My Biz: Love of all things ’80s, ’90s inspires vintage shop

CEDAR RAPIDS — If you grew up in the 1980s and ’90s like Rick Noggle, then you’ll likely have some fun browsing around his store in downtown Cedar Rapids.

Noggle, 40, opened 20 Years Awesome a little over two years ago to sell clothing and memorabilia from his favorite decades.

“I focus on my childhood which was 1985 to 2005, those were my 20 years of awesome, where the name for the store came from.”

The store evolved a bit from Noggle’s original idea when he opened in February 2021.

“I try to get my hands on as much of the collectible stuff as I can, but it’s getting harder and harder to find,” he said. So the pop culture store features items, mainly clothing, from the ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s.

Last year in August, Noggle also partnered with some friends — Ashton Wilkins and Krase Baker, who opened a store within his store called Sole Street.

“They sell sneakers, like all the hard-to-find Jordans and Nikes that people are looking for,” Noggle said. “We piggyback off of each other because our businesses go really well together. People will come in to buy a pair of shoes and then grab a shirt to go with it and vice versa.”

Started on eBay

Noggle first started selling vintage items on eBay. He was doing well, but as collectibles got harder to find, he started dabbling in selling clothing.

“I quickly realized that the profit margins are a lot higher on clothing,” he said.

Then the space in downtown Cedar Rapids, next to Need Pizza, fell into his lap, Noggle said. “I went ahead and took the risk to open the store, and it seems to be working out.”

The store is open Tuesday through Saturday in the afternoons for in-person shopping. Plus, Noggle still uses eBay for online sales, thanks to his built-in customer base.

“The store is pretty popular with the late teens and early 20-year-old kids,” he said. “They want to wear cool stuff and especially as the pop icons of the modern era start wearing the older stuff and the kids see that and they want it.

“My personal friends don't even come shop at my store for the most part because they're all in their late 30s and 40s,” Noggle laughed. “They are the ones that might still have some of this stuff we sell, or their parents might still have it. So they bring it in to sell it to me or trade.”

‘Revolving door’

Noggle said his story is a bit of a “revolving door.”

“We have sneakers coming in all the time and people come in and buy them right away, and then we'll have people come in on the same day and sell us some sneakers.

“And it's the same thing with clothes. People will come in with like a whole bag of stuff, and I'll go through it and make them a cash offer and they'll go pick out some other pieces. It's never the same stuff here from week to week.”

Impact of flood

Noggle said he occasionally thinks about how the 2008 flood impacted what he is able to find to sell in his store.

“We're geographically challenged here, especially because of the flood of 2008. … It wiped out entire neighborhoods. People had those cool old band shirts and Harley shirts in their basements, and it all went straight to the dump because it was ruined. That’s the stuff everyone wants, and it’s hard to find here.”

As the sole proprietor and operator, Noggle handles all aspects of the business, including sourcing items, photographing and measuring items for online listings, and being the friendly face behind the counter.

“All the hats I find I hand wash,” said Noggle. “There’s just a lot of work that goes behind the scenes so I can introduce new products and advertise them on my Instagram page and try to get people to come in and keep them interested.”

Seeing people shop at his story is reward, he said.

“One thing I enjoy a lot is when I have items I know people really love and they're going to take home and cherish,” said Noggle. “When people come in and say ‘Oh, my God, I can't believe you have this. This is so cool. I had this when I was a kid,’ that's a really cool feeling. I like people's excitement and knowing that they're going to take this thing and keep it from a landfill.”

Looking for items to sell can be a full-time job alone, he said, but it’s perhaps the most fun part of his job.

“It’s the most fun because it's really exciting. It’s getting harder to find the older things,” Noggle said. “So if you want to bring me a duffle bag of stuff, I’ll dig through it. I’d be happy to.”

Know a business that should be considered for a “My Biz” feature? Let us know by emailing mary.sharp@thegazette.com.