Nichol and Tony Hommerding, owners of The Vintage Hideaway. (Submitted photo)
A thrift and antique store in Hermantown has brought a fresh take on antiquing and thrifting in the Twin Ports. The Vintage Hideaway focuses on uniquely staging items, restoring pieces looking for a little bit of love and creating a welcoming environment by offering coffee and snacks in its pantry.
Carli Vergamini takes old jackets and other items and re-purposes them into a wild variety of accessories. A quote on her website reads “the best fashions are fringey & up-cycling is cool.” In this week’s Selective Focus, we get an introduction to what she’s doing. It’s worth a deeper dive into her blog, where she frequently makes updates about what she’s working on, and she highlights other businesses that she admires in a series she calls “Biz Crush.”
CV: My main medium of choice is leather. Specifically, re-purposed from vintage leather jackets. It happened as a mistake — I was fresh out of college and didn’t know what I was doing with my life. All I knew is that I wanted to make stuff, but I didn’t know where to buy the materials I needed to make the stuff I wanted to make. So I did what I typically do and got resourceful. I bought the first leather coat I could find at Goodwill, took it home and cut that baby up to smithereens.
Art in the Alley is located across from the Red Mug in Superior.
[This article is the last in a five-part series profiling local dealers of used goods, in all their rich variety. Others in the series: North Shore Architectural Antiques, Sellers Auction, Retro Antiques, Central Sales.]
Tami LaPole Edmunds walks through her store and points out every piece of art, commenting and describing with passion.
“Those are just old castaway lamps, but you repaint the shade and it’s fabulous,” she says.
When the CD in the background begins skipping loudly she goes to its rescue, but she can’t help stopping to point out some jewelry while the jarring noise continues.
[This five-part series profiles local dealers of used goods, in all their rich variety. Others in the series: North Shore Architectural Antiques, Sellers Auction, Retro Antiques and Art in the Alley.]
Judy Okstad stands at the counter of Central Sales, welcoming customers into a three-floor-deep ocean of stuff. Seriously… a lot of stuff.
Panama Jack ready for another Retro day.
[This five-part series profiles local dealers of used goods, in all their rich variety. Others in the series: North Shore Architectural Antiques, Sellers Auction, Central Sales and Art in the Alley.]
Panama Jack, a man with a gray beard and a black cowboy hat, sits behind the counter at Retro Antiques in Downtown Duluth and makes jokes. Oh, and he’s also the manager, or “referee,” as he better defines it.
Col. Brent Loberg accepts items for the upcoming Sellers Auction.
[This five-part series profiles local dealers of used goods, in all their rich variety. Others in the series: North Shore Architectural Antiques, Retro Antiques, Central Sales and Art in the Alley.]
Col. Brent Loberg stands at the front of a huge warehouse-like room, auctioning off bottles of barbecue sauce, jars of olives and boxes of candy.
John McCarthy opens North Shore Architectural Antiques every Saturday.
[This five-part series profiles local dealers of used goods, in all their rich variety. Others in the series: Sellers Auction, Retro Antiques, Central Sales and Art in the Alley.]
In a drafty old 1930s movie theater, environmental consultant John McCarthy sells antique building elements on his days off.
McCarthy, a geologist, opened North Shore Architectural Antiques in Two Harbors nearly 10 years ago. His inventory includes windows, doors, light fixtures, tiles, ceiling tins and other items.
