Resolution #5:
Explore your town.
Guest Blog post by Jennifer
Photos by: Tom B.
Hi y’all! It’s Jennifer from Sally Jane Vintage here, pitching in for Mandi while she’s taking a break. When Mandi asked me to do a little guest blog here, I was tickled pink to help out. And when she suggested an “around town” post, I knew just what I wanted to do… a vintage shopping guide of Lancaster! So, one day last week Tom and I headed out for a day of walking around town and stopping in all the vintage shops along the way.
I always joke that vintage shopping is my therapy, but really I’m only half-kidding. Searching for hidden treasures in vintage stores and flea markets always takes my mind off anything that’s ailing me. When we made the move from Los Angeles to Lancaster nearly three years ago (I can’t believe it’s been that long!) I was so sad to leave behind all of my beloved vintage stores. Los Angeles has such a wealth of vintage shops and I was quite spoiled by it all.
Luckily, Lancaster’s vintage shopping scene is nothing to scoff at! There are some real treasures here and if you’re ever visiting the area you shouldn’t miss them. We started out the morning with a stop at Mammalicious. This was the first store in Lancaster I discovered, and as soon as I walked in the very first time, I knew my worries were over. It’s stocked from floor to ceiling with quirky home accents, vintage clothes, accessories and at this time of year, vintage Christmas ornaments. A little piece of heaven!
Right across the street is Zap & Co, a Lancaster landmark. Zap was found in 1973 and is one of the nation’s oldest vintage stores. As soon as you walk through the doors, you’re overwhelmed with the sheer amount of vintage stuffed into one small space. There are cabinets full of deco and Bakelite jewelry, racks upon racks of clothes and an amazing selection of hard to find books.
Next we wandered down the block to Building Character. This isn’t strictly a vintage shop, although it does house Smilin’ Gal Vintage, which you may recognize as my Etsy selling partner. Kris always has a great selection of dresses, shoes and hats to pillage through. Once I had sufficiently rummaged through all the vintage, we wandered back to the warehouse portion of the store that serves as an architectural salvage yard. There are piles upon piles of old doors, windows, school chairs and desks. Every time Tom and I walk through there, we want to start redecorating our house.
Last, we stopped into the newest vintage shop in town, Hinesite. This place has quickly become a favorite of mine. The owner, over the last 30 years, has curated one of the most amazing collections of vintage I’ve ever seen! It’s quite a magical space, filled with everything from 40s rayon dresses to vintage wool Pendleton blankets. Tom tried on a 30s wool blazer and looked like he stepped right off the set of Boardwalk Empire. I tried on several 40s wool ski sweaters but none of them were quite right. Then I was heartbroken over a 1910s striped wool jacket that was wonderful in every way except that it was a wee child’s size. In the end, I didn’t leave empty handed. Tom was sweet enough to surprise me by buying a lovely Jonathan Logan dress I’d been eying in the shop for a while.
We finished up the day with lunch at a new Thai restaurant… coconut soup and fried tofu wedges for both of us, then Pad See Ew for me and Thai Basil tofu for Tom. Yum! It was pretty much a perfect day.
Jennifer is definitely queen of finding things to explore!! awesome entry.
Posted by: Victoria / Justice Pirate | January 05, 2011 at 09:28 AM
Oh, what fun! Thanks for the tour. :)
Posted by: andrea | January 05, 2011 at 11:43 AM
Oh thank you so much for posting a guide about Lancaster, I only live 30 minutes from there and had no idea that a treasure trove awaited me!
Posted by: Jiji | January 05, 2011 at 12:26 PM
There is not a day I like better than one full of thrifting! Thanks for sharing your perfect day.
Posted by: Julie | January 05, 2011 at 12:45 PM
I'm loving this post series!
Such good ideas. And this one is especially cool, with all these gorgeous photos!
Posted by: Becca | January 05, 2011 at 06:59 PM
Wow, these shops look just brilliant!
Posted by: curious contellation | January 06, 2011 at 12:45 PM
This is something I am definitely doing - I have just moved back to a city I used to live in, and I am looking forward to revisiting old haunts and discovering new ones.
Posted by: Becca | January 06, 2011 at 02:43 PM
Such a great resolution! It couldn't be more perfect that I am from Lancaster myself - I need to get shopping!
Just wonderful :-)
Posted by: Katie | January 06, 2011 at 07:33 PM
I'm soooo jealous. My only hope for vintage is what goodwill sends here. I live in Honduras, and apparently, goodwill sends stuff and sells the clothes by bulk to people who have cheap clothes stores. The prices are accessible to most poor Hondurans, and I live in a poor area so there's tons of them. The only problem is there's no furniture or quirky ceramic things. No books, no purses, no cheap vintage shoes.
OH THE HORROR!
Posted by: Silvia | January 07, 2011 at 04:08 PM
I want to cry. I too live near Lancaster. And ever since you posted this my girlyfriend and I have been planning a roadtrip to go do some shopping. I went tonight and borrowed my MIL's big expedition tonight and came home to put all the addresses of these amazing store in my navigation.
um yeah. I'm near Lancaster. Lancaster, California.
I want to cry. Oh wait. I said that.
So instead we're going to tromp around downtown tomorrow at the same picked through, over priced antique stores we always do, mourning the near adventure we almost had.
Posted by: Lorie | January 12, 2011 at 01:03 AM