Jared Chen/Staff Photographer Owner LaRue Simmons fosters community through giving his customer’s stylistic advice and organizing music shows.
Close

Stellar Human, one of Binghamton’s unique vintage stores, is a must-see. Located at 128 Robinson St. in Binghamton’s East Side, the boutique encourages those from small towns to explore their sense of style.

LaRue Simmons, the 39-year-old owner and founder of Stellar Human, was inspired to open this store after hearing the term “stellar human” in his early sobriety. Simmons is now six years sober, describing how Stellar Human is not just a vintage store but a philosophy.

“What it’s come to represent is always wanting to improve,” Simmons said. “Our goal as humans, I think, should be to become the best versions of ourselves — each day waking up and wanting to be better and just, you know, improve.”

Not having had any previous experience owning and running his own business, Simmons ran into obstacles when opening Stellar Human. It began as a thrift store and later shifted toward selling primarily vintage clothing, which drove away a few customers. He also found the store’s location to be out of the way. However, Simmons, overcoming these obstacles, will be moving his store downtown within the next month to cater to a wider range of customers.

Simmons also found it hard to reach community members in Binghamton who understood the work he was trying to do and were interested in vintage pieces. Though this was frustrating, he believes customers will find him, and for this reason, he works tirelessly to build a community around Stellar Human.

“One of my favorite things that I’ve been able to do with the events that I do here is bridge the gap between the student community and the local community,” Simmons said. “I think that there was — and I think still kind of is — a disconnect between the two, unfortunately.”

He added that through events like music shows, he seeks to bridge the gap between the two. Priding himself on his ability to style pieces and help customers, Simmons described his success with the Japanese principle of “Ikigai,” which emphasizes meaning in everyday experiences over solely professional success.

“I’ve never felt more of my purpose than when I’m up here, with a customer and helping them find something,” Simmons said.

Stellar Human has a comfortable, citylike feel with its vintage posters, records, couches and instruments. Every piece is carefully curated and everything in the store is repurposed, from the clothing to the sports cards used as tags on the clothing. Simmons added that he wants Stellar Human to feel like a welcoming space for anyone to enjoy.

“I’ve had the pleasure of having people come in and tell me that they feel the things that I envisioned people to feel like,” Simmons said. “I’ve had people come in and say, you know, ‘I feel safe. I feel welcome.’ And, a lot of spots you go into, it feels a little cold. You feel like you’re walking into a store. I want you to come in and be like, you are walking into your homie’s closet kind of thing, you know? I think the experience is above all, the main thing.”

“I’m just like a creative who stumbled into owning a business,” Simmons added.