Veteran keeps vintage clothing mobile

Veteran keeps vintage clothing mobile - pacificsandiego.com

Veteran keeps vintage clothing mobile - pacificsandiego.com
Levi’s Goes Back to the ’50s With Vintage Trucker Jacket & 501 Jeans - Highsnobiety
Vintage is back, but it's pricier | Life - Standard Online

Veteran keeps vintage clothing mobile - pacificsandiego.com

Posted: 15 Apr 2019 07:07 PM PDT

When Pacific Beach resident Eric Brown Jr. stumbled upon a '90s school bus in March, he started to see the vision of owning a vintage clothing store take shape in the vehicle's rearview mirrors.

Growing up, Brown — who was born in San Diego to a military family in 1991 — bounced back and forth from Northeast Ohio to Southern California, completing some of his education in Clairemont Mesa. After high school, Brown enlisted in the Navy and found himself stationed in Seattle.

It was there that his passion for vintage clothing developed. On weekends he would scour thrift stores and sell his finds on eBay for extra cash. When shopping secondhand, the '90s child focused on that decade, a time he thinks some of the most iconic entities in TV, sports, music and fashion were born.

"When I would find cool pieces from the '90s, they would instantly trigger a memory from my childhood and there was a story that always went along with that item," Brown said. "I think that's what makes vintage clothing unique: people feel connected to the items in a way that is deeper than the aesthetics.

Backtrack Vintage — Brown finds his inventory at estate sales, flea markets and swap meets.

Brown decided to turn that passion into a career. He moved back to San Diego in 2016 to study marketing and entrepreneurship, continue running his online shop, and work at Urban Outfitters to learn the larger retail landscape.

The idea to open up his own brick-and-mortar vintage clothing store developed once he graduated college in February. Yet with San Diego's sky-high real estate prices, he hit a wall. So Brown decided to take matters into his own hands and create his own space. He bought a 1994 Ford school bus — previously used as a maintenance vehicle for the Carlsbad School District — and got to work restoring it into a mobile boutique.

"The whole bus from top to bottom was filthy so I spent a lot of man hours cleaning every inch of that 17-foot bus. If the sun was up, I was inside working on it," he said. "Once the bus was clean, I gave the inside a couple of coats of fresh white paint to keep it as bright and open as possible."

Renovation tasks included removing seats and storage structures; leveling out holes and installing wood floors; and building custom racks and shelves. It took four weeks to transform the vehicle into what is now Backtrack Vintage, a mobile boutique offering a large selection of all things '90s.

From garage and estate sales to swap meets and flea markets, Brown finds his inventory just about everywhere. To avoid repetition in the San Diego market, he often travels to states, including Nevada and Ohio, for unique products. Yet his collection's theme is consistent, focusing on high-quality items from his favorite era.

"I like to look for anything that is a pop culture reference: bands, movies, sports teams that dominated the '90s and anything that is vintage Nike," Brown said, adding that he gravitates toward brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren because the designers stand the test of time and offer diversity in their products.

Brown is one of the few veterans to own and operate a fashion boutique in Southern California. During his time in the Navy, Brown said he mastered the art of attention to detail — a talent that's clearly displayed in the intentional set-up of his small space.

"It's not every day you get to shop inside of a school bus, so I want it to be memorable," he said.

For its grand opening, Backtrack Vintage will be stationed in the back parking lot of Vintage Threads and Grails for the store's recurring Pacific Beach Vintage Bazaar, which features various vintage vendors and food options.

After that, the mobile boutique will make its way around the local vintage clothing circuit, including a Creative Collective event in San Marcos on May 4, and Kobey's Vintage and Sneakers Swap Meet in Point Loma on June 1. Brown plans to keep the vehicle moving around the county and shows no signs of slowing down.

So if you're looking for a blast from the past, a trip to this '90s school bus might be in store. For a sneak peek at items lining the racks before its official opening, stalk the shop's Instagram at @backtrack.sd.

P.B. Vintage Bazaar

When: Noon-5 p.m. on April 28

Where: Vintage Bazaar at Vintage Threads and Grails (1031 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach)

Phone: 425.492.4167

Online: instagram.com/backtrack.sd and instagram.com/vtg.bazaar

Levi’s Goes Back to the ’50s With Vintage Trucker Jacket & 501 Jeans - Highsnobiety

Posted: 16 Apr 2019 06:58 PM PDT

At the end of 2017, one of the last selvedge denim producers in the United States, Cone Mills White Oak in Greensboro, North Carolina, closed its doors after 112 years of business. This end of an era also marked the termination of a partnership between Cone Mills White Oak and Levi's. Levi's Vintage Clothing is now celebrating the company's long-standing relationship with the selvedge denim provider with two limited edition pieces.

