Ginny and her husband, David, had a desire to set down their roots and start their own businesses.
Ginny's store, commonly known as The Emporium, offered, "diverse clothing trends, souvenirs, hats, t-shirts, and accessories right up until her passing." In July 2023, Wyoming Tribune Eagle reported that Ginny commemorated 50 years of owning her store that year. WTE notes that her husband, David, established D's Muffler Shop (which is still open and located next to Hi Market on East Lincolnway, but with a different registered agent on file).
 D's 4-Wheel Drive seen along the Warren Avenue-side of the I-180 Viaduct, also along East 15th Street - Google Maps Street View |
A detailed history of the tenants of Ginny's space prior to opening her store isn't currently known here at Optopolis, but according to the 1955 Cheyenne City Directory and a circa-1955 Downtown Cheyenne Map, Ginny's space was then-occupied by Park Dan S & Co, a jeweler's shop. The Downtown Cheyenne Historic Walking Tour Pamphlet indicates that prior to the Majestic building, J.C. Abney's Livery Stable stood here. The Pamphlet notes that in the late 1880s, a two-stall trolley barn was built next to Abney's stable to shelter horses and trolleys for Cheyenne's first on-Street Railway.
[The Emporium temporarily closes]
At the start of May 2025, it was discovered here at Optopolis that the Emporium had closed their doors, and a sign on the window discussed what had happened. The sign also announced that they would be closing the store; it redirected customers with outstanding orders to contact Layne Macey via email.
 Signage seen in the window of the store in May 2025 - Optopolis |
A separate sign indicated that on Saturday, November 30th, 2024 at 1 PM, service for Ginny was held at the Crossbridge Alliance Church, along with continuation of the ceremony at the Kiwanis Community House. At the time of discovering the status of The Emporium, it wasn't clear to Optopolis what was to come of the store, as products could still be seen inside of the shop.
The Emporium to hold its last rodeo in July 2025
At the end of June, a large banner in the window of The Emporium stated in a large, bold font:
"Join us in July for our last rodeo"
On July 14th, Alex Peterson and Layne Macey made Facebook posts to announce plans for the store to temporarily reopen and have its last rodeo. Their posts included photos of Ginny and her store when it crossed 50 years in business.
 This banner could be seen in the window as of late June 2025. - Optopolis |
According to Layne Macey's Facebook post, area-visitors are encouraged to, "come help give [Layne's] mom's store the send off it deserves after 52 years of business." Alex's post in Cheyenne Community Connections also encouraged people to come for one final celebration of Ginny's life and legacy.
Both Layne and Alex mentioned that everything is 50% off starting July 18th, and signage on the storefront also confirms the 50% off sale. Alex's post also indicated that the shop will be open during Cheyenne Frontier Days which takes place at the end of July.
 The Emporium and Majestic Building signage seen underneath the awning along Capitol Avenue - Optopolis |
The Emporium is one of those places in Cheyenne--that it doesn't matter who you are or whether you went there, chances are that if you are a Cheyenne resident, you have heard of The Emporium or Ginny (or both). In the comments of both Alex's and Layne's Facebook posts combined, hundreds upon hundreds of Cheyenne residents expressed their appreciation and condolences of Ginny through comments, shares, and interactions with the posts.
A visit to the storefront made on the same day that Alex and Layne created their Facebook posts also confirmed that the store will be opening soon, although signage on the door indicates, "CASH ONLY." Photos of Ginny could be seen posted on the door, along with a QR-code to view her obituary which can also be found via Weiderspahn Radomsky's website.
| The Emporium, seen as of mid-July 2025; signage states that it will open soon with items 50% off. - Optopolis |
At this time, it's not clear to Optopolis what the very final day of The Emporium will be, but it isn't expected to be around for much longer, especially now that the owner has passed away. It's also not currently clear to Optopolis what the future holds for this space.
Update 07-18: Here are the store hours
Alex posted to Cheyenne Community Connections the hours of the store, which are listed below for each day. She remphasized that it's cash only, and she mentioned that her mom will usually be a one-woman show with no extra help.
- Fri, July 18 - 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM
- Sat, July 19 - 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM
- Sun, July 20 - 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM
- Mon, July 21 to Sat, July 26 - 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM
- Sun, July 27 - 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
- Mon, July 28 - 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM
A sign that Alex photographed also displays these hours.
Update 07-24: Status of the store
According to Layne, the store is closing because they don't feel that anyone could fill the void that Ginny left behind; The Emporium was Ginny's happy place and was her dream. Layne told Optopolis that they plan to open for a few days in August and wrap things up from there.
