BILLINGS — The Rusty Closet, a vintage thrift store in Billings, is creating opportunities for local entrepreneurs by welcoming multiple vendors to sell their goods starting Saturday, Aug. 23.
Located at Grand Avenue and 12th Street West near Albertsons, the store opened in May and has quickly become a community gathering place.
Watch Adam Harman talk about how the community impacts The Rusty Closet:
Owner Adam Harman said the response from the community has been overwhelming.
“We've been extremely busy. It's been a lot of fun,” Harman said Thursday.
Before opening The Rusty Closet, Harman was in the restaurant industry for 20 years.
During COVID, Harman was faced with a health challenge and diagnosed with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, which led him to leave the industry.
“(I was) scared for my life. Thought I was done for sure,” Harman said.
It was an experience that transformed his perspective on life.
“That put the training wheels on of how to relearn how to live,” Harman said.
From that, he found a passion for thrifting and decided to open The Rusty Closet.
“This thing was so elementary. I mean, we had no idea what we were doing. I was just opening the doors,” Harman said.
Harman plans to do a vendor pop-up monthly, where vendors offer diverse products ranging from jewelry to clothing to coffee.
“It's an opportunity to bring people through the store. It's an opportunity to support these others in their little businesses,” Harman said.
Cal Koerber with the Billings Chamber of Commerce said the vendor model creates perfect opportunities for business expansion in the city.
“To bring in those local vendors, whether it be any sort of business, helps them just really make connections at a personal level,” Koerber said. “I think it
spreads the wealth completely. You know, if a local business brings in another local vendor, each of those businesses are going to benefit from that.”
For customers such as first-time shopper Trish Behrends, The Rusty Closet fills a gap in Billings’ retail landscape.
“I think a lot of us folks shop vintage, and we don't have a lot of opportunity here in town,” Behrends said. “I'll definitely come back, and I'll bring some things to sell here as well.”
