WOOD RIVER – Missy Bell-Yates has laid down her roots with her unique shop, Rustic Roots, located at 200 West Ferguson Ave in Wood River. Now, with the celebration of the shop’s grand re-opening and new hours of operation, the business is here to stay.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
“We closed in January and February and revamped the whole place,” Bell-Yates said. “We’ve added a couple new artists, partnered up with some companies and added another room to our shop.”
Rustic Roots will celebrate its grand re-opening during its new business hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 9, Friday, March 10 and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 11. From now on, the shop will be open each Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Rustic Roots is filled to the brim with unique home décor items, jewelry, furniture, knick-knacks and much more, but don’t be fooled; this is not your typical consignment shop.
“It’s not just one of those consignments or repurpose shops you see popping up everywhere,” she said. “We have so much to offer.”
Rustic Roots was born from Bell-Yates’ dream of making a career through expressing her creativity. Her great-grandfather, Paul Worchester, along with her grandfather, Dick Bell, started Worchester & Bell Construction in the same building where Rustic Roots calls home.
“I love our location,” she said. “I started working right here, in the entrance way of the shop, with an old desk and not a single thing on the walls.”
“I realized that this was the exact same route that my grandpa took to work when he had his company,” she said. “He lived only a couple houses down from me.”
As 2016 arrived, Bell-Yates decided it was her turn to follow her dreams.
“At the beginning of that year, I knew that it had to be done,” she said.
Bell-Yates began the process of refurbishing furniture and items herself, but through meeting several like-minded individuals, predominately women, who were interested in giving new life to items once forgotten, or creating new items, she banded a collective group of creators and artists to contribute to the shop.
“Not only are our items either handmade, vintage, revived or repurposed, we always have a creative twist to it,” she said. “The creative process is so fun, especially when we’re all back there working. We do our own little thing and we create some amazing things.”
After taking the break at the beginning of 2017, the shop is certainly back and better than ever. Having held the business’ soft opening last week, Bell-Yates was pleased to say that the amount of positive feedback she received was humbling.
“The customers who came in said they loved the changes and new addition,” she said. “It was great.”
Whether you stop in to Rustic Roots just to check it out, or if you’re looking for a specific gift for a special someone, you will certainly be pleased with what you see.
“You’ll come in for one thing and you will definitely see something you love,” she said.
Rustic Roots can be reached at 618-660-7766 during regular business hours and can be found on Facebook by clicking here.
More like this:
