Almost 10yrs ago! I used to daydream about owning a "funky colorful thrift shop" on Cape Cod, where vintage leather jackets and tattered jeans would fill my racks, along with 1950s party dresses and wool ski sweaters. Colors, patterns, textures, crinolines hanging from the ceiling and old suitcases filled with hand-rolled silk scarves. Enter Wicked Thrift.
Wicked Thrift is mainstream and trendy. PopRock is totally retro-rad. While I've never been a vintage snob (there is such a thing), vintage clothing has always taken-up about a third of my closet. If you've been to Wicked Thrift, then you know my store offers a similar split.There is no Wicked Thrift without its PopRock sibling.
There was a time when PopRock Vintage lived alone in an old Victorian house up the road from Wicked Thrift. Many shoppers remember what a cool space it was, but OMG it was so dysfunctional from a work-flow perspective. So, when Wicked Thrift was offered more space in its plaza, gaining an additional 800sf, I jumped at the chance to combine both stores into one huge technicolor dream. It's cool and cohesive, but PopRock has kept it's own identity with a vinyl record archway that divides the space, like you've entered a fashion time capsule.
What’s in a name? The name PopRock definitely captures what you'll find when you visit. Many people don’t know that I'm a life-long musician who majored in music compositon in college and I have a profound love of vintage pop culture, being a product of the 70's and 80's. PopRock’s collection is influenced by music and movies and all of the great classics. Regardless of how you rank yourself on the list of vintage enthusiasts, we share the want, need, lust and love of things that conjure memories, emotions and visions.
A commitment I made to myself and shoppers from Day 1 was to make sure my vintage price-points were accessible. And with the exception of theme party shoppers, who often don't want to spring for it, it is nice to hear the real hounds expressing their appreciation for the values they find on PopRock Vintage's racks.
Community participation was also a big part of my mission. Without ever leaving my store to pick, haul or hunt, I have scored thousands of iconic and rare vintage pieces for the shop, over the years, simply by allowing the community to clean out their closets and bring it to me. It's a beautiful process, because I never have to leave the store and everyone in the community has a chance to participate. Sellers are so happy and often relieved when I accept their vintage items, because vintage can be a burden when it was a family member's, but no one in the family wants it. Sellers leave with cash in hand and a weight lifted off their shoulders, and I have saved a few more vintage threads from possible oblivion.
So, there it is. Being a vintage shopkeeper will always be a labor of love. It's a much smaller core than the other half of my store, where it's all about designer bags, mainstream labels and trends, but as long as Wicked Thrift and PopRock’s doors are open, I'll be there to make sure those 1970s bell-bottoms and winged disco dresses are stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Tammy-Lynne Venneri
Owner Wicked Thrift & PopRockVintage
A throwback to my 9th grade style in 1986, my dad always let me “do my thing”😊
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