Vagabond, a fitting name for an “occasional boutique,” recently had a “save the store” sale, to make its February rent.
The store features an eclectic mix of “cute and curious” antiques and old and new furniture and decorations. It opened in a first-floor space in a duplex on 25th and Hennepin in Minneapolis’s Uptown neighborhood this past summer. In the past, the duplex housed an antique store.
The duplex is zoned for commercial uses, according to storeowner Angela Kreitlow.
In setting up shop, Kreitlow added shelves and walls “to make it feel less like walking into a home,” and more like a commercial space.
She also painted the walls with patterns and color schemes that complement the merchandise. “It’s split up into warm and cool areas,” that is, neutral shades and bright pinks and purples, she says. “I’m all about balance and tones.”
At the three-day “save the store” sale last month, her goal was to make at least $2,000, a total she ended up exceeding. “There was a ton of amazing support,” she says. “A lot of people came in those three days.”
At this point, she’s trying to regroup and figure out what her next step should be. She’s also planning an online version of the store, she says.
In towns like Stillwater and Buffalo, where she grew up, stores like this, which have special hours, are destinations, according to Kreitlow. “You can drum up excitement and the sales are different every time,” she says, adding that she communicates with customers mainly through the store’s Facebook page.
Eventually, she hopes to offer classes on reupholstering furniture and other topics to “get people excited about decorating their homes,” she says. “There’s nothing else like this around,” and yet “It belongs here."
Source: Angela Kreitlow, owner, Vagabond
Writer: Anna Pratt