MINT HILL, NC – On July 31, Rustic Root Home Decor & More will close its doors for good.
Business Owner and CEO Holly Seagle rented a space located in Mint Hill Plaza in February of 2020, and after six weeks getting the space ready, Seagle was finally set to open on March 15 of 2020.
She was open just four days before COVID hit, forcing her to close her new shop indefinitely. A sequence of tragedies and obstacles followed, including contracting COVID herself, losing a close friend to the pandemic, and unexpectedly obtaining full custody of her teenage daughter. Seagle was finally able to open Rustic Root’s doors in June of 2021.
For Seagle, the Grand Opening not only represented a victory after more than a full year of incredible hardships but also the culmination of a lifelong dream. After 20 years in the banking industry, Seagle ventured into the world of antiques, selling things on eBay and renting booth space at antique markets. After a decade of success, Rustic Root was the embodiment of Seagle’s dream to have her own store.
Finally open in her own space, Seagle thought her troubles were behind her, but the past year continued to challenge her in unexpected ways. Paying rent on the space for a full year before fully opening left Seagle in a financial lurch, constantly trying to make up for lost income. Moreover, Rustic Root’s location – set back from Lawyer’s Road in Mint Hill Plaza – made it difficult to bring in foot traffic without additional signage at the road, which the Town prohibits.
Rustic Root also reopened to a different market than Seagle was catering to when she first dreamed of opening the self-described “upscale, eclectic, private consignment store.” With the highest inflation rate our country has seen in four decades, few people are looking to buy antiques. Instead, Seagle frequently saw customers who asked if they could sell their antiques in the store. An increase in rent was the last straw for Seagle; as her original two-year lease drew to a close, she simply couldn’t sustain the cost of doing business.
“I had to make the decision to close,” said Seagle. “I hate it because this is my baby, and I was so excited about it, and I put all my love and effort and time into it, but I just couldn’t sustain it. I do want to say thank you to all of the customers, vendors and other local small businesses that have supported me.”
As she moves on to her next chapter, Seagle remains optimistic. “I don’t feel like it was a failure,” she explains, “I feel like I still had my dream. I did open a business. I set up a store, so that part of my dream was fulfilled. But because of different factors, many of which were out of my control, the effort I was putting in didn’t justify the results, so it was time to cut it loose.”
Rustic Root is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, and everything has to go by July 31! From now through July 31, make sure to visit the store to take advantage of markdowns and blowout sales!
