[Pictured above is an amazing novelty print dress from the 1970s made by the brand 'Jenni'. It features a built-in bra and is made of cotton. It was quite reasonable at $22.]A stretch of West Chicago Avenue, between Milwaukee and Damen in the Noble Square/Ukrainian Village area, is slowly beginning to rival the vintage corridor in Wicker Park. Saturday night I attended the opening party of Seek Vintage, a new shop just steps away from Dovetail Vintage and Pistol Bazaar and about six blocks from Very Best Vintage.
It was a little awkward at the opening as it seemed to consist mainly of friends/relatives of the two co-owners (a male/female team) and there was a champagne toast and a real live ribbon cutting ceremony complete with giant scissors (didn't know people actually did that anymore!).
While affordable, Seek has all the trappings of a fancier boutique-- sleek branding including gold embossed business cards and shopping bags and well organized displays that give customers enough room to browse. My favorite items were the kitschy ceramic planters in the shapes of boots, logs or animals already potted with small household plants for $10-$16. I also liked the huge souvenir keychains that featured retro names like Doris and Marcia for $4.
The store stocks plenty of men's and women's clothing and accessories dating from the 1950s through the 1980s in good condition in a range of sizes. Typical prices are $22 for a 1970s cotton sundress, $14 for a 1960s evening bag and t-shirts and blouses are below $20.
The merchandising is clever (handbags nestle in an atomic planter) and they are on-trend with their selection of housewares that include cocktail shakers, colorful glassware, industrial chic toolboxes and a variety of 1970s colorful vinyl flight attendant/carry-on bags.
I was disappointed that they didn't have more pre-1970s clothing, it's definitely harder to find 1930s-50s items nowadays but other shops in the area have been able to stock them relatively cheaply. I'll also be checking back in a few weeks to see what the turnover rate of merchandise is here and how often they switch out displays. I'm definitely excited, however, to have another quality vintage store to shop at and one only 8 blocks from my apartment. Welcome to the neighborhood Seek Vintage!Seek Vintage