So, for those of you who enjoy expressing your personal style and creativity through fashion, Ruby Begonias just may be the perfect little clothing store for you! There is only one location which luckily, is just a few blocks away from the UNL city campus. They are currently located at 1321 P Street, Lincoln, NE 68508. I visited Ruby’s and had a conversation with an employee of the establishment in hopes of receiving more fun and interesting information for you all. I hope you guys enjoy the feedback!
Q: Who is the owner of Ruby Begonias?
A: “Her name is Jen Johnson. Uh, she lives in Columbia, Missouri where she has another vintage shop.”
Q: Okay, well that leads me into my next question which is, are there any other locations of Ruby Begonias or is this the only location?
A: “Yeah, well it’s not technically Ruby Begonias it’s called, Absolute Vintage. So, different but same owner, same style.”
Q: So, that actually answers my next question which was what type of clothing do you sale? It’s vintage, right?”
A: “Mhmm, yep!”
Q: Do you sell men’s clothing?
A: “We do. A lot of people don’t know that because we have it downstairs, but we do have men’s.”
Q: What are the most popular clothing items and accessories?
A: “Um, dresses are usually the best seller, ‘cause every girl loves a dress (brief laughter).”
Q: I see that you guys have costumes. Do you sell costumes year around?
A: We do, we keep them in the back office usually and then when October comes we pull them all out. So, we do sell them year around though.”
Q: What is the general pricing range? Like, is it affordable for the typical college student?
A: “It is! That’s actually a big part of our customer base. So we try to keep it really affordable.”
Q: What is the environment like in your establishment?
A: “Um, very laid back. Um, you know, we just champion individuality and doing your ‘thang’ and buying what you like, expressing yourself.”
Q: What can you say about the type of customers that Ruby’s attract?
A: “It’s the whole gamete. We get old, young, men, women, and people with different types of style and come from different walks of life.”
Q: Do you enjoy working here?
A: “I do, yeah. I’ve been working here for 6 years, it’s a really fun job, I love vintage and I love this shop.”
Q: What is the most memorable moment you’ve had while working at Ruby’s?
A: “Ooh, umm, that’s a tough one! We get a lot of bands in here, like touring musicians. They like vintage, ‘cause you know, they’re all about creativity and stuff. So, yeah I’ve met a lot of musicians that I really admire and that’s been really neat.”
Q: Are the clothing in the store authentic?
A: “Yes, most of it is. We try to keep it mostly vintage. There’s a lot of like, hand-made stuff because people used to make their own clothes, which is really cool to see. Um, yeah, so most of it is definitely authentic.”
Q: Is there anything extra you would like to say about Ruby Begonias?
A: “Um, just that everyone should stop in! I get a lot of people that come in and they’re just like, ‘I’ve always walked by, I never come in, just been really curious,’ and I think it is fun for everyone just to stop by and see the past and OUR history in the states and, yeah, where we come from.”