VINTAGE IS IN VOGUE

BY RADDNNA FIORINI

PHOTOS BY CLAIRE PETKOV

If clothes make the man, or woman, then current trends point to a wave of shoppers returning to their roots and stepping out in the clothes of generations past, choosing apparel that has stood the test of time.

Several locally owned vintage stores have popped up in Lafayette in the last two years, most of them downtown. The young store owners cite sustainability, quality and a disdain for fast fashion as motivating reasons for opening their businesses. Nostalgia also plays a big role for both owners and their customers.

Ella Seet, owner of Arondite Vintage on Columbia Street, has collected costume pieces and interesting clothing since she was a teenager involved in theater. She had a career as a stage actor in New York and worked in fashion merchandising in Chicago, all the while gathering beautiful clothing with a past.

About nine years ago, after moving to the Indianapolis area, she began selling some of her collection on the internet and eventually sold clothing, shoes, purses and costume jewelry at area pop-up markets. In 2023 she opened a store in Lafayette, convinced that college students would be interested in vintage apparel, she says.

Seet’s shop is in the City of Lafayette’s business incubator space at 619 Columbia St., where colorful dresses, pants and jackets from the 1980s, ’90s and what she describes as Y2K (early 2000s) vie for space with silk scarves, hats and shoes, along with a large collection of costume jewelry. Tucked in with items from the last 30 years are even older pieces, such as a pair of bright orange patent leather pumps from the ’60s.

While some people find the thought of wearing other people’s clothes “icky,” Seet believes everyone makes a statement with what they choose to wear, and where they choose to shop.

“I really want to help people understand that we’re connected to everything, and certainly to what we put on our bodies,” she says. “There is an energy attached to what we wear.” She expounded on that idea in a recent Facebook post:

“Vintage goods are not like new goods. They carry history and the hard lessons learned from it, they carry the hopes and triumphs of their previous owners, the inspiration of their designers, and the satisfaction of the people who made them, often by hand. They are alive with possibility. Perhaps for obvious reasons, I find the energy of new items, especially mass-produced ones, to be dull in comparison.”

And many younger people are entranced with the styles, and ethos, of the past. College students make up many of Seet’s customers.

“I’m encouraged by the enthusiasm younger people have for history,” she says. “They grew up with technology and are eager for a time before. And they often are thinking about what we can do to improve our lives and the lives of others.”

While some of Seet’s carefully curated inventory comes from folks who walk in off the street bearing items from their grandmother’s closet, much of it comes from others in the vintage world with whom she has cultivated relationships. She gathers clothing and jewelry from across the country and even from international connections, and loves connecting customers with a special piece that has been waiting for them.

Cody Easter and Kaylee McCandless take the hunt for vintage clothes seriously. Their Main Street shop Rags to Riches is populated with apparel curated from Indiana, but they’ve also gone on cross-country buying trips. The couple opened their store in July 2023, after collecting vintage wares and deciding that finding new homes for old things would be their passionate pursuit.

The couple, who hail from the region and whose families had connections back to their middle school days, are committed to sustainability and promoting environmentally friendly ways of living, says Easter. Decrying the “billions of pounds of clothing” that end up in landfills every year, they search down country roads and out-of-the-way homesteads to bring home vintage gold.

Rags to Riches features lots of Purdue shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, plus concert and band shirts, sweaters, hats and other pop-culture themed apparel. Easter and McCandless are true “pickers,” driving through the country and stopping at farmhouses unannounced, offering to buy from the homeowners. After patrons began asking for western-style shirts, they went picking in several western states, coming home with about 200 pearl-snap shirts for the shop.

Both came from large families and say they grew up with hand-me-downs so have always seen the value in previously worn clothing. Easter points out that the fabric and construction of t-shirts from the ’90s and before is far more durable and comfortable than new clothing being sold today.

“We want to keep clothes alive for as long as we can,” he says. “The older pieces are often from natural fibers and each era has its own feel and fit. We encourage people to find their own era and what complements their body. We can help them do that.”

