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Showcasing Iconoclastic Exclusive and Cutting Edge Designers in Mid-Michigan by Gina Myers Imagine this: traditional tattoos, a pompadour, cuffed pants, and a black t-shirt. A typical greaser? No, you haven’t traveled back in time. It’s 2009 and you’ve stepped inside Rumbleville Underground Clothing Company. Rumbleville describes itself as "Rockin clothing and accessories for the Hot Rod inspired, Rockabilly, Psychobilly, Punk, Goth, and Pin Up Kulture." Located in a plaza on State Street in Saginaw Township and tucked behind Applebees, Rumbleville seems slightly out of place in the quiet row of boutiques. Alongside the shop sits a 1972 Cadillac hearse, red velvet ropes lead to the front door of the store, and spider webs made from chains hang down from the awning over the front door. It is safe to say, there is nothing else like this in Saginaw. Walking into the shop, you are greeted by walls painted black, a blood red floor marked with stitches, and the sounds of stripped down old time rock and roll coming from the speakers. One customer stepped in and described it as death's waiting room. And perhaps the idea of death is not too far off mark. The clothing, accessories, and novelty items revolve around a subculture that romanticizes living hard and fast and is obsessed with the 1950s, horror, and hard-boiled, pulp fiction. So it is no surprise that Rumbleville first opened its doors on Devil's Night in 2007. A quick glance around the store shows a lot of black clothing, skulls and crossbones, flames, cherries, traditional sailor tattoo-inspired artwork, and leopard print. In addition to being a clothing store, Rumbleville could almost be part antique shop with the various memorabilia that decorates the walls—items that had been laying around in garages and attics for years, from the hood of an old car, to an upright bass, to an old television set, to old tools. However, it does not have a junk shop feel; each piece is meticulously placed. Not a detail has been overlooked in this highly stylized shop, from the blades on the ceiling fan to the chainlink fence used to make shelves for the t-shirts. Mannequin heads have been replaced by skulls, a bone extends out of the top of a mannequin leg displaying socks, barbed wire hangs on the wall, the jewelry display case has been studded, and the cash register is covered in stickers.
Rumbleville has a second location in Flint at the music venue the Machine Shop, and it should be noted that the Saginaw location serves as a ticket outlet for the Machine Shop. The booth at the Machine Shop has been a great success for Rumbleville. Nationally touring bands have come through the shop, purchased Rumbleville t-shirts, and then have worn those shirts while playing other shows, and a number of bands have been pictured in Rumbleville clothing for promotional posters, and one band even included the Rumbleville shirt on their cd cover. This word of mouth promotion has been great for spreading the Rumbleville name nationwide. In addition to bands voluntarily purchasing Rumbleville items, Rumbleville has also sponsored some groups, including Nonpoint who performed at this past summer’s Altered Skin Revolution. Rumbleville has also had a presence at a number of community events, including the Old Town Classic Car Show, and the Billetproof car show in Davisburg. Arkel and Curran also threw their own party last summer. “Rumble in Saginaw” took place in the parking lot outside of the store and featured a car show, food and clothing vendors, live bands playing outdoors all day, and a pin-up girl contest. Several bands from Detroit, including Graveside Manner, played in addition to locals The Tremblors and Debbie and the Formfitters. The pin-up girls, looking like 1950s beauties, wore clothing and shoes mostly from Rumbleville, and the crowd voted to select the winner who won a hundred dollar credit to the store. The event was a huge success with a great crowd turnout on a perfect summer day. Curran, who also bartends at Meinbergs, says, “It’s currently a labor of love,” and sarcastically adds, “depending on the day.” He says to this day, every dollar they have made has gone directly back into the store. That does not mean the store has not been well-received. They have regular support from members within the music and car culture communities, and they see new faces come into the store all the time. While Flint and Detroit have larger rockabilly scenes, there really is not much of a scene present in Saginaw. Arkel and Curran are hoping to see support grow within the Saginaw community.
Rumbleville supports small, U.S. companies, and many items in the store are handmade which adds to their uniqueness. Rumbleville brand t-shirts, work shirts, tank tops, and jackets, are screen printed by High Octane in Fenton, and Rumbleville also carries High Octane designs. Other clothing lines at Rumbleville include Lucky 13, Shrine, Felon, Alchemy, Hells Belles, Dirty Devil, and Paper Doll Productions. They also carry Demonia shoes and Peter Grimm hats. And there are a wide variety of accessories from belts, belt buckles, ties, and wallet chains, to necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, hair pins, and barrettes. Winter items, including hats, gloves, and coats, are currently on sale. And the store is a perfect place to pick up a dress for summer or that cherry printed bikini you’ve always wanted.
In addition to the clothing and accessories, Rumbleville carries a variety of novelty items. You can find original artwork by local artists, a hand-painted pin-striped lunchbox, postcards picturing pulp paperback covers, rare reproductions of Bettie Page photos, umbrellas, patches, stickers, magnets, and a line of tiki ceramic mugs by Tiki Farm. A personal favorite from Tiki Farm is the "Unlucky Tourist" Decanter, which appears to be a ceramic shrunken head with its mouth stitched shut. Arkel describes rockabilly as “a culture of knick knacks,” and adds, “[Rumbleville] is a great place for gift shopping. You can find something fun and unique for everyone.” He also says that in the coming months, they’ll be expanding their novelty items. Curran adds that parents have sometimes come into the shop and asked for help in finding gifts for their kids. Unlike many mall stores, Rumbleville specializes in giving personalized attention to its customers, and the workers are friendly and knowledgeable. Often the parents have reported back that the kids were shocked by their parents’ ability to find a “cool” gift. Because the store is about a community and lifestyle more than it is just about selling clothing, there is a real social element to Rumbleville. There are often people just hanging out at the store, listening to music, and chatting up the workers. Though this area is lacking a real rockabilly scene, it is clear that there is an interest and that people want to be a part of what is going on at Rumbleville.
Rumbleville Underground Clothing Company is located at 5880 State
Street in Saginaw. They are open Wednesdays from 10 – 6,
Thursdays and Fridays from 12 – 8, and Saturdays from 12 – 5. You
can also check out their myspace page at
www.myspace.com/ |
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Owners
Mike Arkel and Joel Curran decided to open Rumbleville
because there was nothing like it in the area. They both grew up in the
rockabilly scene, (what many people would now recognize as West Coast
Car Culture as made popular through recent reality television shows),
and were finding it too difficult to find the clothes and accessories
they were looking for, often having to order things from various
websites and never being too sure of what would show up in the mail. By
opening Rumbleville, they have brought everything--from hats to
suspenders, jackets to t-shirts, dresses to shoes, socks to purses and
jewelry--into one shop. Well, two shops.
Since
Rumbleville is the sole distributor in the state of Michigan for
99 percent of the stuff they sell, the Saginaw store regularly draws
people coming in from Detroit, Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, Lansing, and other
areas across the state. Occasionally, people from Saginaw will see the
booth in Flint and be surprised to find out that Rumbleville is actually
Saginaw-based. Arkel and Curran are sure the location has a lot to do
with this, and one day, perhaps in a few years, they would like to open
a larger store in a location along Hamilton Street, if Saginaw is able
to support it. You can already see Rumbleville’s mark on Hamilton
Street by checking out the bars any night of the week where you will
find the brass knuckle logo Rumbleville t-shirts being worn by bouncers,
roadies, and bands. 
The
clothing lines are seasonal, so you should check in regularly for new
items, though some hot items are re-circulated.