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Update 08-21: Reopening for the final few days, everything must go!
New signage has been installed at The Emporium, and Layne Macey has created a Facebook post in Cheyenne Community Connections discussing the final liquidation of the store. The final sale will run from August 22nd to August 25th, and you can fill a bag for a hundred dollars; each bag will cost 100 dollars, whatever you can stuff into it. The hours will be 10 AM to 5 PM each of the four days.
Update 08-26: The Emporium closes and a glimpse of what's next
During Optopolis' visit on the final day, multiple long-term customers of The Emporium could be heard talking about how they'd been visiting The Emporium for years and about how Ginny made sure that they got what they wanted, whether it was a pair of pants hemmed on the spot or just the piece of clothing they wanted. The shop was much more than a tourist apparel shop, and it meant a lot to those who visited and even frequented over the years. It became glaringly obvious to Optopolis at that point that Ginny was the icon that made the store iconic.
| TOP: Store front (left), signage in doorway (middle), view of main store floor (right) BOTTOM: Vault door exterior (left), Vault door interior (middle), View of portion of vault (right) - Optopolis |
Ginny's daughter, Layne, was once again present at the store. She told Optopolis that the shop was, once upon a time, occupied by a bank and jewelry store; thus, a bank vault most recently used as a storage room for The Emporium could still be seen in the back part of the store. The heavy, metal latching door featured aesthetics not usually seen on modern-day bank vault doors. Apparently, just outside of the vault was a stairway leading to a lower level, but the stairway was no longer visible as of the time of Optopolis' visit.
In the area of the back rooms, a sewing area and design-pressing machines could still be seen in this area. At the back end of the public store floor were two fitting rooms and a small corner containing various toys often played with by younger folks; in addition, an old rotary phone still hung on the wall. At the front of the store, a relatively old map of Cheyenne was still displayed, including advertisments for Sports Authority, Taco John's, Poor Richard's, HealthReach, and numerous other Cheyenne-area businesses, some of which are no longer in service. Various photos commemorating Ginny and her family could also be seen around the front of the store.
| TOP: Features seen in back part of public store area BOTTOM: Aspects observed in the front part of the store - Optopolis |
Throughout the store, all kinds of goods ranging from relatively modern to very retro could be seen on the shelves; items were 70% off a-la-carte OR stuff a bag full for $100. Layne told Optopolis that, fingers crossed, remaining items not sold to customers are anticipated to be transfered to someone else; however, she does plan to reuse some of the wall-side shelving units in her home.
Layne told Optopolis that there are plans for a new business to open at this location which will offer an entirely different product. It's anticipated that the space will mostly be renovated for the new business, but it's not yet clear to Optopolis what that business will be--yet.
In the final weeks of having access to the space, Layne and others will be working to finish going through everything in the store before leaving shop for the final time.
Update 10-01: The Final Goodbye
After having the final day of their store closing sale on August 25th, 2025, Layne Macey has announced that the store will have a final goodbye. (See a tour of the store below or keep reading for more information.)
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Layne posted to Facebook, telling people to, "Please join [them on] Saturday, October 11th at 11:00 AM for a final GOODBYE to [Layne's] mother and her cherished store THE EMPORIUM at 1605 Capitol Avenue, when the door is locked one last time and her sign is removed."
The post goes onto say, "Photos will be taken to commemorate her 51 years as a business owner and the innumerable people who came to know and love her. [Layne encourages] loyal friends and customers to wear your EMPORIUM t-shirt for the photo. (T-Shirts will be available for $20, the cost of printing, if you don't have one).
Now let us know your thoughts...
What are your most cherished and/or memorable memories of The Emporium? Do you think a similar store should open here in the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Published: 07/15/2025 at 11:55 AM MT
Updated: 07/16/2025 at 5:21 PM MT to remove clarity about a previously apparently deleted post; the post has resurfaced, suggesting that it got placed in held for review in the group. The post from Alex can now be seen again. Also minor rewording to better reflect the status of the post.
Updated: 07/18/2025 at 9:40 AM MT to add info about the hours of The Emporium over Frontier Days.
Updated: 07/24/2025 at 6:38 PM MT to add a quick update on the store.
Updated: 07/28/2025 at 10:13 PM MT to embed store tour video.
Updated: 08/21/2025 at 7:28 PM MT to add info about the last days.
Updated: 08/26/2025 at 11:00 PM MT to share additional photos and details not previously seen in this article.
Updated: 10/01/2025 at 3:56 PM MT to add info about the last hurrah.