‘We ain’t going nowhere’: Towson vintage shop to rebuild after arson attack

It was the big beautiful windows that attracted Trevor Brake to the building at West Chesapeake Avenue and York Road in Towson, where he opened the Rosebud Retro vintage shop in February.

He eventually plastered the words “the best of every decade” and a giddy walking cartoon rosebud on the unique windows.

“When you walk past it, the main entrance is all just large windows that you can look in, you can see the amazing pieces that we have on our racks, you can see our beautiful mannequin, the awesome light-up wall that we have that features our specials and other deals we do throughout the month,” Brake said.

But one of the windows displaying the shop’s name is now boarded up after a man threw a brick through it and set off an explosion earlier this month. It now reads “Rose Ret.”

“Super scary. Super sad that it happened here,” Brake, the co-owner of Rosebud Retro, said in an Instagram post. “But, let me tell you, it’s just a small little step back. We have a lot of amazing things coming.”

Surveillance footage shows a man wearing a large black coat, black fitted pants and gold shoes lurking on West Chesapeake Avenue near Rosebud Retro around 3 a.m. on July 8, according to court documents. The recording shows the man going into a nearby white Chevy Silverado to retrieve a red gas can.

After smashing the window, the man nearly empties a gas can onto the vintage shop’s floor, then grabs a white item from his pocket, lights it on fire and throws it into the store. According to court documents, the fire caused an explosion that blew out one of Rosebud Retro’s oversize windows.

An eyewitness called Baltimore County Police around 3:35 a.m. as smoke filled the store, according to charging documents. Police said investigators found the red gas can on the sidewalk near a tree in front of the store and a gas nozzle about 50 feet away. The department then circulated an image of the man captured on video to officers.

The following night, police arrested Robert Dixon, 38, near the intersection of York Road and Fairmount Avenue after an officer observed him wearing the same clothing as the man in the recording. Dixon was charged with second-degree arson, first-degree malicious burning and destroying property valued at over $1,000, online court documents show.

He was being held without bond and had no attorney listed in online court records. In interviews with police, Dixon denied involvement in the arson, court records show.

Brake told police that he and Dixon got into a verbal altercation on July 7. The shop owner said the man appeared to be homeless and acting “strange,” according to police. The argument stemmed from Brake’s concerns that the man could be stealing, he told officers.

On its website, Rosebud Retro describes itself as environmentally friendly and a “charming co-op space where talented artisans and collectors can showcase their vintage finds and timeless creations.”

Brake told police he estimated the store had incurred about $250,000 in damages. The fire set off the indoor sprinklers, leaving some of the vintage goods damaged by water and fire.

“This clothing is not like the clothing we wear today. So, you can’t just throw it in a big industrial kind of washer and clean it. You have to do special treatment to these kinds of pieces since the fabrics are older,” he said.

Brake said community members, local business owners, the Towson Chamber of Commerce, police and others have reached out to extend their support. Brake, a Towson University senior from Rochester, New York, co-owns the shop with his brother and sister. He said they hope to reopen in two to three weeks.

Just months after showing people the journey of opening this vintage store, Brake has taken to social media to document the relaunch.

The team is in the process of fixing the windows, replacing the bar top where customers check out, and doing “some other fun stuff that’s gonna make the place special and unique that our customers come back and go, ‘I didn’t see that last time, and I’m so glad I got to come back to this amazing place,’” Brake said.

“We ain’t going nowhere,” Brake told his followers online. “Trust me: we’re coming back stronger, better.”