Since the dawn of the recycling era, Santa Cruz has embraced the mantra to reduce, reuse and recycle. And in a big way that has included apparel. Now a new generation is embracing the vintage aesthetic. Whether inspiration comes from old photos of Dad’s ’80s Magnum, P.I. phase or a favorite 2000s scandal-prone pop star, clothes from the past are the key to a fashionable future.
“There is almost an unlimited amount of secondhand clothing and it’s just going to circulate as time goes on,” says Isabel Alt, a co-founder of Artifact Goods, a relatively new vintage store in the downtown secondhand scene.
More than a dozen vintage stores selling curated, pre-loved items are thriving in Santa Cruz. But how? Selling secondhand clothes with a markup might not seem profitable at first glance, especially when thrift stores and yard sales offer lower prices.
Moon Zooom has been around since 1992, one of the longest-standing vintage reselling shops in Santa Cruz. Nicolas Canavarro, owner of the Pacific Avenue store since 2020, sticks to what he knows after growing up with his mother and sister in vintage selling.
“Good stuff is always going to be good stuff; trends go up and down,” Canavarro, 45, says. “But for us, good quality old vintage is always going to be good.”
Moon Zooom has seen the recycling of trends through time, and throughout it all the shop thrives on its global sourcing process. Sticking to genuine vintage fur coats and old bowling shirts with the embroidered names of bowlers past, Canavarro can safely say that there will always be a market for the items he chooses to carry.
“I have about five different people across the country who search. We try to source stuff from other places than just Goodwill. It’s what makes it so we have different stuff.”
Canavarro says, “If you look at our store, you’ll see we have a vast array of items throughout the last 100 years. We buy things from the 1890s to the 1990s.”
The fact that so many vintage stores have moved in has not helped Canavarro, a Native American whose mother and sister are also in the vintage clothes business.
“We’ve just had the worst two years we’ve ever had,” he says.”Ten other vintage stores have opened on Pacific Avenue in the past year and a half. It’s driven the prices up for me to buy merchandise.”
New stores often start with significant cash from loans and can pay more for items. The heavy construction downtown and the move of the Metro station has hurt foot traffic and parking, what he says amounts to a loss of $100,000 a year for him.
Even Halloween was bad this year, he says. He sold 10 percent of what he normally would for the holiday, partly because people buy things on Amazon. However, he adds, the day before Halloween and on the holiday, business picked up enough to make them his two best days.
“People saw the stuff they got on Amazon was garbage and it didn’t look like the picture so they came in here at the last minute.”
Sadly, though, sales around Halloween usually fueled the store during the slow winter months. Not so this year.
“My only option is to keep finding better and cheaper stuff,” he says, as he is about to go to Los Angeles to the gigantic Rose Bowl Flea Market looking for the kind of variety Santa Cruzans love.
Canavarro bought the store during Covid, a real challenge, he says as he is polishing and restoring a pair of 30-year-old Dr. Martens, which though they are as good and well-made as new, he’ll sell for half the price.
“I will sleep in the back room and live here,” he says, reflecting on the downturn. “I’m not closing it down. I’ll just get better stuff and sell it cheaper.”
Looking around Santa Cruz, there isn’t one style that stands out more than another. This beach town is home to a diverse collection of vastly different fashions. Vintage stores that don’t cater to one niche are a surefire place for fashionable residents to find whatever they’re on the prowl for.
Globally or not, sourcing is no easy feat. Resellers spend hours sifting through yard sales, thrift stores, flea markets and estate sales to stock their racks of clothes for customers eager to find that perfect piece—from bell bottoms and peasant blouses for the Woodstock wannabes to beaded mesh tanks and jeans that barely clear the pubic bone for those still mourning Wet Seal.
Stepping into stores like Angel Aura, Oasis on Pacific, Virgo Santa Cruz and Motherlode, a distinct theme in the type of “vintage” they offer becomes immediately apparent. Baby tees, low-rise jeans and lots of staples from the ’90s and early 2000s dominate the racks. That’s what the “cool kids” want these days: to dress like their parents did decades ago.
“Nineties streetwear is really popular because it plays into the skate culture here in Santa Cruz,” Artifact’s Alt says.
Accompanying Virgo Santa Cruz’s manager, Bella Aguilar, on a sourcing trip through hours of thrifting offers a firsthand glimpse into the mindset that proves successful in selling vintage to those chasing today’s trends.
“A lot of the time, I find myself finding things I personally like selling well in the store,” Aguilar says.