All clothing that comes into the shop is cleaned on site. Some of the apparel is distressed and carries the wear and tear of a lifetime of use, but Easter believes these pieces have a charm of their own, and some patrons are looking for that kind of authenticity in their wardrobe, he says.

But it’s not just vintage clothing shoppers are seeking. Jordan Taylor and Michael Jaeger offer older video games and consoles, collectible cards and toys, and even VHS tapes and CDs at Vintage Vault, their shop on Wabash Avenue. And the store also fosters community by being a meeting place for gamers.

Taylor opened the shop in August 2023 primarily with clothing, shoes and toys because his private collection had grown large.

“I’ve always had a knack for finding vintage clothes and selling things online,” he says. “I wanted a place that sold vintage but was also a place to hang out and have an experience.”

Jaeger’s private collection of video games and vintage toys also had expanded, and the two men saw an opportunity to combine their efforts, so Jaeger joined Vintage Vault in 2024.

“There’s certainly a nostalgia factor,” Jaeger says. “With vintage even certain smells transport you to your grandpa’s house. I can’t wait to see what comes in the door and then see who comes in and buys it.”

The men search flea markets and thrift stores for merchandise, buy from people who bring things to the shop, and even trade and barter store merchandise to fill the shelves. Vintage Vault specializes in streetwear, sports jerseys and Purdue gear, along with gaming merchandise and collectibles.

Lauren, Dustin and Viktor Miller, who hail from near Lebanon, were recent shoppers at the store, looking for Pokémon cards. All three are collectors and enjoy visiting different brick-and-mortar, locally owned stores in the region.

“It’s fun to see the video games I played as a kid; a real blast from the past,” says Lauren Miller. “I was also surprised by the clothing. I just realized I have money hanging in my closet at home!”

Vintage Vault hosts Pokémon tournaments every other Saturday and encourages people to stop by in the evenings to hang out and connect over games and conversation.

The newest downtown vintage store opened in February, also focusing on sportswear and pop culture. Broken Glass Thrifts, located on the second floor above Artists’ Own on Main Street, is the second store started by Austin Smith and Caleb Kennell. The young men began their vintage enterprise in Rossville after recognizing there were no retail outlets there catering to younger people.

“We’re excited to be in Lafayette now with the college students and the way the downtown is really booming,” says Smith. “Trends from the 1970s through the ʼ90s are coming back and people are interested in second-hand clothing, like the baggy pants that have come back in style.”

The store features a plethora of sports-themed shirts and jackets along with posters, VHS tapes and vinyl. Vintage pop culture is also represented with concert tour t-shirts and memorabilia. Smith acknowledges that vintage merchandise can be expensive, but he says Broken Glass Thrifts is committed to keeping prices affordable while finding new homes for much-loved older apparel.

You don’t have to go downtown to find the classics. Even the local home of fast fashion hosts a vintage store, Yette Thrifts, located at Tippecanoe Mall. Keaton Schreckengast and Brooke Bradford opened the store in August 2023, after Schreckengast’s hobby of collecting ramped up during the pandemic.

“I needed something to do with it, and I love to meet people,” he says. “It’s a lot of fun growing a small business,” adding that he finds merchandise at garage sales, thrift stores and just by offering to buy clothing off someone’s back.

A lot of people are looking for apparel from the ʼ90s because of the nostalgia factor and quality of fabrics, he says. But some of his most prized finds are from much longer ago. His grandmother gave him her senior cords (corduroy pants that were hand-decorated to commemorate a high school or college student’s senior year) from the 1960s, and Schreckengast has since been on the hunt for more, since each pair is unique and tells a story about the original owner.

Yette Thrifts also has a collection of sports memorabilia and artwork, from football to NASCAR merchandise. Carhartt and denim jackets are popular along with wind breakers and jogging suits.

And, by the way, the store name is derived from the last five letters of Schreckengast’s hometown, not from the name of a mythical hairy creature. This playful spirit, love for people and a longing for times past is emblematic of all these store owners. When you stop by to shop, plan to stay awhile and chew the fat about the good old days. ★