So Last Season Vintage: Welcome to Town!
So Last Season Vintage: Welcome to Town!
Vintage Looks, Antique Homewares and Accessories Make Their Ellicottville Debut with the Grand Opening of So Last Season Vintage
Ellicottville welcomed its first vintage boutique, So Last Season Vintage, last Saturday to a large crowd of shoppers eager to discover what the new shop has to offer. Located at 18 Washington Street next to Alpine Bistro, the new boutique is owned by Franklinville native and FIT graduate, Sydney Zuech. EllicottvilleNOW caught up with Zuech to hear the scoop on her recently opened boutique.
“I’ve always really been into vintage since I was little,” said Zuech by way of phone interview. “My mom has always loved it, so she’s taken me places, like flea markets, thrift stores – places like that,” she continued. “I’ve always been with it and I grew the love from that.”
Zuech shared that she holds previous retail experience having worked in Ellicottville for the past three years at another boutique. “The town is so cute, and it doesn’t have any vintage clothes so I thought it would be great to bring something like this to town,” she said.
Always curious about fashion, Zuech received a marketing degree from Canisius University before completing a fashion business management program at FIT. “It has been interesting to learn the business side - to have a job that is something that I love and that I can use as my career,” she said. “I’m loving it!”
Owning a business was not always the plan, but Zuech shared that she had the idea towards the end of college. “I always thought about maybe doing something more corporate with fashion, but towards the end of college, I had the idea that I wanted to have my own vintage store,” she explained. “I used to go to other vintage stores and it just always seemed like a really fun idea to have one I could call my own.”
As for the new store, Zuech said she and her team have been working hard on its transformation in anticipation of the grand opening, which happened last week. “We are still setting up, it’s crunch time; everything is set up for spring/summer, so a lot of bright colors that go with the soft, Victorian style of the store, as well as incorporating style of Ellicottville, like antique skis, things like that.”
Zuech said that she is doing the interior displays by herself. “Everything in the store is basically things that I have found vintage or antique,” she said.
One of Zuech’s favorite areas of the store is the gallery wall. “There was a big empty wall in the store right behind the counter, so I’ve created a gallery wall with it,” she explained. “It’s a bunch of mismatched pictures and mirrors, and some of those are my favorite pieces because they’re so unique. I love cats, so there are some little pictures dropped in there of Victorian style pictures of little kittens and cats, mixed in with the mirrors and the fun gold accents.”
When asked what defines “vintage” for her, Zuech shared, “I love the pieces from the early 1900s. I know it’s not everybody’s style, but everything in the store that I have is going to be from the early 1900s to the 2000s.” She continued, “Vintage can mean a lot these days, but I really think of it as the true Victorian style and the elegant dresses - lace and ruffles, and all of those soft, feminine elements.”
All items found within the store are for sale according to Zuech, which includes a wide range of vintage goods and antiques, including clothing, accessories, shoes, jewelry, handbags, and homewares. Online shopping is also available at the shop’s e-commerce site at www.solastseasonvintage.com. Zuech says she will consider buying lots of vintage clothing from locals who are wishing to sell to the store as long as the styles are a fit with that of the store’s.
For more information on So Last Season Vintage, or for consignment inquiries, visit the store’s website, email solastseasonvintage@yahoo.com, call 716-307-0597, or follow the boutique on social media at @solastseasonvintage. Hours of operation are 11:00am-6:00pm Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays; 10:00am-5:00pm on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The boutique is closed on Tuesdays.
Later adding by way of email, Zuech shared, “The opening was amazing! It surpassed my expectations and has gotten me extremely excited and optimistic about providing a new kind of style to Ellicottville. We saw a large turnout considering the season; especially for Mother’s Day there were quite a few people out for brunch and the weather was beautiful. It was the perfect weekend to shop!”