Your grandmother probably called it antiquity. People often refer to this as just vintage shopping these days. It is where what was once old is made new again, and sometimes at a high price.
Barry McCary owns Dated Faded and Worn, a vintage store that opened in Deep Ellum a year and four months ago.
“You just can’t redo it. As much as people try, it’s what’s happening right now,” McCary said. “You can’t find quality like this anymore.”
Dated, Faded and Worn, a little lettering game for DFW, has seen a surge in business since it opened. Some items cost much more than “thrift store” prices.
“The Ice Cube rap shirt. As this is one of the originals. I can say that I paid $3,000 four years ago for it. Now? It’s worth about $4,500. But that’s what people are doing right now. It’s like owning a piece of history that’s actually quality,” McCary said.
McCary knows he hasn’t invented a new concept. He got into the business seven years ago, starting out in the sneaker game. He has learned to capitalize on a business driven by different generations.
Alexandrea Cohen, owner of Dallas-based Styled By Cohen, agreed.
“We see so much fast fashion these days. You see the same thing all the time. Many times it seems that you can’t find things that are original. So people want something unique and that stands out that not everyone else has,” Cohen said.
Cohen said she encourages her clients to embrace vintage and that it doesn’t have to be expensive.
“I tell my clients to look in their closet. Look what they haven’t used in years. They can match that old t-shirt with a new blazer. Or even find some old-school jeans that they can pair with a different top,” she said.
Vintage is generally defined as something that is 20 years old or older.
Ecommerce site Shopify reports that the resale market is growing 11 times faster than traditional retail now and that number is expected to double in the next five years. Cohen said much of that growth is being driven by sustainability-conscious consumers. Ironically, many of them belong to Generation Z (born in the mid to late 1990s to the early 2010s).
McCary said that’s part of the appeal for him. See how the new school and the old school merge.
“I wanted to take people into a time travel setting and I love it when parents come with their kids and this becomes something they do together,” McCary said.
Source: news.google.com