Vintage meets contemporary at Circa Now, a Fashion Week MN event
We added vintage finds to the shop this past fall, and we've loved working with local curators and searching for our own unique finds. Giving an item a second life is always a sustainable option, and discovering something that no one else has is the cherry on top.
It's with that in mind that we decided to focus our Fashion Week MN event, Circa Now, on marrying vintage and contemporary fashion. We reached out to some of our favorite local vintage curators, each with a unique point of view, and on Sunday, April 29, we will present a full fashion show followed by a panel discussion about why all of us love vintage. A pop-up shop featuring each the shops involved will follow the panel, and it's all happening at Able Seedhouse + Brewery.
Here's a little about each curator in their own words...
Arc's Value Village
"Arc’s Value Village is the Twin Cities’ best thrift store. Our goal is a great shopping experience. Every day when we open our doors, we give back. For more than 35 years, thanks to shoppers, donors and volunteers, Arc’s Value Village has helped make life better for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.The Arc is a nonprofit organization and as Arc’s Value Village grows, so does our community impact. Our stores provide funding for The Arc Minnesota’s programs that help adults and children with disabilities and our community and we’ve provided over $25 million since we opened in 1982. Our stores are clean, cheerful and well-organized. Our helpful staff is trained to give you the best possible service. At any of our five Arc’s Value Village stores, you’ll find everyday needs as well as treasures and collectibles. With 20,000 items arriving daily, we constantly rotate our stock to ensure a great selection every time you shop."
Arc's Value Village has five locations across the Twin Cities Metro area and offers free personal shopping services. You can follow their lead stylist Michelle Raven on Instagram via @thriftstylist.
Earrings: Minoux Jewelry
Blazer + Tank: Arc's Value Village
Pants: Ozma of California
Shoes: Reike Nen
Arlee Park
"Arlee Park came to life over a loose timeframe of a handful of years. It had always been a dream of ours to open up some sort of shop, but when it came into the realm of possibility we had already ventured into a business we considered our main passion. In 2010, after documenting months of travel together, we made the decision to start Ash & James Photography and have been photographing weddings ever since. Finding time on our hands in the wedding off-season (Hi, winter) and growing a major love for thrifting, we soon began selling some favorite vintage finds on the digital frontier of Etsy. Stepping in front of the nuptial lens for a change, Ashley (Hello!) married Brooks in 2014 and Jamie (Hieee!) wed Alex in 2015. Throughout the wedding planning process, we were visiting thrift stores regularly to hunt for pieces of décor to use for our dinner settings, and it was this that snowballed into the curated collection that started it all at Arlee Park. Fast-forward to the beginning of 2017, where, with guts and glory, we took the brick-and-mortar leap after stumbling upon a retail space we just could not pass up. Gallons of paint and one realized dream later, here we stand.
So what is Arlee Park? Tall tale small, it’s a carefully curated shop that sells nostalgic and modern goods and threads. Nearly everything you see, in-store and online, is sourced secondhand by one or the both of us, and almost all of what is secondhand is vintage. We love vintage for a whole host of reasons, but one of the main ones is that buying vintage drives us to be conscious of our ecological footprint in a material sense. Vintage equals recycled, vintage equals sustainable, and we think that’s pretty great. For Arlee Park, modern comes into play with the hand-selected treasury of pieces made by hardworking makers and doers that we house in shop. Our aim is to show just how vintage and new - nostalgic and modern - can coexist in harmony, anywhere in life. At Arlee Park, you can outfit everything from your bod to your bookshelf to your bar cart with our constantly-changing collection of goods. If you’ve got the space, we’ve got the thing (or something like that).
But now for the good part. Arlee Park is named after our grandmother, Arlene, along with the small threads that tie our maternal lineage together. In the late 50’s, our grandma gave birth to our mother while living in Minneapolis. In 2014, when we both bought our homes on Park Avenue in South Minneapolis, our grandma informed us that she “lived on Lake and Park, you know.” With a small twist on her name and the addition of the street we’ve all called home, we arrived at Arlee Park. We hope you’ll be here soon."
