It’s like Etsy, except it’s in the flesh. Inside Vintage Chic, there are handmade scarves, cards, and charms. Hand-sculpted pottery attracts the eye below shelves of candles flaunting scents like “buttercream frosting,” “chocolate and berries” and “ginger peach.” Across the aisle, shoppers discover handmade “blueberry sage” lotion, “caramel apple” soap, and “honey almond” shampoo.
A local mother-and-daughter team, passionate about vintage furnishings and handmade collectibles, opened Vintage Chic in downtown Hillsdale about one year ago, hoping to provide a market for local artists and benefit the Hillsdale community.
It’s easy to miss Vintage Chic while meandering down North Howell Street, but those who do choose to step inside the little store will not be disappointed. From old-fashioned signs, antique furniture, to even a vintage camera, Vintage Chic is a collector’s haven.
“This is just our passion,” said store co-owner Crystal Gimenez, describing the antique artifacts and quirks of the shop. “And then we thought, why don’t we bring in some local artists to give it a little bit of an edge to the other stores?”
Not only is Vintage Chic unique to the shops of Hillsdale, it is also a great way to support the local community. Vintage Chic provides local artists with a venue to display and sell their work while also furnishing the store with quality artistry.
“We wanted to do something that’s mother-daughter. It was our dream to open the store,” said Karen Wilkin, Gimenez’s mother and co-owner.
“When you shop here, you support local people – not only my mom and I, but also local artists,” Gimenez said.
When describing the mission of the shop, Gimenez said, “[The mission was] to have our dream fulfilled, but also having the local artists succeed, because it’s so hard for local artists to showcase their items without having to purchase a store and have all [those] fees that go into it.”
Local artists employed by Vintage Chic hail from the city of Hillsdale as well as the neighboring villages of Camden and Waldron, Mich.
Even amongst all the delightful creations and accents in Vintage Chic, Gimenez said her favorite part about the store is “being able to share what we love with everyone and then watching our local artists succeed.”