Whither the vintage retailer?

[tonyb]

During a recent visit to Seattle's Fremont district I was a bit disappointed to see that Deluxe Junk, a long-established antique/vintage store, was no longer. A vintage clothier called Private Screenings, which had been just a few steps away, went away a couple of years ago. (I was told by the Deluxe Junk proprietor that his neighbor's demise was due to a dramatic rent increase.)

That's Atomic, a vintage shop on Seattle's Capitol Hill, has been gone for awhile now.

Down in Olympia, Wash., where I was dragged kicking and screaming nearly eight years ago (time flies), there used to be, in the downtown district, two vintage clothiers, a couple-three or four antique/vintage furniture stores, and, for about a year, a store that specialized in mid-century modernist furniture and the like. Now a couple of the antique shops are no longer. We're down to one store that carries some vintage clothing, along with new inventory. There's also a store that sells used furniture, but to call it a "vintage" dealer might be misleading.

Meanwhile, I've noticed escalating prices at the (so-called?) thrift stores, especially on items that might be considered "vintage."

I'm uncertain as to what all of this might be attributed. It appears that vintage attire and home furnishings haven't lost their appeal. If anything, old stuff seems more and more popular all the time. I'm left wondering that if in this online world the hassle and expense of a bricks-and-mortar store can't be justified. You know, maybe the shops were turning a profit, but not enough of one to warrant the rent and hours and the headaches that come with dealing with whoever drags him- or herself through the door, especially when the same swag can be sold on eBay or Etsy or on one's own stand-alone website, at 1:27 a.m., while sipping a cup of coffee in one's shorts.

This is not to suggest that online sales don't present their own headaches, but knowing people who have operated marginally profitable specialty retail stores ("real" stores, not online ones), and who just grew tired of seeing their employees make more money off the operation than they ever did, well, the temptation to just pack it in and try the online thing would seem hard to resist.

My fear for the online vintage peddlers is that they'll find it increasingly difficult to find inventory at a price that allows for enough markup to make it worthwhile, what with the escalating prices at the thrift shops and with no retail store a would-be seller might visit.

Thoughts?

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

The local vintage shop that carried in men's items closed last year. He found it easier to sell online and go to estate sales. As it was a one person shop an estate sales are held on Saturdays. He said goodwill and the like where useless for finding vintage as staff takes any vintage and sale the stuff online. An from stopping at the Goodwill shop near my house he is right.


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[tonyb]

Yeah, we've been seeing a whole lot more of that kinda action from the thrift shops -- selling the best stuff online. We've riffed on that (mostly) unfortunate phenomenon some already. Still, some good stuff still finds its way to the sales floor.

I've never begrudged a specialty retailer his or her large markup (not that I'd necessarily pay it, though). Most such businesses go under, and I trust that most people who go into such ventures do so knowing the unfavorable odds of their long-term viability. So I appreciate those folks willing to give it a go, and it saddens to see yet another such enterprise fold its tent. And I wish them well in whatever steps they take next.

 

[Touchofevil]

Too many such shops here and nearby seem to either go out of business or shift to online. We at the TOE household miss the the ability to mull about and explore these businesses. Unfortunately, the world of such specialty items seems to be short lived in the brick and mortar mold and transitioning to the world of online.

 

[dr greg]

The op-shops as we call them here, have totally destroyed the vintage shops, and they go so far as importing 2nd hand clothes from the USA, which they sell in direct competition with vintage retail stores, but since they pay no tax, and have all volunteers as floor staff, they are winning the battle, it ain't right. but it's legal, as are the huge salaries the directors and board members of these " charities" pay themselves.

 

[tonyb]

I've already b#*ched and moaned in other threads about the once all-volunteer staffed little thrift shops that now have "professional" managers who appear to be of the belief that earning their keep means assigning astronomical prices to the merchandise.

Seeing how the merchandise is donated, and how the space rents are often well below market (a tax deductible loss for the property owner), and how much if not all of the remaining staff is volunteer, well, it could be darned hard for a vintage shop to compete.