Today we’d like to introduce you to Madelyn Suzanne.
Hi Madelyn, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Thank you so much! Happy to be here. I am an artist and have always worked hard with my hands. I have worked a lot of jobs across the board- from baking to service industry to education to craft beer to a 9-5 desk job. I have truly been all over the place in my career path, but the dream of owning a vintage store has been in my mind since high school. I have been sewing for a lot of my life. My mother, my grandmother, etc- all very talented with a needle. I have always had a great appreciation for quality, creativity, and the decades of styles that go along with it. Growing up, my dress up chest was filled with old dresses, scarves, hats, jewelry, and gloves. I’d constantly get lost in my own world dreaming of being a fancy lady of centuries past and feeling like I finally belonged. I started wearing my mother’s and grandmother’s favorite clothes that they had saved on a regular basis as soon as I could fit into them. I have always been a treasure hunter. I love being able to find some crazy long lost something in a weird basement that hasn’t been touched in years.
Long story short, vintage and antiques have always been a part of my life. I have been specifically working with vintage for the last 5 years. I started out with collecting my own personal finds, to doing mending and alterations for others, to doing pop ups with pieces I started finding not for myself, to buying the entire contents of a vintage shop that had been on Cherokee St for years that was going out of business (which is a very chaotic and funny story in itself), to working with estates during the pandemic, to finally being able to open up my long awaited brick and mortar space in Benton Park October 2021.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have wanted to own my own vintage shop since I was in high school. When I had the opportunity to purchase the contents of a vintage store (Ace of Hearts Vintage, formerly Ruth’s Basement) that had had a presence on Cherokee St for a few decades, I jumped head first into it. I found the most perfect little corner store with big front windows in a historic building in Benton Park at the end of 2019.
My big plan was to open in Spring of 2020. That clearly didn’t happen due to the pandemic. I fortunately have the kindest landlord ever (Shout out to Diane and her shop Cones and Cups!) and she was willing to hold my space for me until I could move forward with opening my doors. It’s been much more of a roller coaster to open than I ever anticipated. I have always been a “have a rough plan and learn the fine points as I go” kind of person. What I didn’t anticipate was all of the zoning laws, permits for selling “second hand” in a residential neighborhood, fees, inspections, and Zoom court hearings I’d have to partake in. I know I still have much more to learn and roadblocks to face as I come to them, but I am happy enough with myself that I have learned to do my own business taxes.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I own a highly curated vintage boutique in a historic neighborhood. I carry men’s and women’s vintage clothing and accessories spanning from the 1880s-1990s. I do not gender my clothing. Every piece is organized by style and then by color. If you see a shirt that you like, wear it! Who cares if there’s darting or what side the buttons are on. Pants? All done by waist and inseam. Dresses and suits? Wear it if it makes you happy. In doing this, it has granted me a much wider range of sizes and inclusivity in my collection outside of specifically sourcing a larger size range. I don’t ever want someone to feel like they can’t own or enjoy a piece because it is “not meant for them.” I found a lot of solace and beauty in vintage clothing as a young person, I want that feeling for everyone that walks through my doors.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I am a St. Louis native. I’ve been all over the world, but here has always felt like home. The diversity and culture that is in every neighborhood, the history in every building, the art and architecture. There is beauty and life in every direction that you look. Even in the dilapidated buildings that are falling down, there is both art and nature reclaiming its space. I think that is one of the most special things here- growth and progress are constantly happing. The acceptance of nature and people, how everything flows together into a community trying its best to take a stand together. Biggest complaint? Maybe running into at least 3 people you know every time you go to the grocery store in sweat pants.
Contact Info:
- Email: black.rabbit.vintage.stl@gmail.com
- Instagram: black.rabbit.vintage
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/black.rabbit.vintage
Image Credits
Elizabeth Kelly
