Hibernation

After eight successful weeks at the Sowa Vintage Market in downtown Boston, Maine Street Vintage, and DanielByron.com are taking a short break.

I've moved back to New York City, and am now looking for a job in the fashion industry.

Once I get settled, I certainly plan to return to the blogosphere with whatever project comes next.

I hope you have enjoyed reading thus far, and I look forward to seeing you again.

DB

Week #4

So I didn't post last week. I should have, and I regret that decision.

However, the booth has been evolving over the past couple of weeks, and now you can really see the difference between my first and most recent week.

Here's Week 1.

 

And now... Week 4.

I've added a whole new rack of clothing, two rugs, the flags, and rearranged some other items as well. I'm happy with the overall aesthetic, and the polished look will hopefully sell more clothing.

But after 4 modestly successful weeks of business, I now have a new 'problem'; I need more clothing. Luckily, that means more thrifting. To restock my inventory, I'm heading to Maine. This should be fun.

DB

Week #2

Another Sunday, another day at the booth. I changed some of my pricing structures, tweaked the layout of the booth, and I was ready for a big day. As we opened our 'doors' for business, I thought the booth looked great.

I'd love to have one more rug to cover up that piece of floor in the front, but other than that, I'm happy with the overall aesthetic. Here are a few shots of each section.

The mannequin on the left actually belongs to booth next door, but it totally fits with my stuff, so... that's nice. Unfortunately, the sign that I made wasn't great. The yellow was drowned out by the sun, I'll have to work on that.

I gave you guys a glimpse of this table last week, but I had a bunch of new items, so I figured I would repost it. Again, this table did very well at attracting customers.

But in the end, just like in life, its all about the clothing.

These racks were entirely new this week, a great collection of polos, button downs, and blazers.

And lastly, here are a few great summer shirts.

In the end, it was a good week. We sold a ton of clothing, passed out a number of business cards, and we were able to survive the 95 degree heat (although, to be honest, I think that definitely hurt our numbers.)

For our third week at the booth, I'm hoping to put together a collection specifically for the 4th of july. I've got a few old finds that should really make a splash.

And lastly, due to customer demand, I'm hoping to start an online store very soon, sometime in the next week or so. More on that later.

DB

Signage

Today, I'm working on signage.

I haven't painted anything since... high school? I honestly can't remember. But this morning, I broke out some paint, some stencils, and got to work.

Here's what I was using.

And here's the finished product.

I also needed to make some more purposeful signs about pricing, so I printed out a few word documents, and then tried to add a few personal touches.

Pretty simple, but hopefully the effort will be appreciated. 

OK, time to go make a few more.

DB

The Booth

Hey guys,

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, its been a crazy couple of weeks. But I have to say, I love running this booth. The first week certainly had its ups and downs, leaving plenty of room for improvement, but I was still happy with how it all looked.

You may notice the framed logo on the right side of the photo. That's my logo! I wanted to create the illusion of an actual store, so a name, logo, and business cards were all something that I wanted to have before opening shop.

I used Elance.com to get a graphic designer to help me flesh out my concept. Here's the finished product.

I'm happy with how it came out, and it was definitely a good experience working with the designer. Once I had a logo, I used Google Apps for Business to register an email with my domain name (which is hosted by Hover.com), so feel free to message me at info@danielbyron.com. Once that was all set up, I had cards made at a local print shop.

These logistical items were tiresome, and costly, but I think important overall. 

Now back to the booth.

The stationary bike is the most important item in my store. Everyone who walked by it wanted to play with it; people were riding it, playing with the bell, and it just started a ton of conversations. The vintage Playboys, glassware, and decorative antiques also had a similar effect. 

In the end, it was a great Sunday. I sold a number of watches, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and a few button downs. And with zero experience doing something like this, I didn't really have many expectations, but after a long day I was happy enough with the final number. 

