ROCKLAND — It’s about time that Curator, the new men’s consignment shop in downtown Rockland, has opened on 383 Main St. Now, the ladies can sit, staring at their phones, bored out of their minds, waiting for their men to finish shopping already!

That scenario is actually pretty unlikely given the cool, Urban Outfitter-like vibe that Curator’s co-owners, Emily Seymour and Benjamin Dorr, have created. They’ve been open since May 24 and business has been going gangbusters. Inside the former Thorndike Creamery space, industrial pipe racks hold high-quality shirts, pants and jackets on wooden hangers from more than 140 consignors they work with. An ornate 1850s mirror salvaged from a Harlem brownstone on the left side of the store is flanked on both sides by hats on shelves, men’s bags and and a whole area dedicated to footwear. Two dressing rooms take up the space behind the counter where the Thorndike Creamery’s kitchen used to be. A library ladder perched atop an old workbench holds belts and other men’s accessories.

“Everybody’s been coming in and saying we’ve needed this for a long time,” said Dorr, who added that his own experience trying to buy good, on-trend clothing in the Midcoast has been a challenge. For many years the only place to get new clothes was Reny’s Department store, J.C. Penney, T.J. Maxx, and used items at Salvation Army and Goodwill—but it’s long been understood that to get the good stuff, you either have to travel to the malls or the hip thrift shops in Bangor and Portland.

“If you go to Goodwill and Salvation Army, you have to wade through so much stuff there to find good, quality clothes,” said Dorr. “We wanted to eliminate the search and just provide the best of the best stuff out there.”

About 95 percent of their inventory consists of slightly worn, but contemporary menswear. About five percent is vintage, the kind of kooky stuff you might find such as a Star Trek:The Next Generation satin jacket or a fugly plaid 1970s shirt only a guy with a great sense of humor could truly pull off.

“We wanted things that were really wearable, stuff you can wear to work and out to dinner,” said Seymour. “So we went with high-quality classic clothes we know men wear around here.”

Given that the couple is in their 30s, one would think that this was just a young man’s store. But in fact, men and women of all ages have been coming in to shop.

“When we first opened we had one gentleman in here probably the age of 85 buying a pair of shoes, while a 17-year-old boy was buying a hat at the same time,” said Seymour. “And we’re here to give them personal service. For example, we had some teens in here for their formal and they were trying on giant baggy suits that made them look like David Byrne of the Talking Heads. We weren’t going to let them go out looking like that and helped them find the right suits for their sizes.”

It’s not just men who shop there. In fact, Seymour estimates that 10 percent of their clientele are women, shopping for 501 Levis boyfriend jeans or men’s shirts that they want to wear themselves.

Much like an old bookstore or record store, Curator has a “Staff Picks” rack, just for people who want to speed shop and see what is the best and quirkiest pieces they have at the moment.

“If you only have five minutes to shop, this is the rack you want to go through,” said Seymour.

Dorr said that while Curator may be fully stocked, they are also actively looking for walk-in consignment items.

The store, although not a gallery, participated in the First Friday art walk of the season with a DJ and an aluminum tub full of beer and wine. It will continue to be open First Fridays throughout the art walk season, and Dorr and Seymour are still considering alternate uses for the space. It could be a hip venue for a small art or music event; as new owners they are open to the possibility.

“We just want people to come in and have an experience that they remember,” said Dorr.

Keep posted to their future events at Curator

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com