In the old Midwest Photo store in Clintonville, Rhome Ruanphae has opened Red Barn, a vintage general store joining antique stores like Eclectiques Antiques Mall and Unique Treasures on High Street.
Before Ruanphae owned Basil Restaurant, he had previously been in retail for 15 years. He says he always wanted to open a store with this “look and feel.”
“I’ve always had an affinity for [this] kind of look. People ask you, ‘Ok, what’s the concept?’ and it’s hard to describe,” he admits.
The general store will have an eclectic range of products and goods both old and new, including soy candles, costume jewelry, moonshine, cologne, Raleigh Denim jeans, and a replica of the leg lamp from “A Christmas Story.”
“We’re going to have new stuff pretty much every day, or every week for sure,” says Ruanphae. “We’re not buying things deep, so they’re usually one of or two of the things that we’re buying. So you kind of have to buy once you see it.”
Hours are tentatively 4 to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Ruanphae says a lot of his restaurant traffic is in the evenings and thought it would be a good opportunity to provide a shop that’s open after the workday, plus the shop looks great at nighttime.
“I’ve always found myself wondering where people go to shop after they work during the day,” he says. “We just thought the evening would be fun to try, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Red Barn General Store is now open at 3313 N. High St. in Clintonville. Find more information on its Facebook page.