Old is New Again (Again)

A pop-up shop on Westminster gets an extended stay, and boy is this good news for vintage lovers. The Vault Collective, a coming-together of eight at-home Providence-based vintage collectors that opened in October, just promised shoppers another six months at its storefront. So now there’s even more time to explore the beautiful array of vintage clothes, shoes, jewelry, handbags and trinkets.

Owner and collector behind the brand Gypsy Vintage & Designer, Ruth Meteer, explains how she previously worked out of a small office space with a few other collectors and held private shopping parties before she was approached by Buff Chace and Joanna Levitt of Cornish Associates to do a popup shop in a recently vacated space on Westminster. She gathered together seven other dealers to fill the space. All the featured vendors are local, home-based businesses that you may recognize from craft markets, block parties and other area events, like Gypsy Vintage & Designer, Mardy Stark, Gold Dust Vintage and Uptown Vinyl & Men’s to name a few. After the store experienced a successful first few months, they got an extension to their lease and the space will continue to be The Vault Collective until August.

The store is organized so that each collector has their own showcase space, making it almost like eight different stores in one. Each has its own aesthetic, so there really is something for everyone’s style. Wandering through each booth was like going back in time – I wished that I could stay and look through the pieces forever. “It’s all vintage. We have everything from the late 1800s to the early 1990s, so a little bit of everything,” says Ruth. “And price-wise we have everything from $18 blouses to high-end designer dresses, Chanel and things like that.”

The Vault is not like your typical consignment shop, however – it’s entirely collection-based, so they don’t take donations. All of the items in the shop come solely from the dealings and collecting of the eight featured vendors, focusing on the different styles and tastes of each. “For most of the dealers here, this is their first time with a real, steady, open-every-day storefront space,” Ruth explains. “Some of them are moms and some of them have other full time jobs, and their business has been something that they’ve run on the side, so this is a really unique way for them to move forward with their businesses.” Ruth goes on to say how exciting it is for all the vendors to come together in a single space as they’ve been working sideby-side at the same markets for years. “Everyone’s really open to working together and trying new things,” she says.

The extended stay brings the excitement of new merchandise, namely spring and summer styles, like some newly featured prom dresses. Check out The Vault’s website for profiles on the different vintage sellers featured and more information about the collective, or wander through the store at your own leisure to find something timeless to upgrade your closet or home.