About Prairie Rose Henderson
Prairie Rose Henderson made a name for herself during the golden age of rodeo as a champion bronc rider. A fierce relay racer, Prairie Rose dazzled the crowds—not only with her daring undertakings in the arena, but also with her fashion sense and inventive costumes. She became one of the first professional women athletes in 1899.
Prairie Rose embodies individuality and what it means to break out of a stereotype. In a predominantly male sport, she paved the way for other women athletes during and after her time. She was daring, spirited and determined—a true cowgirl, and the inspiration behind our shop.
Founders
Having a mutual interest in collecting and preserving, the idea to open a shop was sparked early in our relationship. We began discovering things that were already a part of our collection, and finding items we’d been asked to keep an eye out for. Eventually, creating Prairie Rose just made sense.
With a background in design, we’ve always been drawn to the craftsmanship of old advertising + packaging.
Josh grew up browsing antique stores, garage sales and flea markets with his family. He was always exposed to vintage and antiques in some form—either out of necessity or his interest in something old. Although he was introduced at a young age, Josh didn’t start collecting until he realized how much early advertising inspired his work as an illustrator and designer.
Josh began his journey by collecting small packaging—anything from 1890s medicinal tins to 1920s starch boxes. This quickly led him to other antiques, signage and ephemera. Soon after, he recognized that all of his favorite clothing brands were influenced by old workwear. So, he began learning about and seeking out the source of their inspiration. This turned into a love for vintage and antique clothing that’s still wearable and functional to this day.
Erika’s interest in vintage began in middle school when she would go thrifting for clothing. She quickly realized she liked the style and fit of older items more than what was new at the time. She found them to be more comfortable, better quality and more affordable.
From that point on, Erika began experimenting, creating her own shirts from vintage materials up until college. Once in college, her focus switched to ephemera in relation to her graphic design. She would often visit antique malls, finding inspiration in books and packaging that she slowly started collecting and referencing for her personal work.
We like the uniqueness + one-of-a-kind nature of the vintage we’ve found through the years.
When we first met, we spent a lot of time going to antique malls and flea markets together. Others might’ve found this boring, especially after just meeting, but we found it exciting. We’d each bring a list of things to look for, and we’d help each other keep an eye out for them. These days, we still have antiques we search for individually, but have a longer list of items we both want to find.
From going to shops and flea markets when we were younger and now together, we’ve learned so much about the history of the items we find. A lot of antiques aren’t easily recognizable upon first glance, so we’ve spent a lot of time either talking to the seller, or researching the item later to discover what it was originally used for.
We love to share our finds with collectors and non-collectors alike, but the most exciting part is to be able to share it with each other—a love for collecting, an appreciation for old things and the fun of spending a day picking.