Reinventing Goodwill purchases with fashionable paint and horse-shaped sponges was the norm for Andrea Glenn in college. Glenn, the owner of The Rusty Rose, a southern boutique, always found unique ways to channel her creativity into crafty creations, but she never thought she would carry her creativity into starting her own business. What started as weekend sales at home shows, rodeos and festivals, transformed into a successful long-term career.
Glenn, residing in Plainview, Texas, worked for a local chemical company where she gained valuable field experience in corporate sales before establishing her business in 2010.
“I’m one of those people that I think you just have to get out and get experience,” Glenn said. “Real world experience is important.”
Glenn graduated with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications from Texas Tech in 2007. She says the skills she learned through the degree program gave her an advantage in establishing a strong brand for her business. Although technology evolves, Glenn said key skills such as photography, videography, website design, writing and marketing all remain extremely relevant to her business today.
“I think I definitely had an up because of my degree.”
Andrea Glenn
“I think I definitely had an up because of my degree and the classes I took as opposed to somebody that hadn’t,” Glenn said. “There was a lot [of skills] we learned I could really apply and use.”
Glenn said she utilizes the skills she learned from her degree to maintain her website and social media pages. She uses her own equipment to capture photos and update her online platforms to help increase her audience base.
Glenn stressed the importance of marketing. She said it is vital to portraying her brand to her audience members. Glenn’s successful marketing efforts have allowed her business to be featured in magazines.
In 2017, The Rusty Rose was recognized by Forbes Magazine as the winner for Best Paid Marketing. Glenn was recognized for her innovative marketing tactics that used paid and free marketing tools to successfully brand The Rusty Rose with a big online presence.
Forbes Magazine recognizes Andrea Glenn’s paid marketing efforts for her boutique in 2017. 
The Rusty Rose’s trendy fashion helps attract new customers. 
The Rusty Rose was featured in Western Runway’s story, “20 Best of the West Boutiques.”
Glenn’s boutique was also recognized in the 2017 Western Runway Magazine for being a trendsetting business. The Rusty Rose was featured in the international list of the 20 Best of the West Boutiques.
Glenn said she thinks the agricultural communications degree is extremely versatile and provides a wide variety of avenues to pursue.
“With agricultural communications, there’s a lot of different places that you can go and jobs you can get,” Glenn said. “It’s amazing how many people I meet that have like an ag degree and they may be doing something different, kind of like me.”
Andrea Glenn models where customers can wait for a dressing room vacancy. 
The Rusty Rose’s caps reflect western fashion trends. 
Andrea Glenn prepares her display and greets customers as they enter 
As Andrea Glenn’s business expands, her boutique will move into a larger location in Plainview, Texas. 
Earrings and other accessories are very popular at The Rusty Rose.