About Us

Apt.One has been decades in the making. Nearly 35 years ago, Jess Rooney, the shop’s founder and curator, moved to a small apartment in a rural Vermont town with her mom and sister. Despite the scarcity of resources and disposable income, Rooney’s mom curated that special space, called Apartment Number One, with care and creativity. Many years later, dazzled by the world of women-owned small retail spaces in early-aughts Brooklyn, Rooney dreamed of one day opening a place of her own filled with pretty things. 

These formative experiences, along with the endless inspiration she draws from the queer community, artists in her life, the natural world, nostalgia, other female founders, her family, and all the cool kids around town, shape Rooney’s approach to the physical space in Western Mass. and the way she works with clients. 

At Apt.One, pieces from small indie designers live side-by-side with curated resale. This includes apparel, accessories, home objects, body products, and Little.Ones, the most recent addition for the bambini in our lives. Our racks and site are ungendered, and we strive to be size-inclusive. This is the way Rooney thinks about dressing herself, her besties, her loved ones, and all the clients who have helped us launch and continue to support this ambitious and homegrown project.

Thank you for being here and telling everyone you know about us;)

XO,

Apt.Ones