The summer tourism season is ramping up in Seward, and one new local business on the scene can visit the local hotspots, alongside tourists.
Rustic Roots is a mobile Alaska gift shop, featuring locally made wares inside a converted school bus.
“In my apparel, I really wanted to include landscapes, because I get to stare at the most awesome view every day, and I wanted to create something for the visitors to take home with them to remember their trip here in Seward,” said Genevive DeRoos, the 19-year-old behind the business.
DeRoos graduated from Seward High School last year. Since then, she’s been working with her dad to convert a school bus into a rolling boutique and creating apparel to stock its shelves.
DeRoos was inspired to enter the industry after working summers at the local gift shop AK Starfish Co. in Seward.
“I loved selling and talking about Seward with the customers that came in the shop. So then all of a sudden it came down to me graduating high school and thinking, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up.?’ I had no idea. So I was like, ‘I love what I did at the small business here in Seward’ so I was like, ‘Could this be something for me?”
Her apparel designs are inspired by the wildlife and landscapes of Seward. In her mobile boutique, DeRoos sells her own shirt and sweatshirt designs and goods from other Alaska-based designers.
Converting that bus has been a year-long labor of love for DeRoos and her father. She started seeing boutique buses on Pinterest and found an old school bus through a friend of a friend.
“It had all the seats in it, it was a typical school bus,” she said. “Once December hit, me and my dad ripped out all the seats. I definitely learned how to use power tools. I never knew how to use a nail gun or a drill until this process started. It’s been an adventure.”
DeRoos received support through the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District’s revolving loan program, which allowed her to place her first major inventory purchase.
“They really are just genuine, great people to talk to, and they really want to see small businesses succeeding, which is awesome,” she said. “Working with them has kind of made it feel like this is possible.”
Freshly out of high school, DeRoos did say there were some challenges and plenty of self doubt. She said she didn’t experience negativity from anyone around her, just internal fear. But DeRoos said she just dove in headfirst and embraced the experience.
She said it’s easy to stay focused, because she wants to work in this career field for the rest of her life.
“I really wanted to begin a career that I’m going to stick with and that I’m going to genuinely love,” she said.
DeRoos said the thing that really motivates her, and that has always motivated her, is talking to customers. She’s already jumped into the peninsula events world. Rustic Roots appeared at Seward’s Mermaid Festival last weekend, and DeRoos said she’s considering driving to Ninilchik for Salmonfest this summer.
First, however, DeRoos needs to learn to drive the bus. In the meantime, Rustic Roots will be parked in Seward.
