Reware Vintage Blog

This is the last vintage store I visited (and my last Seattle store review here), and I saved one of the best for last. Atlas Clothing was a little tricky to find, but well worth the difficulty!

Atlas has the same owner as the Fremont Vintage Mall, but a different feel and specialty. The store has a really great selection of clothing, a small record section curated by Jive Time Records, and a cute decor complete with handmade mixed media signs to navigate your shopping.

What really amazed me, though was the incredible shoes and jewelry, both of which I felt were really fairly priced! I was in love with these red suede boots and velvet Dr. Martens in particular!

This was a really fantastic store – I only wish I would have had an extra suitcase with me so I could have bought a few pairs of shoes and a dozen T shirts! The staff I spoke with, Charisse and Austin, were also really friendly and helpful, and they had a small but great selection of locally handmade and designed items as well. I loved it, and now am a fan on Facebook and follow them on Twitter as well! They also have a small section on Etsy to keep an eye on – maybe those Docs will go on there someday!

To see more pictures from Atlas, check out the Flickr set.

Le Frock is a part vintage/part gently used/all designer store in Capitol Hill, Seattle. The boutique has been in business 19 years, and employs three generations within a family. If you are in the market for designer clothing by Marc Jacobs, Balencia, Betsy Johnson, Diane Von Furstenburg, Dolce & Gabano, etc…this is the place to go. Personally, I’m not, as I’m pretty much a casual, “don’t need a label to look good” kind of girl, but at the same time do adore clothing like this…just don’t have anywhere to wear it!

The store is a bit cramped and overwhelming, but was impressive in it’s vintage collection which included pieces from William Travilla, Emanuel Ungaro, Prada and Tiffany & Co. Le Frock also carries current collections from local designers, and is a great stop for anyone looking for something unique to splurge on.

For more pictures from Le Frock, check out the Flickr set!

Red Light Vintage in Capitol Hill. Wow. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take any pictures inside the store, but imagine you took everything on this site, quadrupled the quantities and put it inside of a gigantic, 2 floor storefront. In case you can’t tell, I was absolutely in love with this place.

Like the Red Light Vintage in the University District, this store sells vintage, used, and new clothing and accessories, along with a gigantic costume department, but the store itself is easily three times the size of it’s little sister. I actually went to this Red Light twice – the first time with Dan, who said within 5 minutes of entering “You should come back by yourself later…this is going to take you a while”.

Of all the stores in Seattle, this was the best for vintage T shirts (which of course is my favorite to shop). The really choice shirts are hanging up on the walls, but the racks are still full of great novelty and rock shirts from the 70′s and 80′s. I picked up three T shirts here – my favorite being a Devo shirt that had been taken in and given cap sleeves by it’s previous owner. If I lived in Seattle, I’m betting half my wardrobe would be from this store, and Eric, one of the clerks, told me his favorite thing about working there was that he didn’t need to shop anywhere else because the store had everything he liked to wear.

Everyone working there couldn’t have been nicer (Buffalo Exchange could learn a great deal from their staff), and were super helpful while I was looking for a gift for a friend. I wasn’t at all surprised to learn they had been open for nearly a decade, and I’m sure will continue to thrive in the city – They excelled at all four qualities I look for in a vintage store:

1) Wide, varied and quality selection

2) Easy to navigate and shop layout

3) Knowledgeable, friendly staff

4) Reasonable prices (five stars on this one, especially!)

Dan summed this place up best – “If you had a store, this is exactly what I would see you doing”.

Yeah, seriously, I loved this place.

Lucky Vintage was a happy find for me – just down the street from Red Light Vintage in the University District, and I’m so glad I stumbled upon it!

Owned by Caryn (a lovely lady originally from New York), Lucky has been in business for just three years, but Caryn has been collecting vintage for years before opening her store. Actually, the store began because of her massive collection!

While Caryn’s personal favorite time period is 40′s and 70′s does 40′s, she carries all time periods. There really is something for everyone here, and lots of eye candy!

Caryn admitted that her favorite part of running the store was buying product, and she’s got a real eye for it! I especially loved her jewelry and T shirts – I scooped up a George Thorogood tour T shirt that I’ve been looking for years (ever since I altered my last one too small for me) .

Lucky for you, Lucky Vintage also sells on Etsy, so you don’t even need to be in Seattle to enjoy this gem of a store! If you do want to see them in person, I highly recommend it, and they are open 12-7 everyday.

For more pictures from my trip to Lucky Vintage, check out the Flickr set!

Red Light Vintage was another store recommended to me by several people before we journeyed out to Seattle. Even better, I found out they actually have two locations in the city – this is the one in the University District.

This location is (believe it or not) the smaller location, but it is still jam packed with vintage awesomeness. Two levels of choice vintage men’s and women’s clothing,  an area of new costumes for sale, and a small section of new clothing as well – all bought with great taste.

Chelsea, a really nice employee there told me they’ve been open for 15 years, and their main clientele is high school and college aged kids, looking for prom/formal dresses and Halloween costumes. And while I could see  the atmosphere being really fun for that age group, it was also a blast for this 30-something.

They had an impressive selection of vintage rock T shirts on the wall, behind a shelf that ran the length of the store displaying all their cowboy boots and wigs for sale.

The volume this store must sell is crazy. In just the hour I was there, there was a line of four people in waiting to sell to the store, with bags and bags of clothing.  Chelsea  told me that was pretty common for them (amazing!).

Some of my favorite items there:

What a great raincoat!

I picked up a pair of earrings (that I’ve since gotten a dozen compliments on) and a discontinued LeSport Sac wallet for just $18. Can’t beat that!

And the store staff was really friendly and knowledgeable, too. Chelsea told me her favorite part about working there was learning all about clothing, construction and history from both the store’s regular shoppers and collectors. And they must be good, because that girl knew her stuff!

I give this store two big thumbs up. The selection and variety was fantastic, and the prices were absurdly reasonable. I loved it, and wish it wasn’t thousands of miles away from home!

Red Light Vintage is open from 11-8 Monday through Saturday, and Sundays from 11-7. For more pictures from the store check out the Flickr set!