Stanley Marketplace looks to make amends from past by giving back to bears: "Bears were used in the testing process for the jet ejection seats"
Stanley's past was as vibrant as its present. Before it was a bustling Aurora marketplace, it was home to some of the city's brightest minds. Lifesaving technology was developed at Stanley Aviation and perfected with the help of animals.
Aurora History Museum, Stanley Marketplace and Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum teamed up for the new exhibition, "Building on Stanley's Foundation."
Stanley Aviation opened as a manufacturing facility in 1954. The company designed and produced a series of innovative military airplane ejection seats and capsules.
Stanley Aviation was once the largest employer in the city of Aurora. General manager Ally Fredeen says it's easy for past workers to reminisce about the old days.
Some things haven't changed.
"The red lines on the floor, those were the assembly line zones. Those were where factory workers once stood making these very devices that helped save lives," explained Fredeen.
The exhibit showcases innovators, like Bob Stanley, who created safety systems that save pilots' lives. The exhibition also features two ejection seats originally built at the facility.
"Bears were used in the testing process for the jet ejection seats," said Fredeen. "I'm told that no bears were ever injured during the tests and they quickly did move on to voluntary humans."
Prior to each test flight, bears were sedated and wired with instruments that collected biometrics.
Stephanie Shearer, owner of Trunk Nouveau inside Stanley Marketplace, says that the history of bears inspired her to pay it forward in the present.
"From the very beginning, we knew we needed to give back to the bears to sort of right what would now be considered wrong," said Shearer.
In an effort to pay tribute to those early bear test pilots, the store selected the endangered Andean Spectacled Bear as Trunk Nouveau's official "Bearificiary."
They've teamed up with The Spectacled Bear Conservation Society. The SBC funds conservation provides women with jobs, and opens up communities to the idea of protecting critical bear habitats in Peru through education and active conservation.
"100% of the handmade felt bears sold go to SBC and then 6% of everything we sell here in the store goes to SBC. We're all in with these guys," said Shearer. "We really believe in their mission and what they're doing. Over the years, it has raised enough money to buy about 10,000 acres of land."
The "Building on Stanley's Foundation" exhibit is still up for guests to enjoy.