Abernathy's Full HERstory
Its not just a list of bullshit that we've done in the past
It's a chronicling of our rise....TO POWER!
Abernathy's was a little dream that could, thought up by two small town girls from rural Eastern Iowa. Becca Nicke and Red Perez both grew up with a love for creating, recycling, and re-imagining old things into new, creepy, and beautiful creations.
The two met while working in tiny, dirt floor boutique in LeClaire at the age of 19, peddling handmade coasters, jewelry, purses, and vintage clothing. When the boutique closed, the two went their separate ways, Red, perusing a career in hair as a cosmetologist, and Becca, working corporate retail at the mall. Their paths crossed again in 2011, when both Becca and Red were working for local antique shops that were both part of the History Channel TV show, American Pickers. They both learned a lot about buying and selling antiques, consigning handmade goods from local artists, and managing a small business.
When a store front became available in their home town, the two saw it as an opportunity to strike out on their own, and create their own brand of vintage and handmade. Becca and Red worked diligently, while both having full time jobs, to shape their vision for Abernathy's. A long evening at Red Lobster, and many cheddar bay biscuits later, the two had formulated a working business plan for their planned retail takeover in LeClaire. Weeks later, Becca and Red received devastating news, that their proposed business plan was not selected to rent the available space. It felt like the end of the line for their future boutique, but the partners carried on.
Moving forward, Becca and Red, met with representatives from the Downtown Davenport Partnership, to explore their options in the Quad Cities. After touring many spaces, one that was so small that it was slated to be turned into a stair case, Becca and Red found their first space in a retired mental health office building, on the east side of 2nd street in downtown Davenport. The space was a sea of beige colors that the two quickly transformed into a colorful spattering of vintage clothing that Becca had hoarded in her home over the past five years, Red's handmade jewelry, and macabre decor, skulls, and antiques. Starting with their artist friends, Becca and Red, recruited local artist to showcase their work at Abernathy's, giving the store it's eclectic, one-of-a-kind feel.
On Saturday, November 9th in 2013, Becca and Red opened Abernathy's to the Quad Cities and started their voyage in entrepreneurship. Over the next seven years the partners continued to grow their empire by expanding their boutique into modern and vintage inspired products, traveling the country selling at punk rock music festivals, farmer's markets, oddities conventions, and even driving through the mountains to get to Vegas, to sell at a rockabilly weekender. More experience brought more local artists, their first employees, and the ability to participate in tons of local events that made Abernathy's more than a place to shop, but a piece of their local community.
In April of 2019 when the levee broke in downtown Davenport, Abernathy's took on almost four feet of flood water from the mighty Mississippi. The damage to the building was so extensive, that the building was sold, leaving Becca and Red without a place of business. This nexus of events and experiences created yet another opportunity to rebuild and reimage the next chapter of Abernathy's. Their new location re-opened in August of 2019, in a beautiful historic building on the corner of Scott and West 3rd Street, back in their home of downtown Davenport. Their new location has allowed them to feature more new products than ever and expanded their reach to find new customers in the Quad Cities, and world wide through www.ShopAbernathys.com.