Vintage store Rosebud Retro opens in Towson

By Zhane Amin, Social Media Manager

Vintage market Rosebud Retro opened in Towson this past weekend. Owned by Towson University student Trevor Brake, the permanent location is based on the Rosebud Flea pop-up markets Brake started as a sophomore. 

The store is open every day except Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is located at 40 W. Chesapeake Ave. It’s grand opening was delayed by the severe winter storm but it’s now officially open.

Items range from men’s and women’s clothes, accessories, knick-knacks, keychains and more. Brake says this is to ensure that everyone gets something out of visiting the store. There are 25 vendors selling items at the store now with more items coming in daily.

Inspired by stores such as Ten Car Pile Up, another vintage clothing store in Towson, Brake says inspirations for the store’s design comes from making it a new type of place. 

“You come in, it’s vibrant, it’s warmer. We like to say ‘it’s not a restaurant, it’s not a bar, it’s not a vape shop down the road,’” Brake says. “It’s something that’s different and unique to our community that’s going to serve as a community hub for anybody who is looking to go shopping, enjoy their afternoon or their morning and get an item that is going to have a story behind it.” 

Before becoming a brick-and-mortar storefront, Rosebud started off as a pop-up at local Towson events and festivals.

“The struggle for us was we were only able to do it on like a Saturday or Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m,, but we realized a lot of students and families who were either busy on a Saturday, or they’re working,” Brake says. “We wanted to build a storefront so you could do this Monday, Sunday, anytime you want to shop with us.” 

Rosebud Retro opened in the Towson Uptown area, but there were pop-up market locations in College Park, Maryland and near the University of Delaware, along with summer and winter pop-up locations. Though there is now a permanent location, Brake said the pop-ups will continue and have rotating vendors they work with in the Baltimore area.

In the past Rosebud has collaborated with businesses such as Chatime, a bubble tea shop in the area, who would bring their food trucks to outdoor events and give out stickers and other small items. Brake hopes to continue these collaborations with other businesses such as The Music Space and Aveley Farms Coffee Roasters to host coffee-themed events and music shows. 

“Our goal at the Rosebud Retro is to work with the local businesses in Towson and empower everybody to grow, do better and turn Towson around,” Brake says.

Other inspirations for the store come from Towson Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Nancy Hafford. 

Due to RoseBud being popular at events, Hafford assisted in finding a permanent store location for the shop. She’s been thrilled throughout the process of watching RoseBud turn from a pop-up location at festivals to having a brick-and-mortar store.