Clever Vintage Clothing is a business more than 30 years in the making!
For it was way back then that I purchased my first piece of vintage clothing.
It was a silver-grey sharkskin three button 1950's suit in pristine condition. It cost $3.00 from the Goodwill and I wore it in a school play. If only I had that suit now! If only it fit me! It's not a new story- but that day changed my life and I haven't spent much time out of thrift stores, antique shops, estate sales or flea markets since.
Soon the young actor in me gave way to a young costumer and while studying at FIDM, I costumed shows in regional theatres throughout Los Angeles- hunting down fabulous vintage creations up and down the coast. Eventually the "business side" of the business became more appealing to me and I paired up with a friend to open the famed Get Lost vintage boutique with locations in Fullerton and Long Beach. This meant a steady gig and being home at night- it also meant great customers who became great friends and wild window displays that never failed to stop a passerby! Soon New York beckoned and off I flew into a business venture that involved fashion, but not the vintage variety.
For 13 years I built a business that eventually became publicly traded and only "dabbled" in the collectable realm- and even then only for myself and friends. And yet when it was time to return to my native California I found I had amassed trailers -yes, more than one!- full of wonderful vintage apparel from my many travels across the United States. Once home in my newly purchased 1929 Spanish Colonial Revival Bungalow that boasted a two car garage- I did the only sensible thing and packed it all away in that space and parked my car on the street. Once in a while I would pull out pieces to lend to actor friends, or for a favorite customer from the store days. I could even occasionally be enticed to help a friend out and costume a show now and then.
But the vintage pickin's were slim back on my home ground, and the days of the $3.00 sharkskin suit were long gone. Having kept my day job in fashion I watched designers struggle to find their inspiration, or worse, waste countless hours searching only to pay a small fortune to get it from an over priced "Shoppe". I yearned for a clean, well lit, fairly priced, well organized place were I could find what I needed when I needed it, no matter if I needed it to copy for a show, or to use it to inspire one of my designers.
Watching the buyers comb the showrooms one market week in the fashion district the idea hit me: Why couldn't vintage buyers shop the same way? The next week at a trade show my mind was made up- this was the business model I'd been looking for... set up a showroom where buyers could make appointments to see the collection, couple that with doing a few of the vintage shows and I could create that resource for all those for whom vintage and vintage style apparel was a way of life!
And nearly everyone I told about my plans said the same thing...
...Well aren't you CLEVER!
I guess time will tell whether I am or not, but I know that the hundreds of designers, stylists, buyers, store owners, and vintage clothing collectors and enthusiasts who have enjoyed shopping with me since the showroom opened certainly are! I wish to thank them, and all the people who help make Clever Vintage Clothing a reality.
I sincerely hope you will be one of them.
Dave C. Temple
Owner-Clever Vintage Clothing
