The scene: It shouldn’t have been a surprise.
Shareen Mitchell, a doyenne of fabulous and affordable vintage, has been luring starlets, stylists and fashionistas to her out-of-the-way warehouse near downtown Los Angeles for years. So when news of a second outpost broke, this time on sunny Abbot Kinney in the Venice Beach neighborhood, word spread like wildfire. Still, Mitchell was surprised by the reaction she was met with on the inaugural day of her new shop. She had envisioned an intimate affair with a few friends and loyal shoppers stopping by to sip champagne and peruse the pretty dresses in her new location in a cute Craftsman bungalow. Instead, she was greeted with throngs of girls shopping with gusto.
“I love this. It is more than I ever expected,” Mitchell said, standing in a house packed to the eaves with vintage shoppers. “But if it is going to be like this every week, I’m going to need a bigger place!” Ever the hostess and stylist, Mitchell moved among “her girls,” critiquing fit, belting dresses and offering snacks. “You know it’s busy when they won’t eat a bite of chocolate,” she said, holding a plate of gourmet brownies.
The Venice location will be open four days a week on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Like Mitchell’s other shop, there is a strict “No boys allowed” policy and red petticoats on the gate.
Mitchell’s fashion archive collection, which she makes available to designers looking for vintage inspiration, will remain at the downtown location.
For more information about Shareen Vintage Venice, visit www.shareenvintage.com. —Erin Barajas
