Anthony Butts has traveled up and down the Central Valley to scour estate sales, flea markets and just about any place that sells used goods. But for him to pull out his wallet, there is one thing he considers above all.

“More often than not, if I haven’t seen it before or if I think it’s just cool, I want to buy it.”

Butts’ sharp eye and fascination with the weird and wild is on full display in the heart of downtown Turlock with his shop, Modern Living Vintage.

Located at 227 E. Main St., Butts’ space is shared with a pair of close friends, rock and crystal dealer Megan Burk and vinyl records enthusiast Scotty Johnston. Hanging above the front floor is a hand painted wooden sign that reads: ROCKS, RECORDS, RETRO, a sign that his significant other saw in a dream. Together, the trio has made true on that statement, curating 3,200 square feet of gems — literally and figuratively, whether it’s an actual stone sourced from halfway across the globe, a rare copy of an album that dominated the charts decades before, or collectible figurines.

And even with some minimal exposure in the media, word of his shop has been spreading like wildfire. 

“It’s not an antique store, because not everything is old. There’s just some really unique stuff that you really can’t find anywhere else, and people are really interested in all the wild stuff,” Butts said.

This past week, some items that Butts put on the shelves included a custom Iron Man mask, handmade heads of horror movie characters, rare (and oddly shaped) drinking glasses, a leather elephant sculpture and mid-century paintings. He also has racks of graphic and Hawaiian shirts, which he says have been selling like hotcakes.

Johnston, who business is CV (Central Valley) Records, has dozens of records on display on the back wall of the space, and below them, boxes on top of boxes on top of boxes of records for the music heads to sift through. Most are sorted by artist, which may make the search for a grail much more convenient. There is also a listening station for customers to test out the quality of a record before they decide to purchase. He also offers cassette tapes and books.

Burk, meanwhile, has a carefully curated display of rocks and assortments for her business, Moon Child Crystal Shop. Some of the most popular items include high quality sterling silver, crystals and jewelry like bracelets. There is equal demand for carved pieces as there are for specimens.

Butts has been a dealer in vintage items for nearly a decade, setting up spots in antique malls across the Valley. 

“It began with mid-century furniture. I mean, I sold my Volkswagen R32 to buy a minivan,” Butts said. “I never in my life thought that I would do that, but I bought the minivan, flipped the seats full down, and I started buying furniture. I drove that minivan everywhere.

“Aside from that, it’s not antiques. My real passion is for stuff like toys and vintage stuff, cool stuff from when I was a kid.”

He eventually opened his own small shop in downtown Merced, which operated for six years.  Burk soon opened her first Moon Child shop three doors down from the original Modern Living location in downtown Merced, her hometown. A former corrections officer, she quickly discovered that she could support herself with her own small business, as there has been a rise in popularity in rocks.

“Covid had just ended when I opened up my Merced shop, so what I found was that people were looking for alternative ways to heal, and I thought that it was the perfect time to open a shop and share what I loved,” she said.

Burk has wholesalers across the globe, and each of her partners ethically source their rocks, which means there is no forced labor involved in their acquisition. Even with the industry booming, Burke realizes it is still very niche, and she is always happy to teach curious customers.

“I'll be honest, my community in Merced has been amazing,” Burk said. “But I was ready to grow, wanted to open a second business, and I was really drawn to Turlock.  Downtown Turlock is magical, and it's really like a Hallmark movie, especially during Christmas. The community is so amazing here, they really go to bat for their small businesses. I love it so much.”

It was Burk that urged Butts to begin exploring opportunities in Turlock, and it wasn’t long before they made the jump. In February, the trio moved into the empty space at 125 S. Center St., the former home of the Trinkets To Treasures antique shop, home décor shop Dezignz, and A Twist of Elegance Boutique.

But after a couple of months, despite success, Butts was intrigued by Main Street, particularly the space at the 227 address where his business currently resides. It was being used as a storage space for neighboring small business and downtown staple Rustic Roots. Later, the space was cleared, and the renovation began.

Since moving from Center to Main, Butts said he has seen the number of customers triple for his one-stop-shop for everything “groovy.”

“This has been the best,” Butts said. “I mean, for the three of us, it has been amazing. It's been a ride. And every month here has gotten busier, even in July which is supposed to be one of the slower months. You can’t ask for better.”

The shop opens daily at 10 a.m. and stays open till 6 p.m. from Mondays to Saturdays, and closes at 4 p.m. on Sundays.