This week, I want that number to grow. I'll be adding blazers, polos, and ties. I also made some improvements to the booth itself, adding a beautiful blue rug and a new hanging rack. I'll certainly have some pictures for you next week, but if you want to come check it out for yourself, please do. Personally, I can't wait for Sunday. 

10am - 4pm at the Sowa Vintage Market

DB

Big News

For the next three Sundays, my roommate Dave and I will be renting out space at the SOWA Vintage Market.

The booth will be primarily stocked with vintage button downs, soft crew-necks, bright T-shirts, and beautiful jackets.

As you can see, we have more than just clothing; we will also have glassware, watches, clocks, cameras, and collectibles. If you follow the blog as well as I think you should, then you have already seen some of what we are going to be selling. But really, that's just the tip of the iceberg.

For the past two years I have travelled all across New England looking for vintage treasures. On Sunday, its time to see what I found.

With each purchase, I'm undoubtedly going to be suffering from a serious case of separation anxiety. But I'm also very excited for people to hopefully fall in love with what I have. In the days ahead, I will be highlighting some of our merchandise so you can have a clearer idea of what to expect.

I have a lot of work to do before Sunday, but I'm really looking forward to it. If you are in the Boston area, you should come say hello! The doors open at 10, and close at 4. If you've never been, the SOWA Markets are a great place to hang out, to eat some delicious food, and to do a little shopping.

DB

Nice Bag Edward!

A few weekends ago I went up to Maine for Memorial Day Weekend. My buddy Edward was traveling in style. Check out his bag.

He bought the bag in Morocco, and the strap is Jack Spade. Unfortunately, Jack Spade no longer carries these straps. I was certainly bummed to learn that. But either way, I like what Edward did here, a nice combination of an old and new, classic and modern.  

I kind of want to recreate a similar look, but I don't have a bag yet. I did however spot these guitar straps at a music store in the East Village. 

I think one of these might work, so I'll just have to keep my eye out for a bag. 

DB

PLAYBOY

I bought an old PLAYBOY a few weeks back at a flea market in Brunswick, ME. I loved reading it, such an interesting look into the history of men's culture. And ya know, there are pretty ladies too.

The ads are amazingly old fashioned, the clothing is classic, and the nudity is actually quite scarce. Last weekend on Ebay, I helped myself to a few more magazines.

This should be fun.

DB

Collab' Creations

I bought this pair of Air Jordans from the Nike Store in Chicago when I was in High School. I love them.

 

I don't wear them very often, so they're actually in really good condition given how long I've had them. 

As you may have guessed, I'm wearing them today, so it seemed like a good day to write about sneakers. 

Although this pair is pure Nike, some of my favorite shoes are often collaborations between two designers. With this in mind, I started surfing the web and stumbled upon this great list of The Top 50 Sneaker Collaborations of All Time

Here are a few of my favorites.

If you like any of these, or if you're just a sneaker freak like me, you should definitely check out the full list.

Happy Friday,

DB

Grill Season

As you know, Memorial Day is typically the beginning of the summer season. And that means, its time to start grilling.

This summer, I'm using this.

Areaware Star Spangled Spatula $65

Although its beautiful, it is a little pricey. If you're looking to add a little color to your grill game, these cheaper options might be perfect for a July 4th cookout.

Star Spanled Spatula $10

Happy Summer,

DB

My Best Find Yet

A few days ago, I drove all over New Hampshire going to every thrift shop I could find. I bought well over a hundred articles of clothing, and I'm starting to be really proud of my collection.

I love a lot of what I found, and I plan to show you some of it in the coming weeks, but one thing really stood out. So much so, that it didn't even fit in my car. This morning, I borrowed my roommate's Jeep (Thanks Dave), and I drove the 50 miles to Manchester, NH to pick it up.

I did some research on EBAY, and I found listings from between $50 and $250. I paid $22, so I'm pretty happy about it. I have absolutely no where to put it, and it weighs a ton, but I really want to keep it. Its too pretty to get rid of.

