Who are you? What is your job title at What The Rock?! ?
My name is Heather Ziegler and I am one of the owners of What the Rock?! The other owner is my husband, Mike Renner.
Tell us more about What The Rock?! When did you open and what's changed since then?
What the Rock?! is a hip and unique rock and roll boutique. We are a small store in the vibrant arts district of Columbus, Ohio. We opened in 2006, and we have grown from selling mostly rock tee shirts and baby onesies and some novelties to the wider selection of products we have now. We still carry rock t-shirts and baby onesies, but our baby section has expanded and we now have bibs, baby bowls, plates and teethers, books, lullaby cds, booties...all rock and roll related or edgy in some way. We also sell musician's needs like guitar strings, straps, slides, small rhythm instruments, harmonicas, tuners, etc; skulls and bones and a few oddities, Day of the Dead figurines from Mexico, a lot of handmade jewelry (I am also a jewelry designer and sell my stuff in the shop). Books, especially funny books, coloring books, and rock and roll coffee table books are also big sellers. Socks, hats, wallets and purses are popular items as well. Patches, stickers and buttons round out the selection. It is always changing, we like to add new things to keep people coming back. Some new things added this year are vintage rock posters and rockabilly and pinup dresses (from Sourpuss) We just want people to have fun shopping here and to find things they won't find anywhere else.
We try to sell as many locally made products that fit our niche as we can. We have rock and roll comics, zombie and Day of the Dead gnomes, Ohio t-shirts, rock and roll rosaries, and custom hand painted denim pieces all made here in Columbus. We also rotate our window displays to have a different artist design and/or display their pieces in the window each month. Over Christmas, we had a rock and roll Ramones window done by local artist Bryan Grey that people really loved.
What has changed also is that we are doing a lot more festivals each year...taking our store on the road. We do rock festivals like Rock on the Range, Riot Fest, Louder Than Life, and local festivals like Comfest, Food Truck Festival, Independent's Day, and craft shows like Craftin Outlaws and Craftacular.
What did you do before you did this?
Before this I did mostly retail jobs...record store, bead store, smoke shop, and I worked in botanical garden.
What's the best part about your job?
The best part about my job is that I am my own boss and I can do whatever I want. And that I get to make and sell my jewelry designs and other crafty things I make.and I have met a ton of cool musicians, crafters and artists through the store. There are a ton of creative and cool people that live here.
What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Do you ever go to North Market or Surly Girl?
Well, usually I bring my own lunch, since I am usually working by myself, but I do enjoy the local restaurants from time to time. My favorite places are Tasi Cafe...I love their mac and cheese, Piece of Cake Bakery...they have incredible breakfast muffins and bacon and egg tarts, and Press Grill...they have yummy little burgers and pizza with colby cheese on it! They are always opening new places...so there are a lot I want to try.
The North Market is great, I go there when friends are visiting from out of town. It's at the other end of the district, so I don't usually go for lunch. There is a Polish place there--Herbert's that has delicious peirogis, Omega Artisna Bakery has incredible bread, and Nida's Sushi is fantastic. And of course, Jeni's Ice Cream for dessert.
And I love Surly Girl..it's just a block from the shop, so we have spent many nights there, getting drinks and dinner. They have great infused vodka drinks and craft beers. Their bacon, avocado, chorizo pizza is delicious. And it's just got a cool vintage brothel/gothic/pin up vibe.
What is the most important appliance in your home?
Probably the refrigerator.
Do you have any irrational fears?
Hmmm....I don't much care for earwigs and centipedes, even though they will not harm me.
Do you like Sci-Fi movies?
…eh, not really.
Have you ever swam with dolphins?
No, but I would love to. I would love to swim with turtles too.
What are you most excited about in the coming months?
I am most excited about seeing Sleater Kinney in Pittsburgh in March. Lizzo is going to open up. It is going to kick so much ass! They are my favorite band, mike and I have seen them at least 6 times. We drove 11 hours to see them in Portland (from Fort Bragg, CA) for their final show in 2006.
What the Rock?! is excited to be doing more concert vending this year. We are going to apply to Carolina Rebellion in North Carolina, , Shaky Knees in Atlanta, Riot Fest in Chicago, and Bunbury in Cincinnati. We also got a new black kitten, so that's always fun!
Where is your shop located?
Our address is 1194 N High St. columbus, OH 43201
Website:www.whattherock.comInstagram:http://instagram.com/whattherockTwitter:https://twitter.com/whattherockFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/whattherockboutique
Who are you? What is your job title at What The Rock?! ?
