Stellar Human opens new downtown Binghamton store

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — La Rue Simmons has turned a passion for thrifting and an eye for vintage apparel into a growing small business that recently moved into a new downtown Binghamton location. Stellar Human is a vintage-focused store that is focused on bringing fashion to people while also promoting connections. “Our main mission is to cultivate culture and community,” Simmons says. Prior to opening the business, Simmons worked with youth in a children’s home but found himself struggling during the pandemic. “I had been thrifting my personal wardrobe for quite some time,” he says. However, while shopping for himself, he would always find pieces he knew would look great on friends and family members. Simmons’ ability to curate styles for others led him, on a whim, into looking into some retail space available for lease and, in February 2021, Stellar Human opened on Robinson Street on Binghamton’s east side. The business originally started as more of a thrift store, but as his eye grew sharper, Simmons transitioned to a vintage focus with higher price points. Vintage, when it comes to fashion, includes anything 20 years or older. The name for the business, Stellar Human, came from a phrase Simmons, who is now more than six years sober, heard during an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting that just resonated with him. It aptly represents the three pillars of his business which are fashion, music, and human connection. In his original location, which included 1,500 square feet of retail space and 1,500 square feet of warehouse space, Simmons not only operated his retail store, but also organized market days and hosted musical and other events. He plans to continue those efforts in his new location at 159 Washington St. in downtown Binghamton. Simmons will soon start a regular outdoor market in the courtyard next to his building. He is already holding monthly hip hop showcases and has plans for other events like a poetry workshop. The space, at 1,400 square feet, is smaller than his old spot, but in a better location that has more foot traffic and is easily accessible, Simmons says. “It feels big because the ceilings are about 15-feet high,” he says. The building was once home to Ellis Brothers Furniture, and the vibe just feels right being in a historic space, he adds. The new location has already attracted new customers. “I get a lot of young professionals that pop in on their lunch hour,” Simmons says, adding that the store also attracts college students from nearby student housing. To build his inventory, Simmons goes thrifting, attends estate sales, and works with connections he has made over the years with people who do clean outs and estate sales. Fashion has always been a cyclical industry, so trends that were popular in the past are finding their time in the spotlight again, he notes. Things that are staples are always going to come back,” Simmons adds. Whether it’s from the rising cost of new garments or a desire to be more sustainable, there is a growing interest in secondhand items, especially those that are unique and of good quality, Simmons says. “I have pieces from the 1950s all the way up to now,” he notes. “Because those aren’t being made anymore, they’re unique and they’re rare.” Stellar Human carries masculine and feminine casual clothing, including outerwear, as well as a small selection of shoes. Simmons hopes to grow his shoe inventory and add accessories in the future. “I like to think that I have something for everybody.”