How Nostalgia Will Stock the 'Weirdest,' Coolest Vintage

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Philly fashion designer Arielle Salkowitz has more info about her new, 850-square-foot rockabilly/vintage boutique, Decades Nostalgia, newly renamed so as to not be confused with Decades Vintage, which, contrary to rumors, is not closing (it's a whole big name fiasco!). If you're still with us, here's the deal: With the help of two business partners, Salkowitz will debut Nostalgia on Saturday, October 19 in the former home of sex shop Passional, with an all-American aesthetic that'll make you feel like you've walked into a retro Coca Cola bottle.

Why did you choose that particular location?
That bright pink Passional logo has been up there for a long time, so people are already itching to know what's going to replace such an iconic South Philly landmark. Honestly, this all kind of happened really fast. [My business partner] Danielle DiRosa and I were walking past the store one day and saw it was for rent and we're just like "hey let's just check it out for fun."As soon as we walked in we just knew it was perfect. We had been talking about opening a store with Rafael Rosado (our other partner and my boyfriend) for about a year and just decided to take the risk!

What's your vision for the store, and what will the aesthetic be?
Nostalgia is going to be a vintage store that focuses on 1950's-esque decor. We are trying to give the store a really 1950s, rockabilly vibe. We're decorating with local artists and vintage pictures, and crazy, antique furniture. We got this incredible antique oak gun case that we're going to use in our front room for display. We just got this gorgeous Queen Anne couch that matches perfectly. Some of the shelving we are going to make ourselves. We were playing around with the idea of staining wine crates and nailing them to the walls to use as shelves.

What can shoppers expect to find at your store?
A very exclusive selection of vintage goods. All of our vintage wares are made in the USA, Europe, Australia, or Japan with some exceptions. We don't buy anything made in China unless it's a genuine Chinese item. We try to pick mostly things that pre-date the 1980s. Our goal is to bring out the best possible quality items to encourage people to buy smarter. I would really like to see this sort of waste culture that Americans have created start to dwindle. We'll also carry Earl Salko, which is a vintage-inspired clothing line I started two years ago.

What's one item you anticipate to be a big seller?
Our most popular item is the basic Earl Salko Tank Dress ($50). We've been selling it at the Brooklyn Flea Philly for a few months, and it's been a huge hit. Danielle is making these beautiful infinity scarves to go with the dresses, and we're going to be doing some hand-dyed pieces in the basement, too. Raf does most of the dyeing processes, and he's really good at it.

How will the store be different from other Philly shops?
We want to create a lifestyle store, not just a vintage store where you have to dig through racks and search for stuff. I've never really seen a vintage store that also sells handmade clothing. We don't focus too much on vintage clothing or furniture or just one specific thing; it's just a more eclectic mix. Raf finds the weirdest things. We have an amazing collection of vintage hats and vintage eyewear! We're all very passionate about what we do, and I think that alone will set us apart.
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