In 2020, Cathedral began construction on the new Innovation Center. Since then, it has fully come to life and is used everyday by students and staff alike. The Innovation Center features a seating area, new classrooms, a new cafeteria and an updated Spirit Shop. 

Emma Peebles, who is the current manager of the Spirit Shop, has been here for about two and a half years. “It’s been so fun and welcoming. I really love just being able to do the buying and hearing students input on the buying or getting to hear new ideas that I may not have thought of,” she said. 

Peebles helped design the current layout of the store after working in the old one and  seeing what needed to change. “When I got here in July 2020, it was fun to be able to give input on different needs,” she said. “I feel like our new spot has a lot more storage space which is really nice. It also has more floor space for products and the dressing rooms are a huge plus too because students can try things on.” 

The biggest thing Peebles wanted to incorporate into the new Spirit Shop was student input so in the fall of 2022, she started the Spirit Shop club. “I felt like there was a need for student input on the clothing. I thought it would be really neat to give students the opportunity to learn more about what goes on in a business and just kind of the procedures it takes to get something to go from an idea to being on the floor,” she said. 

The process she teaches her students begins with an idea for a new product. Pebbles said, “ (After we come up with the idea), I will come up with a mock up and send it to our printers. Then the graphic designer at the printing company will send over a proof and I can either approve it or tweak it. After that, it goes into production. Once it gets here, we inventory it, put a barcode on it and stick it on the rack to sell.” 

The club currently has 45 members and is looking for more. “For the students at Cathedral, this is a fun place to start (a career in fashion or graphic design) where you can just kind of see the behind the scenes of what goes in a store. It gives students the opportunity to earn service hours as well as just getting involved in the process. So feel free to reach out to (Emma Peebles) if you are interested.”