Conversations with Buffy Stenger

Today we’d like to introduce you to Buffy Stenger.

Hi Buffy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I moved to the desert from Silverlake four years ago looking for inspiration and a slower life. I found both those in Joshua Tree and so much more. I felt Rooted to the land and community in the desert. I shifted my intentions to living an Earth based life full of natural materials, nature and sustainability. Upon this shift I took my vintage Etsy store to a few local pop ups and then opened a brick and mortar with a business partner and eventually ended up finding my purpose as the shop owner and creator of Rooted. It’s a fusion of fashion in the highest vibrational, natural materials that are given new lives and new looks as they’re recreated into new pieces with history instead of landfill bound pieces they once were. I dye, sew, crop, cut, paint…you name- I’ve done it. Rooted itself is like an art gallery, located in the Earthaus plaster showroom and with installations from Nicholas Holmes of Solstice Eco-Building Supplies. When you walk into the space everything is handcrafted with intention and the courtyard connects you to nature. There is even a rescue tortoise habitat in the courtyard. I named the shop Rooted as its exactly what I felt here in Joshua Tree and the vessel that now holds the shop.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The most challenging part of Rooted is finding the balance. I strive to make most the pieces, or remake most the pieces in the shop myself or with my mom, Patti Stenger’s help. But I have found being the only in store employee doesn’t allow for all the sew and create time I was used to in the past. So I’ve learned to integrate slow fashion brands that reflect the intentional, Earth centered values of the shop. And I’ve learned to ask my mom for help and let go a lot of the sewing control and see where she takes it. It’s been an exciting and inspiring process. There is so much to learn in the challenges and I’m so grateful to have a community of support around Rooted.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
The number one thing customers share with me upon entering the space is “This shop has such a clear point of view” and to me that’s the biggest compliment and speaks volumes to my vision and energy. I have been purchasing landfill bound clothes and palettes for years and repurposing them in all shapes and forms. I take all the natural materials I can save. I dye, mend, rework, reimagine so many pieces into things that are timeless and continual. Right now my most popular items are the crochet skirts my mother and I make. I’m wearing one in the photos. They’re all repurposed from vintage tablecloths or knits that had tears and holes or stains and made into beautiful keepsake skirts. I receive so much validation and joy in watching customers fall in love with their Rooted pieces and seeing the emotion on their face when they walk into the shop for the first time. There are no English words to describe that amount of pleasure.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rootedjoshuatree?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr