Stephen Montoya
Cortney Marshall and Kyli Moore.
If the Roadrunner Stop co-owners Cortney Marshall and Kyli Moore had to describe their own style choices it would be that of a “maximalist,” one who fills every inch of space with some sort of decor.
Those are sometimes called “clutter bugs,” or even derogatorily known as “hoarders,” but a true maximalist knows how to make a space pop using a mosaic approach to decorating.
This is what The Roadrunner Stop, located at 1455 W. Magnolia Avenue Suite 101, is all about.
Brightly colored furniture rests between pastel painted accent walls, which welcomes kindred maximalists into the this newly revamped store that boasts tons of pop culture-referenced items, such as a coffee mug featuring Mr. T. He presumably pities fools who don’t drink coffee.
A wall of magnetized items adorns the west wall, which also has a freshly painted mural of a roadrunner by local artist Random Direction emblazoned on it.
In addition to offering customers a sundry of items like a pair of sunglasses in the shape of a cat’s eye, or a green chile air freshener, the Roadrunner Stop also has a small selection of bold clothing items, which is just one of the products that put the business on the map via small popups for years.
The brainchild of business partners Marshall and Moore, who are also best buddies, this newly opened retail space started out as a glimmer of an idea during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
“So, when COVID hit, I started an online resale business, but I was looking to get involved doing markets in the community and had zero idea how to do that,” Marshall says.
Stephen Montoya
After doing some research on the local Rock-n-Roll Rummage Sale, Marshall says she spotted a picture of Moore, who was selling wire-wrapped rocks at the time.
“I thought she looked like a nice girl,” Marshall remembers. “So, I slid into her DMs and asked her, if she could help me figure out how to get into markets and things like that.”
Little did Marshall know that Moore had just started doing popups herself, which both women say was kismet. Their first leap of faith came in the form of their very first meeting. Because both were strangers to each other the scenarios of being catfished began swirling in their minds.
“I had actually called my grandma before going to meet Cortney,” Moore says. “I told her I was meeting a stranger and if she didn’t hear back from me, well ... . And then, I called her right back, and I was like, ‘Grandma, I just met my new best friend.’ And we've literally been inseparable since that first meetup.”
With both woman’s visions for a future business on the same level, Marshall and Moore began their retail journey selling wire-wrapped rocks and handmade jewelry. Soon the duo began buying unique items wholesale to augment their inventory.
The name of the business itself comes from Moore, who already had the name set up for her business. Hailing from Animas, New Mexico, Moore took her inspiration for the business' name from the New Mexico state bird. Animus is located in the southwestern part of the state included in the Gadsden Purchase. The Roadrunner also has a cool place in pop culture lore, which is what this store is all about.
“That's how the business grew from not only just handmade stuff, but we always really focus on buying from other small businesses, which is really huge for us,” Marshall says. “That's a big, big deal to us. So, if you're supporting our small business, you're also supporting multiple other small businesses within the U.S.”
A few years after this retail duo went full force into promoting the Roadrunner Stop, they moved into their first brick-and-mortar store on White Settlement Road. However, foot traffic wasn’t what Marshall and Moore were looking for.
“We had to continue doing popups to help supplement our actual store’s cost,” Marshall says. “That’s why having the opportunity to move our place to Magnolia Avenue was such a big deal.”
After putting in four years of working all day every day to get things moving, Marshall and Moore are at a point where they can see their hard work paying off.
“I guess I would say that Kyli and I have always looked to improve constantly,” Marshall says. “Like once we mastered figuring out our handmade stuff, then we did wholesale, then we did smaller markets, then we did bigger markets. I think the thing is, you have to work super, super hard. I know it sounds so cliche, but that’s the truth.”