Levi's Vintage Clothing digs into its archives to breathe new life into the 1953 Type 2 Trucker Jacket and the 1955 501 Jean. The garments are made from six different types of Shrink-to-Fit denim, previously restored by Cone Mills White Oak. This accounts for the first and last time that these six denim fabrics have been used on one piece of clothing.

Limited to 150 pieces each, the 1953 Type 2 Trucker Jacket and the 1955 501 Jean come packaged in a special box crafted from Carolinian White Oak wood.

Staff Writer

Not NYC, not LA.

Vintage is back, but it's pricier | Life - Standard Online

Posted: 15 Apr 2019 08:30 PM PDT

Vintage is back in style, and with over 50 thrift and consignment stores in the Springfield area, there are many hidden gems waiting to be found by shoppers.

Thrifting's popularity has skyrocketed over the past few years, as stores meet the demand for retro trends. Prices in many thrift stores have risen as a result of the growing market for vintage clothing, but this isn't stopping customers from shopping secondhand.

According to the ThredUp 2019 resale report, there are more secondhand shoppers now than ever before — 56 million women bought secondhand products in 2018, up from 44 million in 2017. The secondhand market is expected to continue to grow, reaching $51 billion in 5 years.

Secondhand shopping attracts all ages, but millennials, aged 25 to 37, and baby boomers aged 56 to 65, thrift the most, according to the resale report.

Twenty-seven-year-old Kristi Hillis goes thrifting at least four or five times a week and enjoys customizing houseware and clothing items.

"I look for clothing like 30 percent of the time, but I'm mostly out looking for home decor," Hillis said.

Hillis said retail stores are overpriced and lower quality compared to thrift stores.

"I don't like to buy new stuff when I can go out to thrift shops and find cheaper things that I can buy and redo myself," she said.

Hillis shops around at many of the local thrift stores, but she said her favorites are Red Racks and Goodwill. As a frequent thrift shopper, she's noticed the increase in prices at some thrift stores.

"Thrifting has gotten more popular through the years," Hillis said. "I think this whole vintage comeback is definitely increasing the prices."

Assistant store manager of Red Racks Samantha King said pricing of clothing is based on quality, condition and brand.

"Vintage items will be a little higher than our regular clothes on the red racks, just because the value of it is more expensive," King said. "More people want these items, and they're willing to pay more for them."

King has been an assistant manager at Red Racks for five years and said college students and young people shop at the store frequently.

"I think young people are loving all the vintage stuff," King said. "You can come here and get those one-of-a-kind items that you can't find at Target or the mall."

Red Racks opened a vintage section six months ago located at the front of the store, stocked with brand name clothing items.

King says the vintage section was created to attract younger customers and has been very successful.

"I think a lot of people think that just older people shop here, so creating a section for younger people to target them specifically was really necessary," King said.

Hillis is a big fan of the vintage section and appreciates that Red Racks separates the brand name items from the rest of the clothes.

Hillis said she thinks the vintage section is appropriately priced for a company that's trying to make money.

"Red racks donates to the Disabled American Veterans, so if they charge a little bit more for things I think it's justified," Hillis said.

According to Red Racks' official website, "the proceeds from the sales of donated goods help our country's Disabled American Veterans, providing assistance for transportation, medical needs, counseling, and much more."

Annelise Pinjuv, freshman professional writing major, feels differently about the vintage section of Red Racks.

"I think the vintage section in Red Racks is kind of dumb," Pinjuv said. "(Red Racks) separates the retro stuff, and it takes away the whole fun of thrifting which is digging through all the clothes yourself to find the cool pieces."

Pinjuv said she thinks the clothes in the vintage section are overpriced, but she appreciates the discounts offered at Red Racks.

"A lot of thrift stores do holiday or weekend sales," Pinjuv said. "Red Racks has a point system, which is awesome — you rack up points and get discounts."

Red Racks offers students and teachers a 25 percent off discount on full-priced items on Wednesdays.