If Rapid City’s downtown corridor is any indication, the demand for sustainable shopping is rising. An antique shop, used bookstore, music store, and several vintage clothing businesses are within a few steps of each other, each one revealing a piece of history.
“I think stores like this are exciting. Each store is a different experience. Whether you have three vintage stores next to each other or the antique store, you never know what you will find,” said Caitlin Hein, owner of Garbage Tale Vintage on St. Joseph Street.
Garbage Tale Vintage, a nod to the pop culture trading cards Garbage Pail Kids, just celebrated its one-year anniversary. “All this is still very surreal,” said the 25-year-old. “This is my passion, and I feel so grateful and blessed that I can do this.”
Her downtown shop is the culmination of a love for thrifting that began at a young age. Growing up on the Rosebud Reservation, Caitlin spent many hours with her grandparents going to yard sales, thrift stores, and flea markets. “It was always something they did, so I just grew up doing that.” One of her favorite vintage pieces is a Native Pride jacket that her grandparents gave her when she was 5. Her other favorite piece is her mother’s old license plate. Both hang on the wall near the front of the store.
“I didn’t know I was going to go into fashion or own a business. I have always loved thrifting because it was a good way to dress very eccentric and how I wanted, and it was fun and cheap. Second-hand thrifted vintage items have a lot more character.”
In high school, Caitlin started buying and selling clothes on the online shop Vinted, however, her flair for sustainable fashion flourished four years ago. She was in college for nursing but felt a need to do something more creative. She just didn’t know what.
“I lived downtown in a studio apartment and on Friday and Saturday nights I would rearrange my apartment creating a whole set design to style outfits.” Caitlin would then take photos and post them on Depop, a fashion marketplace app. “My clothes started selling really fast.”
Then the pandemic hit, and her online presence grew. “I was at home a lot, so I upcycled clothes, sewed them. I made masks for family and friends using scrap material from vintage clothes.”
She soon became a top seller on Depop.
A lot of Caitlin’s success with the online platforms was her eye for curating and styling outfits. “People want to see how it looks together. It is sometimes hard for people to envision an outfit or how different pieces can fit together.”
After her success with Depop, Caitlin felt the need to expand her horizons. “I didn’t want to sell clothes online forever.” She started with popup shops. “Those did really well and a lot of people in the community were really supportive. I started thinking about the need for a brick and mortar store.”
That is when a storefront along St. Joseph Street opened.
She began collecting pieces covering every inch of her small downtown apartment. “This all has been crazy and wild. It feels so surreal,” Caitlin said reminiscing about her past year. “I could have never done this without the support of my family. They all spent a lot of hours and nights putting this place together. My papa loves antiques, so when I opened the shop the only things I bought new were my metal racks.”
She also credits the supportive community with her success. “I am just learning as I go. There has been a ton of people in the community that have been so kind, whether it is business owners mentoring me or different organizations helping to get me clothes.”
Giving back to the community is also a priority for the young entrepreneur. She used to partner with Dress for Success, a local organization that helped women find affordable clothing for job interviews and other professional events. “Unfortunately, they are not around anymore.”
Caitlin said having a physical shop helps her connect with people on a deeper level. “When people come in, I feel like the experience is meaningful for both of us. For a lot of people, everything is so nostalgic for them. It brings back memories for people, and I think that is a real intimate experience that I get to share.”
It also gives her platform to educate on sustainable fashion. “I really want that to be my mission. I have been learning more about textiles and that has been a huge interest of mine with sustainability and environmental causes. I want to be a good influence on people.”