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You Can Stay Overnight At This Vintage Store
Imagine staying over at a vintage store. Rose & Rae is a combined vacation rental and vintage shop in an old water tower in Sebastopol, California. Devi Katz tells us how this unique business was born.
“My shop is located inside an early 1900s water tower that was converted into a home by some hippies in the 70s. My in-laws bought this property in 1992 and we moved onto the property six years ago when I was pregnant with our daughter Alma. We live in an old farmhouse in front of the shop.
I started my shop in the water tower in 2023. With the help of a handyman and my childhood best friend, we renovated the space. We took out a kitchen, turned a closet into a dressing room, and laid simple plywood over the existing floors.
There are these incredible wood beams across the ceiling so my Mom and I hung wooden dowels from them as clothing racks. I’ve been slowly updating the space ever since. The front room houses my clothes. with a large antique rug and seating area. The attached room we converted into a vacation rental.
Many of the things for use in the living area are available for purchase. The kitchenette with coffee and tea is stocked with handmade ceramic cups and teapots. The bed is always covered with an antique quilt which I swap out as they sell. There are art books and vintage children’s books to read and buy, mid-century candleholders and other homewares. Renters have full access to the shop for a private shopping experience. They can look out the arched windows at the trees, and stroll around the property and pick fruit.
I’ve always loved vintage clothes. I thrifted a lot in high school and moved to Seattle for college, where I found an inspiring vintage scene. I moved to LA after that, where I spent a lot of time with my grandmother. She is an artist and collector and has gifted me clothes from every decade of her life. My mom is an artist and collector, too. I have many vintage and handmade garments from both of them that I’ve treasured and held onto.
When I had Alma, I was mothering full-time but needed a creative outlet and a way to make some money. I started taking her to estate sales in the baby carrier and to thrift shops anywhere and everywhere. I formed a collection and started an Instagram account to sell my finds. I quickly took over Alma’s playroom. Once I outgrew that space and moved into the water tower, I continued to grow my collection.
My inventory is a mix of ultra-feminine 20s and 30s silk dresses, Edwardian whites, handmade Scandinavian sweaters and Irish fisherman sweaters. I have perfectly worn in tissue tees and stacks of Wrangler’s and Levi’s jeans. I especially love curating kids’ vintage. I keep 80s Osh-Kosh overalls, antique bloomers, bonnets, and tiny 501s stacked high in Alma’s old bassinet.
For a long time, there wasn’t much of a vintage scene here. But things are shifting. There are a few great shops now and they all bring a unique offering to our small town. There are a couple of sweet guys with a record and vintage shop called Spinning Threads. Their aesthetic is fun and casual with 80s, 90s, and Y2K era stuff. And there’s a woman owned shop called Arcana Threads with a great bohemian vibe, selling clothes from every era and from all over the world. In the next town over, in Santa Rosa, is Hot Couture. It’s a very special vintage shop that has it all. I grew up shopping there with my Mom and still find a lot of inspiration there.
My advice for anyone wanting to create a similar business is to do as much of the work yourself and ask friends and family to help. I am lucky to have my store on our property and open it by appointment. So many people are utilizing their homes these days and doing pop ups to make money. Open your garage for monthly sales or host a sale in a friend’s backyard. Find people who create and sell things you admire and do events together. Your following will eventually find you.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned along the way is to keep my integrity and sell things I love and of quality. It’s ok not to appeal to everyone. People will figure out my aesthetic and it’s either for them or it’s not. And making a shop doesn’t have to happen all at once. Things can change and grow and you can continue to make things better and more beautiful as you go.”
Rose & Rae on Instagram @roseandraevintage
antique gloves