My name is Heather Ziegler and I am one of the owners of What the Rock?! The other owner is my husband, Mike Renner.
Tell us more about What The Rock?! When did you open and what's changed since then?
What the Rock?! is a hip and unique rock and roll boutique. We are a small store in the vibrant arts district of Columbus, Ohio. We opened in 2006, and we have grown from selling mostly rock tee shirts and baby onesies and some novelties to the wider selection of products we have now. We still carry rock t-shirts and baby onesies, but our baby section has expanded and we now have bibs, baby bowls, plates and teethers, books, lullaby cds, booties...all rock and roll related or edgy in some way. We also sell musician's needs like guitar strings, straps, slides, small rhythm instruments, harmonicas, tuners, etc; skulls and bones and a few oddities, Day of the Dead figurines from Mexico, a lot of handmade jewelry (I am also a jewelry designer and sell my stuff in the shop). Books, especially funny books, coloring books, and rock and roll coffee table books are also big sellers. Socks, hats, wallets and purses are popular items as well. Patches, stickers and buttons round out the selection. It is always changing, we like to add new things to keep people coming back. Some new things added this year are vintage rock posters and rockabilly and pinup dresses (from Sourpuss) We just want people to have fun shopping here and to find things they won't find anywhere else.
We try to sell as many locally made products that fit our niche as we can. We have rock and roll comics, zombie and Day of the Dead gnomes, Ohio t-shirts, rock and roll rosaries, and custom hand painted denim pieces all made here in Columbus. We also rotate our window displays to have a different artist design and/or display their pieces in the window each month. Over Christmas, we had a rock and roll Ramones window done by local artist Bryan Grey that people really loved.
What has changed also is that we are doing a lot more festivals each year...taking our store on the road. We do rock festivals like Rock on the Range, Riot Fest, Louder Than Life, and local festivals like Comfest, Food Truck Festival, Independent's Day, and craft shows like Craftin Outlaws and Craftacular.
What did you do before you did this?
Before this I did mostly retail jobs...record store, bead store, smoke shop, and I worked in botanical garden.
What's the best part about your job?
The best part about my job is that I am my own boss and I can do whatever I want. And that I get to make and sell my jewelry designs and other crafty things I make.and I have met a ton of cool musicians, crafters and artists through the store. There are a ton of creative and cool people that live here.
What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Do you ever go to North Market or Surly Girl?
Well, usually I bring my own lunch, since I am usually working by myself, but I do enjoy the local restaurants from time to time. My favorite places are Tasi Cafe...I love their mac and cheese, Piece of Cake Bakery...they have incredible breakfast muffins and bacon and egg tarts, and Press Grill...they have yummy little burgers and pizza with colby cheese on it! They are always opening new places...so there are a lot I want to try.
The North Market is great, I go there when friends are visiting from out of town. It's at the other end of the district, so I don't usually go for lunch. There is a Polish place there--Herbert's that has delicious peirogis, Omega Artisna Bakery has incredible bread, and Nida's Sushi is fantastic. And of course, Jeni's Ice Cream for dessert.
And I love Surly Girl..it's just a block from the shop, so we have spent many nights there, getting drinks and dinner. They have great infused vodka drinks and craft beers. Their bacon, avocado, chorizo pizza is delicious. And it's just got a cool vintage brothel/gothic/pin up vibe.
What is the most important appliance in your home?
Probably the refrigerator.
Do you have any irrational fears?
Hmmm....I don't much care for earwigs and centipedes, even though they will not harm me.
Do you like Sci-Fi movies?
…eh, not really.
Have you ever swam with dolphins?
No, but I would love to. I would love to swim with turtles too.
What are you most excited about in the coming months?
I am most excited about seeing Sleater Kinney in Pittsburgh in March. Lizzo is going to open up. It is going to kick so much ass! They are my favorite band, mike and I have seen them at least 6 times. We drove 11 hours to see them in Portland (from Fort Bragg, CA) for their final show in 2006.
What the Rock?! is excited to be doing more concert vending this year. We are going to apply to Carolina Rebellion in North Carolina, , Shaky Knees in Atlanta, Riot Fest in Chicago, and Bunbury in Cincinnati. We also got a new black kitten, so that's always fun!
Where is your shop located?
Our address is 1194 N High St. columbus, OH 43201
Website: www.whattherock.com
Instagram: http://instagram.com/whattherock
Twitter: https://twitter.com/whattherock
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whattherockboutique
