Supporters and Friends of The Rusty Crickett,

As you know, we have been closed for the past few months while navigating these unprecedented times. Everyone is worried about protecting and preserving their health, jobs and the well-being of their families. We have taken a cautious approach, stepping back to observe and gauge the situation. COVID-19 represents a tipping point – the world will not just go back to normal – and the question now is, how do we respond, recover and thrive in this new world?

It is our opinion that:

The nature of business has changed – work-from-home positions and staggered schedules are here to stay – decreasing the amount of people who work downtown and in turn reducing foot traffic to local small businesses.

The concept of a traditional brick and mortar store needs to evolve – high touch areas like the cash register and cash wrap have become precarious, while casual browsing and picking up items without the ability to sanitize between customers presents a considerable risk.

We have taken this time to redefine what The Rusty Crickett is and would like to share with you our new vision.

The Rusty Crickett will be a hybrid between an online shop and a brick and mortar boutique. There will be a number of new and different ways you can continue to interact and shop with us. Beginning in July, the customer journey will be simplified and more personalized – starting online instead of in-shop – you will be able to browse our expanded product offering.

When you find something you like, you can buy online and ship your order, schedule curbside pickup or take advantage of our free local delivery option. In addition to the online shopping, for those who prefer to touch and feel the merchandise and crave social interaction, we will be offering a personal shopping experience. Simply browse and fill your online shopping cart with items you are interested in and schedule an appointment to come in to take a closer look, get recommendations from our staff and personalize your purchase with our complimentary gift wrapping.

We are still working through all the details of this shift in business model; but the first thing we need to do is right-size our physical space. We are happy to say that we have secured a new location and will be moving the shop from its current home into a space appropriately suited to support our growing online business while still allowing for a personalized retail experience.

For our customers who want to come in and experience the old Rusty Crickett, we are having a week long MOVING SALE beginning Saturday, May 23rd running through Sunday, May 31st. This will be your last opportunity to come into The Rusty Crickett and browse without a personal shopping appointment. We know folks are looking to get out and support small businesses. We can’t wait to see everyone and as a thank you for helping us reduce the amount of stuff we need to move, we are offering discounts up to 40% on every item in the shop (in store only).

On June 1st we will close the doors and start the moving process. We will continue to take orders online, shipping as usual. We hope to complete the move and have everything up and running at the new location come July.

We will continue to share updates as we solidify details of the upcoming changes, in the meantime here are some teasers for you:

Available Now: Contactless payment options and an expanded online
merchandise selection – particularly around our home décor and furniture offerings

Coming Soon: Subscription boxes – i.e. Bracelet of the month club, curated gift baskets, signature candles, and more…
We look forward to continuing to provide personalized service and helping you find the perfect gift that is uniquely you.

Thank you,

Pam, Colleen, Jim and Rusty