Retro Active Effects

Great vintage looks are timeless. But time is the one thing you just don’t have.

The idea of sorting through stacks of unclean, unfolded, and largely unfashionable clothes leaves you with no Goodwill. You need Salvation or an Army to find those undiscovered gems.

Don’t make a whole mish mosh about it. One shop owner gets your thrift.

Art & Flea co-founder Nicole Franco scoured the nation and the island for the vintage finds she sold at the monthly event. Tonight, she opens her first brick-and-mortar store, MiShMaSh shop.

Tucked inside a cozy space next to Otto Cake is a well-edited and well-kept collection of clothes, clutches, collectibles, and fun kitsch dating back to the 1920s. Go Gidget to glamourous with retro one-piece swimsuits and aloha-print rompers. You can get physical with brightly-patterned 80s crop tops and star-shaped sunglasses or slink into cocktail hour with silky dresses, tiny beaded bags, brooches and bangles.

Your guy won’t be left behind when he’s sifting through vintage bowling and aloha shirts, eyeing decades-old cameras, or taking a spin through dozens of vinyl records and rock band pins.

Franco switches her selection often and is passionate about matching people with rediscovered clothing. She hopes to offer her own reworked creations and alterations in store soon.

So you won’t have to go the extra style for the perfect vintage point.

MiShMaSh shop celebrates its grand opening tonight, 1164 Smith St., 6 – 9 p.m. Regular hours will be Wednesday and Thursday, noon – 7 p.m., Fridays, noon – 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday by appointment only.
E-mail MiShMaShshop@gmail.com or go to MiShMaSh’s website for more information.