Mega music fan searches for forever homes for his epic collection
Instead, the Winnipegger is passionate about, or possibly obsessed with, music.
Inside a north Winnipeg warehouse that is also his home, Kretchmer came to a realization. He needed to dramatically downsize his music collection, estimated at more than 10,000 pieces.
"The main living area is 14 by 14 [feet, roughly four metres by four metres]. The left wall is all records. The right wall is all records. The front wall is all CDs. And we're talking about a 12-foot-high ceiling, so I'm surrounded by it," he said.
But shortly after moving into the warehouse, he was in two major car accidents within two months.
"I could not walk for a while," said Kretchmer.
"My life kind of really changed. And you really rethink everything, and I'm thinking, 'Wow, if that was fatal, my family would have had to deal with my whole collection,' and where would it have ended up kind of thing."
So now, every weekend, you will find Kretchmer at Winnipeg's Mulvey Market, selling off his collection of LPs, CDs and cassettes.
"Knowing that some of my really valuable-to-me stuff will go to a great home where someone will appreciate it, you know, I love that idea," he said.
Kretchmer's story is now the subject of a short, three-minute documentary by students in the Create program at Sisler High School.
Create students Markus Penner, Gianluca Caldarola and Joshua Soriano produced the new video.
Meet the filmmakers
Markus Penner developed a passion for film during his gap year after high school. He is deeply invested in storytelling and enjoys exploring familiar ideas through fresh perspectives.
In his spare time, he likes to read history books, trade stocks and write film reviews. In the future, he aims to become a screenwriter and director.
Every day is a new challenge for Gianluca Caldarola, whether he's volunteering for local football teams taking photos or creating new team designs.
Caldarola loves being busy and has a large range of projects on the go. He volunteers with Pros Vs Joes, a week-long event in December that supports families in need. He also volunteers photographing student athletes and taking portraits for awards ceremonies at his former high school Sturgeon Heights.
In his spare time, he likes watching movies, going on nature walks in parks and biking.
Joshua Soriano is a freelance videographer who has been working with cameras since 2023. He started doing sports photography for the Sisler Spartans. Since graduating from Sisler High School, he has started his career as a sports videographer, working with U Sports athletes and teams across Manitoba.
More about Project POV: Sisler Create
CBC Manitoba's Project POV: Sisler Create is a storytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBC Manitoba journalists to produce short documentaries. You can see past projects here.
The Winnipeg School Division's Create program is hosted at Sisler High School and trains post-high students in the creative digital arts, including filmmaking.
During fall 2024, CBC journalists taught storytelling to filmmaking students and led production workshops at Sisler.
Create focuses on education and career pathways into the creative industries. Students can take courses in animation, film, game design, visual effects, graphic design and interactive digital media.
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Winnipeg Free Press
30-07-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
One Great City to miss
'You say that you're leaving. Well, that comes as no surprise.' — Hasn't Hit Me Yet by Blue Rodeo The Macro On Monday morning of this week, I had one of the best breakfasts ever. I had always wanted to visit Modern Electric Lunch on Main Street but for some reason, I never made it happen. However, having been forced to flee our house while potential buyers kicked the tires, we needed sanctuary. MEL provided that sanctuary. The Cochinita Hash was heavenly. Poached eggs, wonderful soft mini potatoes, pulled pork, pickled onion, pineapple salsa, feta and lime. It may seem like a lot, but it all came together in an angelic blend. As I mopped up my plate, I was suddenly struck by a sad thought: on this, one of the last days I can count myself a Winnipegger, I found another place to miss. I can now officially confirm I will be leaving Winnipeg after 39 years. Thankfully, I won't be leaving the Free Press . I came here in 1986 after working for the Calgary Herald . 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Vancouver Sun
16-07-2025
- Vancouver Sun
360 Riot Walk reclaims forgotten Vancouver history at Eastside Arts Festival
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Winnipeg Free Press
14-07-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
The play's the thing for longtime Fringe helper
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These roles involve leading sessions on climate change and emergency preparedness, and require effective communication and cultural sensitivity. Volunteers may also join the emergency responder and personal disaster assistance teams to help during disasters. Training and background checks are mandatory. This opportunity offers skills in public speaking and crisis management, making a significant impact on communities. Interested individuals should email their resume and any questions to SmartStart@ Deadline is Dec. 31. Manitoba Possible is seeking community outreach volunteers. Volunteers will contact community centres, clinics and senior living facilities to introduce their platform, maintaining records of who was contacted, when materials were delivered and any notes from conversations. 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She's helped with administrative work before the start of the festival, trained new volunteers and assisted with daily accounting duties during the event. These days, Molnar volunteers as a team leader, overseeing a group of helpers at one of the venues. Other than the two-year hiatus the festival took from live performances owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, Molnar hasn't missed a festival in three-and-a-half decades — though her volunteering was cut short in the middle of the 1993 festival when she gave birth to the second of her three children. 'I did work my shift the night before he was born,' Molnar recalls, noting her son arrived two weeks early. The shift ended at 7 p.m. and she gave birth fewer than 12 hours later. 'I missed all my shifts after that.' In addition to her work as a team leader, Molnar and her husband billet fringe performers in their St. James home every year. Molnar enjoys the behind-the-scenes look that volunteering gives her. 'You feel like you're part of something bigger and something very creative. I've never been part of a play and it always amazes me the amount of effort and talent that goes into that.'– Wendy Molnar Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'You feel like you're part of something bigger and something very creative,' she says. 'I've never been part of a play and it always amazes me the amount of effort and talent that goes into that. You connect with performers and get to know how much work goes into each of those performances, day in and day out.' Molnar also enjoys connecting with festivalgoers. 'People might be tired after seeing four or five shows in a day, but they're excited,' she says. 'They're excited to tell people about great shows and to tell the performers about how great they were.' The festival is accepting volunteer applications until Tuesday. For details, visit or email volunteers@ If you know a special volunteer, email Aaron EppReporter Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. He was previously the associate editor at Canadian Mennonite. Read more about Aaron. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
