The Vintage Store in York hails busy first week in business

‘The Vintage Store’ opened on Saturday, August 28, in Parliament Street in the old New Look store, with the goal of inspiring customers to “nurture their individuality” and to make environmentally friendly fashion choices.

Business partners Kane Blythe, 26, and Aaron Thornhill, 29, are behind the venture - after opening their first store in Hull earlier this year.

The store is “as it says on the tin”, with unique finds to cover all tastes, from dresses, plaid skirts and handbags, a wall of different shoes and jeans, vintage Adidas clothing, brightly coloured windbreaker jackets and leather jackets.

Kane, who is also a tattoo artist, said: “We couldn’t believe how many customers we had in our first week despite all the rain!

“We want people to have the confidence to express themselves through clothes.

“The younger generations have grown up with technology and social media, which makes them feel too shy to dress outside the box.

“I’ve always been into vintage, it’s something that has grown over time, and I love to own items that no one else has.”

Signs placed around the store seek to educate customers about the environmental impact of their fashion choices, with one sign stating “2,700 litres of water to make one t-shirt”.

“Upcycling clothes is the natural, organic thing to do instead of throwing fast fashion clothing away after a short time,” Kane added.

The Vintage Store currently hiring staff, and has a very down to earth way of finding new recruits. No CVs are needed and people are encouraged to come in and speak to Kane and Aaron.

The business partners say they plan to open more stores in other cities in the future.