Editor’s Note: This is the final part in a three part series.
In recent years, fashion from the ‘70s to the ‘90s has been resurfacing and conquering modern fashion trends. That said, more retailers have been selling more vintage-styled clothes since then. Some stores have even begun selling authentic clothing from those eras, across the country and here in El Paso. One such store is The Vault Vintage Outlet, a local clothing shop that sells authentic vintage apparel.
The shop claims a part of the Mid-West Textile LLC company, a local textile recycler. With a parent company whose mission is to repurpose, reuse and recycle old clothing, The Vault Vintage Outlet does the same, in style.
“We believe recycling, secondhand and thrift are on the rise throughout the United States, and The Vault is a store for a niche market that values older pieces of clothing as a ’treasure’ to obtain,” said Evelyn Barrientos, the shop’s marketing lead. “The Vault sells, true vintage pieces made in the ‘80s, ‘90s, you can find several categories from jackets, sweatshirts, and tees. We as well have contemporary stuff made after the 2000s, Nike shoes, sport caps, bags, and more.”
The Vault opened its doors in early April of this year at a location in downtown El Paso, located at 1600 E. San Antonio Ave. After joining El Paso’s active thrift and vintage community, some people cannot help but ask themselves, “What makes this shop different from the others?” Not only do the shop’s authentic clothes set them apart from others, but so do some of their deals.
“The Vault is unique to what we have seen in El Paso,” Barrientos said. “We try to have the best of both worlds, vintage pieces that have been carefully selected and at great prices, and also modern tees, jeans, and shoes with discounts every day. Wednesday we have full prices on all our just restocked items, Thursday 25 percent off, Friday 40 percent off, Saturday 50 percent off, and Monday 60 percent off.”
With almost daily deals and staff-selected clothes, The Vault Vintage Outlet has set to make itself one of El Paso’s premier vintage destinations. Their attempts may prove to be successful, as they have over 2,000 followers on Instagram, only a month after their opening.
Locals have already taken an interest in the shop, including some of the UTEP community.
“It looks super dope. I like the way that the shop is color coded, from clothes to accessories. The store looks so big, I would totally go there when I get the chance,” said Anastasia Dominguez, a junior studying biology and biomedical sciences at UTEP.
With an environmentally-friendly purpose and fashionable execution, The Vault Vintage Outlet proves to be a vintage shop that is different from others in El Paso. Despite being a young business, as the shop gains more attention, there might just be more in store for not only the shop’s future, but for the future of thrifting and vintage clothing.
Elisha Nuñez is a staff reporter and can be reached at [email protected]
