Teresa Roland refers to herself as a “thrift-a-holic.” 

She grew up garage saleing with her mother always on the lookout for a good bargain. “I loved it. I now teach my kids to thrift, and they love it too. One person’s trash is another’s treasure.”

Her love of antique and vintage items inspired her to convince her husband David to open a second-hand store in downtown Rapid City. The Mud Hole opened in May 2017 as a thrift store filled with clothes, furniture, home décor, and a variety of other eclectic knick knacks the couple collected through auctions.

“The live auctions were a thrill for me. It was like a competition. You just never know what you will find at the bottom of a tote. It may be trash or $100 treasure.”

After a few months open, the couple modified their business plan.

They turned the back area into a kitchen and added a few tables, creating a small eating area within their thrift store. Teresa and David had prior experience in the food industry. Neither wanted to do food again, however, they needed a way to supplement the income from the thrift store. The made-to-order, homecooked menu soon took over Teresa’s thrift store.

“We both worked in food all our working careers. Having a thrift store was my first time out of food,” Teresa said. “We ended up clearing out the majority of the thrift store items and adding more tables.”

Despite the success of the diner, Teresa plans to keep her thrift store dream alive.

“I will not go full blown café. That is not the Mud Hole. The Mud Hole is having breakfast in the middle of a thrift store.”

That is what makes their place unique. “I like being that mom and pop hole in the wall. You never know what you are going to find. I made this place feel like you are going to grandma’s for breakfast. That is the feel we wanted.”

And that is what their guests appreciate.

“We have accumulated a lot of regular customers. We know their names, and they have that inviting feel when they come in,” Teresa said referring to the Mud Holes’ slogan of “Good Food, Good Finds, Good Friends.”

Conversations over the dining room tables often turn to history lessons.  “We hear lots of stories,” Teresa said. “We have had several guests who told us that there was actually a diner in the basement in the ‘50s called the Cave Inn. We have repurposed the old historic café,” Teresa said.

The couple treats everyone who comes in like family – complete with sarcastic comments. “They get our sarcasm,” David said of their guest. “We talk to you like you are family and friends.” And people who come in as strangers usually leave as friends, David said. “It is just a comfortable place to talk. The vintage décor makes it feel like home.”

With three garages filled with antiques and vintage clothing, Teresa is always changing up the thrift store giving guests new items to shop for while they wait for their food. “People will walk around and see if I have brough in anything different.”

The Mud Hole is open 7 -11 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday at 7 Main Street in downtown Rapid City.