Its just so classic.

Feel free to come over and take it for a spin, it works just fine.

DB

Keezer's

Just a quick one today, I lost my wallet last night, so its been a hectic day to say the least. Ugh.

Anyways, after a brutal morning, I needed to escape from the paperwork and 1-800 numbers, so I took a short walk to a store that my roommate Ben had recommended. Until yesterday, I had no idea that I lived just a few blocks from a legendary vintage tux shop called Keezers.

Supposedly, JFK used to sell his suits to this strangely named store while attending Harvard. The store is filled with old tuxedos, suits, and sport jackets. It was really fun to look through their collection, but I wasn't really looking for a big-ticket item, so I focused my attention on their ties.

The people were so nice, so I had to buy something. I chose this beautiful $5 tie.

I liked their note, so I included that as well. And lastly, I just liked this little sign.

See you all tomorrow. I have something very special that I'm excited to share.

DB

Rutland, VT

I was told it was a super store, a giant warehouse lined with vintage button downs, retro t-shirts, and soft crew-necks. I was lied to.

The Salvation Army in Rutland, VT isn't like most rural thrift stores, which are usually large one-room buildings with aisle after aisle of clothing. This was different. 

I pulled up to the address that I had found online, and was surprised to see a little sign lying half-crooked on the door of a basement level storefront. My hour long drive was starting to feel like a waste of time. But I had heard good reviews of the store, both online and in person, so I walked in with high spirits.

It was worth the trip.

Although the entrance didn't suggest it, once I walked inside I saw that the store was a series of dimly-lit rooms, each one filled with an eclectic mix of antiques, clothing, and well, junk. It was a hoarder's paradise, so essentially, it was my paradise. I started snooping around, and almost instantly, I fell in love with this tray.

It was a little dirty, but I checked the stains by scratching them with a finger-nail, and luckily nothing seemed permanent. The picture above is after a good scrub down. 

Next, I stumbled upon this great wall clock.

I haven't tried it with a new battery yet, but I really hope it works. Either way, its one of those obviously cool man-cave items, so I went for it.

At this point, I was pumped to find the tray and the clock, but I really made the trip to buy clothing, so thats what I focused on next. Unfortunately, I didn't have the best of luck, just a few t-shirts. Here's one of my favorites.

Thinking that I had now gone through everything, I was about to leave, feeling good not great. But just as I was making my way to the counter, I stumbled upon a few glasses that really made my day. 

It sort of felt like this.

The reason I was so happy is because I used to have a set of Four Vintage Bird Glasses which I posted about almost a year ago.

Since then, tragically, two of them have broken. Today, although its not a perfect match, I found two similar tumblers.

Cheers to Rutland, VT!

DB

Salvation Army Super Store

If you follow me on Instagram (which you totally should @dann6789), then you may have seen a few of these pictures before. For that, I apologize.

Anyways, I recently read about a giant Salvation Army in Fitchburg, MA. Its supposed to be one of the biggest in the area, so like a kid on Christmas, I could barely contain my excitement as I pulled my car into the empty parking lot.

A giant warehouse stood before me, so I rolled up my sleeves, used a quarter to get some skittles, and went to work.

It was certainly an overwhelming experience. The vast majority of the clothing is terrible; stained Red Sox shirts and wrinkled cargo shorts are weeds in this unkept garden.

But sometimes, you find a flower.

Such a great find, great vintage condition. I also loved the graphic on this next crew-neck.

After a long hour of searching, I ended up buying over 20 shirts, mostly old button downs from Gant, L.L. Bean, Polo, McGregor, Orvis, and Brooks Brothers.

 I love these more remote locations because they are far less picked over than the city stores, and some of the clothing is amazing, and often quite old. Here are a few of my favorite tags that I saw.

The fun continues tomorrow. In the morning I'm driving up to Rutland, VT to check out another Salvation Army Super Store. Let's hope I have the same luck.

DB