It’s no coincidence the cart was full of leather jackets, satin slip dresses and vintage denim, mirroring what’s seen on the local college campus.
“I was confident we were going to do well in this location because we had so much exposure to UCSC students just by selling at the markets. That was mostly our clientele,” Alt says.
Connecting with an audience is the recipe for success when deciding what to resell while sifting through thrift stores like the Goodwill bins and Salvation Army. Aguilar, a college student herself, has a keen eye for what her peers would drop their part-time paychecks for.
This is how some reseller shops find their success, by directly focusing on an ideal shopper—the UCSC and Cabrillo student population. Walking around a college campus, the students are spotted in the designs of yesterday. A long way from chevron peplum tops and high-waisted white jeans, an outfit straight out of grandparents’ photo albums is what sourcing trips are for nowadays.
“We do have a lot of college students from UCSC and I think people have a really cool sense of fashion here, but they also want to get it at an affordable rate,” says Jake Jensen, owner of Oasis on Pacific. “So it’s finding cool stuff, but keeping it in that middle ground of not too expensive. It’s just cool things at a cool price to look good.”
Retail shop owners observe the resurgence of old trends, but instead of opting for remade versions, they go into the “wild” to find the original inspirations.
Another downtown vintage spot, Angel Aura, is a hidden gem next to Walnut Avenue Cafe. This lesser-known vintage store not only offers pieces aligned with the latest trends but also maintains a consistent and reasonable price range anywhere from $10 to $50 depending on the piece.
Owner Sandra Renteria understands as a local, she needs to keep her inventory within the price range of the famously frugal student population interested in vintage fashion.
“We’re a working culture; we don’t have time to sift through clothes to participate in this environmental movement,” Renteria says. “I try to find a reasonable price so vintage isn’t unattainable.”
At times, however, the pricing of items in these stores can lead to confusion for shoppers. While a price tag can be absurd to a regular shopper who is not well-versed in the vintage market, the cost of certain “rare” goods is not entirely unreasonable.
The pursuit of a Holy Grail item, known as a “Grail” in the reseller community, comes with a cost—both in terms of time and effort, aspects that are reflected in the resale price.
“Let’s use band tees as an example. If you want an ’80s Metallica T-shirt you can go down to Urban Outfitters and get a reprint, but for the original, you had to go to that concert in the ’80s to get one. There aren’t that many out there, and they are harder to find. The price reflects the rarity of an item,” Jensen explains.
While the appeal of convenience and the revival of trends fuel the success of these places, too much of a good thing in fashion can have consequences. Early 2000s staple boutiques closed shop as the trends they relied on faded. The question looms: is this the potential fate of small vintage businesses?
The movement to battle over-consumption may be the key to the permanence of vintage stores. These “old” clothes can fill the desire for trendy fashion and offer a solution to the problem of churning out excessive garments whenever a style gains popularity.
“I feel like trends always recycle, and everyone is always different,” Renteria says. “I think that’s what’s so cool about vintage clothing is that you have this unique piece and that person will style it their own unique way.”
Oasis on Pacific places a strong emphasis on the sustainability aspect of vintage. The Oasis on Pacific website prominently showcases five factors highlighting the drawbacks of fast fashion, underscoring the imperative for secondhand clothing in the world. The prevalent social activism and environmental consciousness in Santa Cruz may well be the driving force ensuring the longevity of secondhand vintage businesses for years to come.
“There’s so many cool clothes out there in the world right now that we’re able to recycle and rehome these pieces. Otherwise, someone would just go out and buy a mass-produced item with a high environmental cost. I mean it takes 1,800 gallons of water to make a pair of jeans. It’s a lot of resources being used for all these new items, so if we can be more sustainable we should,” Jensen says.
The pieces made before fast fashion was the new biggest supplier were not only more sustainable but better for the wearer. There’s a reason the clothes have lasted this long, and a brand-new Shein shirt rips on the second wear.
“Back in the day, there was a lot more thoughtfulness in the creation of clothing, whether it be design, the materials used or the functionality,” says Isabella Cisneros , aka Bell, co-owner of Little Red Door.
Filled with quality pieces in a little store off Portola Drive, Little Red Door’s owners—two sisters—are thoughtful about what they stock and to whom they’re selling.
“We want to be selling a product to people that we can stand by, that we are passionate about, and that we know will last them a lifetime,” Bell says.
Treasure Hunt
The search for quirky keepers
By Bianca Sieraski
Anyone with a desire to dig through unique artifacts that range from retro to ancient need look no further than Santa Cruz County, where quirky treasures can be found in local antique stores.
