Photo by Ron Burkett.
Marsha Ann Jones, manager of River Rat in Trussville.
From grilling spices to outdoor kitchens, throw pillows to wall decor, patio furniture to bed swings, Trussville’s new River Rat boutique aims to offer everything needed to enjoy outdoor living.
The inspiration for the store’s concept was born out of owner Renee Davis’ need to decorate her own lake home upon relocating from Trussville to Pell City. Recognizing that others establishing lake homes were likely in the same boat, Davis opened River Rat’s Pell City location in April 2015.
When given the opportunity to expand with a second location in Trussville’s downtown district in March 2019, Davis eagerly accepted.
Marsha Ann Jones serves as manager of both locations and noted how warmly they’ve been welcomed into Trussville by other businesses and customers.
“Barnett’s Furniture posted a picture of our window on their Facebook and encouraged their followers to come check us out, which was just so nice of them,” Jones said.
“And all of the customers that come in here say how they just love the store and they’ve never seen anything like it in Trussville,” she added.
Jones noted that the Meissenburg Designs wall decor and other lake signs have been popular among shoppers, much of which can be custom ordered.
“Our wall decor has been the most popular because it’s so unique. And we carry a lot of unique signage that have lake maps that are not just for Logan Martin. We do Smith Lake, Lake Martin and Guntersville. We have some vendors that will customize the signage to the coordinates of where you’re located on the lake,” she said.
The outdoor furniture selection includes many styles and materials, such as the rockers, gliders and swing beds handmade by a man in Tuscumbia. “We carry lots of different types of outdoor furniture such as metal, cypress, teak and red cedar. We also carry some unique items that are ordered from a vendor who makes things out of repurposed wood,” Jones said.
Jones reported having multiple repeat customers in Trussville purchasing Rodney’s barbecue sauces and marinades.
“We sell a Boucan pepper glaze that you make a dip out of. It’s been one of our very popular items because people had already been purchasing it online, and now that they found out they can get it local, they come in here and get it.”
Other popular seasoning brands available include Raven’s Nest, Stonewall Kitchens, Woodford Reserve and River Rat’s own line of spices and rubs.
In conjunction with the Pell City location, River Rat carries the full line of Green Egg Cookers, Golden’s cast iron cookware, pellet grills from Smokin Brothers and Green Mountain, as well as grilling accessories.
“We carry a vertical line of smokers by Pit Boss that are awesome. I have one myself,” Jones said.
River Rat also offers outdoor kitchen design and construction. “We do the concrete counter tops and pergolas. We do all of the installation of the components to make the kitchen customizable to their needs from the grills to refrigerators to the sink — the whole nine yards,” Jones said.
The Trussville location is at 107 Chalkville Road and is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Follow “River Rat Trussville Location” on Facebook for inventory updates and merchandise previews. Purchases can also be made through the store’s website at riverratal.com. Call 508-3878 for more information.
