When Justin Brady left a decade-long career in finance, he wasn’t certain where he’d land. Today, Brady is the owner of Rust and Salt, a Portsmouth-based retail distributor and direct-to-consumer company on track to surpass $10 million in annual revenue in 2026.
The company operates out of a renovated warehouse once part of the Portsmouth Paper Company that it calls The Hidden Outlet. From the outside, the building is unassuming. Inside, visitors find a clean, well-stocked retail space with footwear and outdoor apparel.
Rust and Salt is the exclusive U.S. distributor for European brands Duckfeet footwear, Craghoppers USA apparel, and Green Comfort slippers. Hidden Outlet serves as a community-facing storefront and a strategic sales channel, offering surplus, samples, and past-season inventory at accessible prices.
“What started as a small, mom-and-pop operation with a very Q4 mentality has grown up,” Brady says of switching from a reactionary mindset to a more strategic outlook. “We reached a point where we needed more structure and discipline.” Founded in 2014, the business began with a slipper brand before finding traction with Duckfeet, a Danish footwear line known for its unmistakable look that is wider at the toes. “People either really love it or it’s not for them. That uniqueness has turned out to be a competitive moat,” Brady says.
Rust and Salt expanded in 2024 with Craghoppers, a UK-based outdoor apparel brand known for technical fabrics and insect-repellent clothing, following a partnership with industry veteran Dennis Randall, now the company’s president. Green Comfort slippers followed, performing particularly well online.
Direct-to-consumer e-commerce remains the core focus. “When you’re selling direct, you’ve got more margin to work with,” Brady says. That approach is paying off. The company grew roughly 20% in 2025 and Brady expects similar growth this year. The team now numbers 14, with more hires planned.
Brady’s path to entrepreneurship was anything but linear. After leaving finance, he briefly enrolled in nursing school before realizing he missed the business world. “I’m a problem solver by nature,” he says. “Early on, I was doing photography, ads, shipping systems, whatever needed to be done.”
That hands-on mindset continues to propel Rust and Salt’s growth. “It’s the power of multi-brands, multi-channels,” Brady says. “It makes growth a lot more achievable with what we already have.”
