Lisa Ezra, Nederland. A sweet, vintage, (two-dollar!) Lynyrd Skynyrd shirt caught my eye as I made my way down 2nd Street one lovely afternoon. A veteran thrifter, I pulled over quickly to see what other magic this place might hold. Having only recently returned to town, I was thrilled to find Greg’s Empire of Dirt housed in the old Nederland Feed and Supply Store building, and the feeling only heightened as I perused everything from records to roller skates within.
Greg’s Empire of Dirt opened its doors in April after nearly a year in the making. The name derives from a Johnny Cash cover of a Nine Inch Nails song, which incidentally serves as a fair representation of the aesthetic: a little bit outlaw, a little bit underground, and a whole lot of rock and roll. Specializing in vintage records and video games, the shop also sells antiques of all kinds, clothes, and - rather notably - used building materials, giving the mountain community a welcome alternative to the traditional hardware store.
Young proprietor Greg Johnson and extra-adorable store-mascot-pup, Chuck Norris, packed up his sellable wares last summer and followed his heart from Vermont to Colorado, where he scouted the perfect place to set up shop. He fell in love with this mountain community and continues to be supported by it; a large part of his inventory comes from neighborly donations. However, it’s Greg’s eye for good vintage that makes the shop special. The records are his passion in particular, and he has made an impressive four trips back to New Jersey in this year alone simply to source them. If vinyl is your thing, Greg’s Empire of Dirt delivers. I could have thumbed through his (3000+) albums all afternoon; each one was better than the last.
After purchasing my shirt and a high-quality John Deere toy tractor for my son (only five dollars!), Johnson told me to keep an eye out for a tent sale in the near future, and potentially for welding classes later in the year. I smiled, thinking what a perfect fit he was for this town, and looking forward to returning.
Empire of Dirt is open
Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. at
115 E. 2nd Street, Nederland.
(Originally published in the August 29, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)