The informal hub of antiquities has to be along Soquel Drive, which connects 12 different antique stores across a 2.5-mile drive. Although most of these shops highlight their furniture selections, there is much to be found that can be transported home with ease.
Located on the corner of Center and Soquel, Center Street Antiques shimmers with glistening glass, mirrors and beautifully decorated rooms. The layout of the store seems simple, but as one moves through each room it seems as if another is unlocked. Vintage items line the walls, floors and all open surfaces, including vintage purses, pictures, frames, mirrors, tea sets, bracelets, books and Mad magazines. This place is a trinket paradise, and another plus is that there are a couple other antique stores on the same corner that can be visited on foot.
Up the street about a mile is a hidden gem, Attilia’s Antiques. What makes this place special is its size and impressive amount of items. Shelves are stocked with nostalgia from all eras that can be found in curated sections. With each visit, something new is bound to catch the eye. Through the entrance and out back, there is a garden with knickknacks for outdoor areas. (You may even find a cat wandering around if you’re lucky.) A piece of advice: Make time in your schedule if you’re coming to Attilia’s, because every room is a must-see.
In Santa Cruz, Miss Jessie May’s is located on Pacific Avenue, downtown’s main promenade for foot traffic. The store stands out amid an abundance of retailers for its accessory selection and the aroma of jasmine that waft through it. Crosses, Calave, Victorian cameo pendants, Frida Kahlo, the Virgin Mary and the sacred heart are some examples of the visual iconography seen in the wide selection of jewelry. The shop itself is very well organized, with each glass case holding pieces with similar aesthetics. Besides the accessory options, this store also sells soaps, candles and beachy decorations like sea glass windchimes and abalone shells.
Further afield, antique stores in Watsonville and Felton may contain a soon-to-be-prized possession.
In Felton, visitors on their way to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park will drive past Abbot’s Thrift, a big red barn that has new deals posted daily on a board by the entrance. The technology section can be interesting to look through, with antique rotaries, stereo systems and tape recorders found there. The whole back right of the store is dedicated to porcelain, ceramic and glass items; this is where to find mugs, china plates and a random variety of kitchen appliances. The majority of the barn is filled with clothing, books, CDs and DVDs. In other words, this place has it all.
On the opposite side of Santa Cruz County, Watsonville’s Carriage House Collectibles is a quaint shop off of East Lake Avenue that even locals may not know about. As shoppers draw near to the house, they are likely to be greeted by two loud but sweet dogs and/or the very friendly owners, Kelli and Dawn, who showcase their personalities through stories of procured items and their Two Chicks and a Truck video series on YouTube.
They encourage everyone to “dig deep” through the shop, which is much bigger than it looks. Each room has a loose theme—such as the laundry room, which is filled with patterned sheets, baby clothes, pillows and cloth-wrapped hangers. Across the hall, the teacup-ceilinged kitchen has a plethora of things to use for cooking, eating and drinking.
In addition to the wide selection and lovely atmosphere, Carriage House has another plus: to-die-for taco trucks in the Watsonville area, such as Tacos Los Jacona, for something a little greasy and more filling, or Tacos El Jerry, which is a little on the lighter side. Both are personal favorites.
GET YOUR VINTAGE ON
Angel Aura Vintage
108 Walnut Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 621-2605
Artifact Goods
805 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 588-1671
The Closet Shopper
1203 41st Ave, Capitola, CA 95010
(831) 476-1565
Cognito Clothing
821 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 426-5414
Crossroads Trading
811 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 458-2555
Flipside Thrift Center
1305 Water St, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
(831) 429-6975
Forever Thrift
1622 Seabright Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
(831) 316-7865
Ivy Company
930 41st Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
(831) 477-9051
Love Me Two Times
121 Walnut Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 246-6048
Moon Zooom
813 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 423-8500
Motherlode
1101 Pacific Ave # C, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
The Multi Shoppe
2940 S Main St, Soquel, CA 95073
(760) 481-8353
Oasis On Pacific
1339 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Seconds (Capitola Mall)
1855 41st Ave H02, Capitola, CA 95010
(831) 515-7308
TBH. | Restyled Vintage Clothing
1044 E Lake Ave, Watsonville, CA 95076
(323) 384-4420
Tomboy
1207 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
(831) 425-1405
Virgo Santa Cruz
1517 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 888-6003
Wallflower Santa Cruz
107 Locust St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 334-3801
Atilias Antiques***