The Opera House Collective is located on Kentucky Street in Petaluma’s historic downtown. This three-in-one vintage clothing store is the latest business to tenet the rough, pioneering “opera house,” where Mark Twain once read a short and Teddy Roosevelt once addressed a shaken Sonoma County in the aftermath of the 1906 quake.
Market-wise, the store occupies a space between upmarket and down. It’s where one can always come away with a one-of-a-kind item for 10 bucks. Kory Vanderpool is the owner.
CH: Kory Vanderpool, I understand “Haight Ashbury at half the price” is the tagline of Aubergine Vintage, one of the three clothiers in your collective. Does that describe your collective aesthetic?
KV: It entirely depends on how you shop. We have a wide range of shoppers because we have a wide range of product. We have trendy teenagers coming in for Free People and floral pieces, and blue-collar ranchers are coming in for camo and work boots. And of course, because it’s Sonoma County, you can combine the two!
CH: Kory, you had sought out this soap-box because you wanted to address the stigma still attached to second-hand clothing. Namely they are second-class because they are used and uncool because they are off-trend.
KV: Yes! We believe that everyone, regardless of income, should wear second-hand and vintage clothing. It’s no trend. It’s good ecology. The new clothing industry is massively polluting. It contributes 10% of CO2 greenhouse gas. That’s more than the airline and naval shipping industries combined. I recommend the documentary, The True Cost, for people that want to learn more. Bonny, Morgan, CJ and I believe that, rather than being looked down on, people that wear second-hand clothing should be looked up to for their commitment to the birds and the trees.
CH: The other stigma you mentioned is that second-hand might be considered “uncool” because it is not up to the latest trends of cool.
KV: Yes, it’s just untrue. Thrifting offers you the opportunity to discover unique, one-of-a-kind items that speak directly to you. Compare that to the walls of uniformity you find in fast fashion. And since what you find is rarely in a matched set, and the vintage racks contain all decades of clothes, how you finish your outfit will be uniquely you.
The coolest people are always one-of-a-kind individualists. Trends follow them! And the way to achieve individuality in fashion is second-hand, repaired, customized clothing, and vintage.
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