Rusty Rose, a new antiques and collectible store in downtown Dublin, is offering a treasure trove of items, all with unique shoppers in mind.
Owner Donna Timmons officially opened the store Oct. 1 after she and her husband, Jeff, purchased the building at 113 East Blackjack right next to Blackjack’s coffee and Things Celtic. They also own Timmons Exterminating and are longtime Dublin residents.
Shoppers will experience a wide variety of items available for perusal and evaluation as Donna welcomes them with a smile and friendly conversation.
The store features a plethora of turquoise jewelry – all Native American made – knives, handmade home décor items and furniture that has been refurbished as well as antique furniture.
Donna saw opening the store as a way to take her experience from having booths at antique stores and bring a unique shopping opportunity to her home town of Dublin.
“I’ve wanted to put in a store for a long time … we just kind of decided if we could find a building, I would open a store and this building became available,” she said.
“We’ve always been a collector and always liked antiques,” she said. “We’ve inherited items from family members. We’ve always liked them and have a lot of antiques in our house. We decided to bring a combination of antiques and gift items.”
With the building formerly housing Little Authors as well as a bakery, a barber shop and a shoe store, work has been done to outfit the store into the perfect fit for Rusty Rose.
Donna is in the market to buy items from people to sell in her store but is not offering consignment.
“I’ve had a few people sell me things already,” she said.
Showcased on one wall are “snippets” – handmade embroidery-type items from an 82-year-old friend, and a variety of bags and purses to offer as gift items. Donna enjoys painting and flipping furniture as well as collecting antiques for the store.
With Rusty Rose being a unique name, many have inquired where Donna came up with the store’s title.
“My dad always talked about my mom being a rose. My mom always wanted a rose tattoo and the rose is just kind of a symbol of her,” she said.
Her mom and dad, Jackie and Paul Gasaway, were well-known in Dublin and operated Jackie’s Playhouse Daycare for many years “My husband was out in the field one day on the tractor and came in and said, ‘I think I came up with a name for the store. I think Rusty Rose,’” she said.
The couple named the store Rusty Rose and found out after closing on the building that there is a rose bush out front valiantly growing through the concrete.
“It just kind of puts my parents in here with me,” she said.
After experiencing an incredible amount of loss in her life, including her mom in 2011 and her dad, in 2017, Donna said the store has offered her a new opportunity and one that is making her happy while she stays busy.
“I’ve been busier than I thought I would be,” she said.
The store is open Wednesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is normally closed for lunch.