WHAT: Rewind Vintage Showcase
WHEN: 7 p.m., Saturday
WHERE: Rewind Vintage, 2829 Johnson St. NE, Minneapolis
COST: Free
Much of fashion is concerned with keeping up-to-date with current trends. ItâÄôs a seasonal thing. Influential designers plan and concept their lines months and months before the product ever hits retail or runway. The most noticeable consistencies between their work end up surfacing as the trends. The possibilities are many, but whatâÄôs often forgotten is that the possibilities are recycled (skinny jeans and sheer fabrics are not novel products of the âÄò00s). Sarah Hoese, founder of local store Rewind Vintage, holds the fashion influence of earlier eras closer than many. And through a showcase of carefully selected apparel, sheâÄôll show the stylish potential of the past.
âÄúIâÄôve always been drawn to vintage clothing,âÄù Hoese said. âÄúThereâÄôs something about apparel from another decade, thinking about who could have worn it or the context of the country in a bigger sense, itâÄôs just exciting.âÄù
It was May of 2006 when Hoese opened up a tiny closet of a shop in Northeast Minneapolis to sell vintage clothing and accessories. Five years later the business is still thriving, and sheâÄôs recently been able to expand to a second location in South Minneapolis.
âÄúIâÄôm very appreciative that the community has continued to support the stores,âÄù Hoese said.âÄù
ThereâÄôs a clear reason for the overwhelming support. Quite simply: HoeseâÄôs knowledge and eye for vintage fashion are unparalleled. Meaning: The selection at Rewind is unparalleled. Whether customers come in seeking a cocktail ring, a gaudy âÄô80s dress for a themed party or a pair of high-waisted jeans, itâÄôs inevitably tucked in some corner, and Hoese is there with impeccable styling suggestions. SheâÄôs extensive in her approach to retail, precisely the reason why the showcase stands to only gain her business further support from the local community.
âÄúItâÄôs almost like a game,âÄù Hoese said. âÄúPeople come in looking for specific items, but I especially enjoy the act of piecing together a completely new look through pieces of clothing that could be from totally different eras.âÄù
With customers donating and buying seven days a week, the product is ever changing. However, the standards of quality and price points are not. What sets Rewind Vintage above any other musky, basement used clothing store is that itâÄôs not anywhere near the realm of a Ragstock or Savers. ThereâÄôs no sorting through someone elseâÄôs mediocre hand-me-downs in hopes of maybe finding one or two things that are OK.
âÄúIâÄôm not going to accept clothing that doesnâÄôt meet the standards of the store you know,âÄù Hoese said. âÄúWhy would I try and sell something that someone wouldnâÄôt be excited about? IâÄôm excited about every piece of clothing in stock.âÄù
Boarding the train of social-media modernity, Hoese has found an all-too-perfect means of fostering excitement among her customer base: Twitter. Someone drops off a pair of chocolate-colored Frye boots in Northeast, and thereâÄôs a Twit Pic on the web soon after, enticing, and inevitably selling her product in a clever way.
As a burgeoning business, Rewind Vintage is clearly ahead of the game for an operation thatâÄôs entirely stuck in the past.