Arlee Park is located near Lake Nokomis in South Minneapolis. You can follow them on Instagram via @arlee_park.
Earrings: Minoux Jewelry
Blazer + Jeans: Arlee Park
Dress: Esby Apparel
Shoes: About Arianne
The Golden Pearl
"We are a clothing and accessories boutique that specializes in men’s and women’s fineries from the 1920’s through the 1990’s. Whether you are looking for a fabulous outfit for your next soirée, some high quality staples for your every day life, or something to reflect your funky, eclectic style, we’ve got you covered! We also offer styling assistance and alterations/mending of your beloved vintage pieces.
Owner Audra Frizzell has a history of being a stylin’ chic. After going to the U of M for Costume Design, she worked for over 10 years in vintage and designer retail as a store associate, stylist, and window dresser. Armed with an excellent eye for style and a dream of opening her own store, she started collecting vintage pieces from around the state and remodeling the space that was to be the store. In January 2016, she opened the doors of The Golden Pearl Vintage."
Golden Pearl is located in Northeast Minneapolis. You can follow them on Instagram via @thegoldenpearlvintage.
Sunglasses: Carla Colour
Belt Bag: Vere Verto
Top: Winsome Goods
Dress: Golden Pearl Vintage
Shoes: About Arianne
THE | KEEP
"Kathryn and Latricia started THE | KEEP to bring a modern aesthetic to vintage clothing. With backgrounds in art, creative direction, and photo-styling their collection of clothing is beautifully curated, contemporary, and timeless. They are experts at finding rare gems and pieces to enhance the modern woman's wardrobe, have an eye for design and fabric, and think that clothing can be the biggest personal outlet for artistic-expression and self-confidence. They believe in sustainability and love to encourage their clients to recycle and reuse AND that the best looks come from mixing the PAST with the PRESENT."
THE | KEEP is shoppable online through their Instagram, @shopthekeep, and pops up all around the Twin Cities.
Earrings: Vintage Hazel & Rose
Blouse: THE | KEEP
Pants: Wray
Shoes: Reike Nen
Moth Oddities
"Hi! Our names are Yana Pietras & Ian O'Neill. We own Moth Oddities, an online shop based in Minneapolis, MN. We specialize in highly-curated vintage fashion for women and men, circa 1950's - 1990's. The Moth Oddities vintage collection is hand-selected all across the USA and Italy.
We strongly believe in the power of recycled fashion and promote the importance of purchasing vintage goods to help reduce the amount of textiles that end up in landfills."
Select Moth Oddities goods can be found at Hazel & Rose and Duke Albert or one of the many pop-ups that Yana and Ian do around the Twin Cities. Yana and Ian will soon be taking Moth Oddities mobile with their new 1986 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, Eleanor! You can follow along with their travels on Instagram via @mothoddities.
Earrings: Minoux Jewelry
Top: Ajaie Alaie
Skirt: Moth Oddities
Shoes: Reike Nen
Tandem Vintage
"Tandem Vintage's hand-picked vintage collection is feminine, whimsical, colorful and, most importantly, ethical. Pieces represent all decades, but I focus on the 1950s through 1980s. As a second-hand-only shopper, I believe in buying high-quality pieces that you love that also have a fabulous story to tell.
Vintage pieces have traveled many decades, visited countless closets, and adorned many bodies. It's up to vintage lovers and appreciators to extend that life, while also freeing ourselves from the standards of fast fashion. I believe in shopping less, choosing better, and taking care of what you already have (mend it! re-purpose it!).
A former editor from Detroit, MI, I currently live in Minneapolis, MN. Life curved, doors opened, and my heart and love of vintage brought me to this business, this dream: Tandem Vintage. I love plants, collecting paint by numbers, happy hours, poetry, beach vacations, thrifting, road trips with my wife, my two pugs Parker and Scarlett, and waking up to my dream job every day."
Amanda, the founder of Tandem Vintage, can be found at findfurnish on Mondays or by appointment, and you can follow her on Instagram via @tandemvintage.
Earrings: Neal Jewelry
Swim top: by Signe
Jumpsuit: Tandem Vintage
Shoes: About Arianne
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