Phil, the Owner, answers your questions

How long have you been in the Vintage Clothing business? The store opened in 2004. Prior to that, I was selling clothing to vintage stores across the country for several years. 


I own a house that is full of old stuff, including old clothing. What should I try to sell, and what should I throw away? You'd be surprised at the things that are worth keeping! Quite often, in fact, they are the first pieces that people want to throw away. Ignore your instincts, which will tell you to hang on to only the fanciest pieces of formal wear. All too often, people throw out all the cool old jeans and summer dresses, and only keep the fur coats and wedding dresses. We're happy to look at every piece of clothing in the house. Don't be embarrassed if the house is a wreck! We've seen it all, and dust and clutter don't scare us. In particular, we're always looking for old work clothing in any condition, men's shirts, t-shirts, summer dresses, shirts/blouses/sweaters, and much more. 


I see your store is in Lawrence Kansas, but I live pretty far away. How far do you travel to look at old clothes? Bottom line, the more you have, the further we will travel. For large collections, no  distance is too far if you have what we're looking for. We're especially interested in large collections of vintage clothing, stock from old clothing stores, collections of military clothing, old houses full of old clothing, and more. You're more than welcome to check with us and try and work something out.  For quickest results, contact the owner (Phil) by cell phone or email. Cell number 913-777-4810, email [email protected]. 


What are the highest value items you buy? Generally, we pay the most for clothing from around the 1920s-1950s. This includes old work clothing (jeans, work shirts, denim jackets, etc), dresses, coats and jackets, suits, shirts and blouses, skirts, and more. 


I run an auction or estate sale company and clothing is a poor seller for me. Do you ever work with companies like mine to buy clothing? Absolutely. Vintage clothing is in high demand in a college town like Lawrence. If you're located in an area where old clothing is hard or impossible to sell, you could be making a lot of extra money by selling it to us. If the alternative is to throw it away or sell it for pennies on the dollar, give us a call! You'd be amazed at many of the things we buy. 
 
What are the highest value items you buy? Generally, we pay the most for clothing from around the 1920s-1950s. This includes old work clothing (jeans, work shirts, denim jackets, etc), dresses, coats and jackets, suits, shirts and blouses, military pieces, athletic wear (t-shirts and sweatshirts), motorcycle-related clothing, western wear, skirts, and more. 


How does the clothing buying process work? There are two ways to sell clothing to our store. If you're local to the Lawrence, Kansas area, and have a smaller amount of clothing, you can bring it down to the store. In that situation, the clothing needs to be in-season, clean, and ready to wear. Our employees will review the pieces you bring in and give you a price for what we can pay. You can always call the store at 785-856-0303 and see what kinds of things we're buying. If you arrange a buying appointment outside of the store, you don't need to do anything at all! We will buy things that are out of season or need cleaning/mending. Out-of-store appointments are available only for larger amounts of clothing. 


What’s the best number to reach you? The store number or your cell phone? You can always try the store, but our owner is often out on the road bringing in more great new stuff. If you are hoping to arrange an out-of-store buying appointment, or have questions about higher-value or collectible items, you'll want to call or email Phil. Cell number 913-777-4810, email [email protected]. 


Are clothes from the ‘90’s really vintage? What time periods make the best vintage clothing? We buy from almost all time periods, from the 1800s to the 1990s. Every decade has pieces that our customers want. When you start getting into the 1970s to the 1990s, there are still many of these items to be found in thrift stores and garage sales, so we have to be pretty selective with what we buy. 


My father-in-law left a lot of stuff in a really...I mean really messy basement. I’m sure there’s old clothes down there, but I’m embarrassed to show it to anyone. Should I call and make an appointment with you?  Spiders don’t bother me.  I’m the Indiana Jones of used clothing… my adventures take me to some pretty wild places so don’t shake out the rug on my account!


I’m a real estate appraiser and I see a lot of stuff in old houses including racks of clothes. Is it worth my while to put you in touch with the owners? We'd love to talk to them! In a situation like this, most people just throw the clothing away. People are always happy to make money off of something that is otherwise worthless to them. 


Do you buy both men and women’s clothing? What about kid clothes? Yes, we buy both men's and women's clothing. We do not buy children's clothing in-store. We will sometimes buy children's clothing from old houses when there is adult clothing as well. 


I go to a lot of garage sales and I’d like to pick up things that I could sell to you. What should I be looking for? Just call the store and ask us what we are currently buying for the season. Or, even better, stop by and we'll be happy to fill you in. 


I was in your store a month ago and I’m thinking about going back.  How often do you bring in new items to look at? Every day!  We are constantly bringing in new items to sell in the store.