Earthy Finds Comes to Town: Vintage Shop Holds Grand Opening in Downtown Bryan

Article By: Ashely Bautista, Student Intern | BCS Chronicle

What You Need To Know:

• Bryan native, Rubella (Ruby) Alvarado, opened Earth Finds vintage shop on January 30, 2026.

• Earthy Finds specializes in crafting unique pieces and curating a cozy space for women to shop. 

• Ruby Alvarado encourages other budding small businesses owners to take the next step to achieve their dreams.

• Earthy Finds is open from 12 -6 PM Tuesday through Sunday and is located at 305 W 27th St Unit 116 in Bryan.

For the owner and founder of Earthy Finds Vintage, Rubiella (Ruby) Alvarado, there's a special story behind every piece of clothing and every design she sells. Specializing in vintage women's clothing, Earthy Finds Vintage opened on Saturday, January 30th at their 305 W 27th St Unit 116 location in Downtown Bryan. A former pop-up thrift market organizer in Aggieland, Ruby and is excited to expand her shop overall.

“I think starting something that a lot of people are gonna be able to see and kind of give their opinions and stuff like that is a bit scary, but at the same time it's necessary,” Alvarado said.

The More You Know

Ruby stumbled across a wasteful dilemma plaguing thrift stores in the summer of 2022, when she found out that some thrift stores transferred “less-loved” clothes to the landfill. According to a Millard South article, about 5% of clothing from donations, whether damaged or unsold, go into landfills. Since finding out, Alvarado began curating vintage clothing and building her company. Starting as a shop on Instagram before moving to an in-person pop-up, Ruby now realizes her dream of operating a brick and mortar store.

“Why should any clothes be thrown away when they have so much potential, especially because of thrift stores, you run into so many unique pieces that you can't find nowadays," Alvarado said.

For Alvarado, she never planned to start a “brick and mortar” business, until the push and support of her mom made her see the potential of opening a shop.

“[Alvarado’s Mom] was standing behind the scenes and she was like, let's open it,” Alvarado said. “And for the first couple of years, I put it off, and until recently, I was like, you know, I am young, and it's now or never.”

Finding Clothes (Close) to Home

Being born and raised in Bryan, Alvarado had a hard time picking whether to start her business in town or out. However, with the charm and growth of Downtown Bryan, and being family oriented, it helped her finalize her decision. 

“Having a business here with the support of my family around me, inspired me and pushed me more to settle my roots at the moment in downtown,” Alvarado said.

Earthy Finds Vintage’s clothes are not only hand washed and hand sewn, but they are also specially designed and curated by the hand of the owner. 

“A lot of the pieces set the clothes apart, because they speak for itself,” Alvarado said. “They have different designs, they have embroidery [and] unique pieces that you don't run into at a regular thrift store – but, that's kind of what we aim for, a unique style.”

With over 15 thrift and antique shops in the Bryan-College Station area, Earthy Finds Vintage specializes in crafting unique pieces and curating a cozy space for women to shop. 

“I was like, why not open something for the girls where they can feel heard and seen, and (where) pieces are curated for them,” Alvarado said.

All Are Welcome

Ruby stated that she would like people to know that while she is not able to take donations due to her business being for-profit, people are welcome to donate their old clothes to earn some extra cash. As well as people to know that every clothing, embroidery, and style is handpicked with love and thoughtfulness for people to be inspired by the unique style.

“That's kind of what I wanted to translate to other people – it's funky things that aren't ordinary as the basic clothes that we see now in retail,” Alvarado said.

From starting as a small pop-up shop to her current brick-and-mortar location, Alvarado stated that she wants to encourage others who want to follow in her footsteps and open a small business, not to give up and to keep persevering. 

“Don't procrastinate, don't put it off,” said Alvarado. “Nothing starts perfect at all, so yeah, I said just start and go for it!”