Searching for the perfect pair of vintage cowgirl boots in beige had proved to be more difficult than expected and then I entered Emporium Vintage Boutique. Cyndi’s luck was to change…
Searching for the perfect pair of vintage cowgirl boots in beige had proved to be more difficult than expected and then I entered Emporium Vintage Boutique. My luck was to change…
Located on Cuba Street, the store is both refreshing and fully stocked. Vintage finds are all hand-picked from the US by owners who have moved the store from High St Christchurch where it was damaged by the Christchurch earthquake to Cuba Mall in central Wellington.
As advertised, “Emporium Vintage Boutique immerses you into a world of hand-picked vintage clothing, jewellery, shoes and much more, fresh from the U S of A! Whether you wanna dress up, dress down or rock out, Emporium is your one stop shop!”
Entering the busy upbeat store I was greeted by Josie who was managing the boutique while owners Georgina Lewis and James Smith were away buying more goodies in America. She really knows her stuff and loves working there. No doubt work doesn’t seem like work.
The owners encourage shoppers to let them know what they are after and they will look out for it while they are on their buying trips. Recent requests on Facebook include Mary Jane shoes and Princess coats.
Not only are there genuine vintage cowboy boots by the dozen, vintage dresses in brighter colours than usual vintage NZ finds and loads of hats are on offer. Favourites include robots, comic books and Western tooled patterns on leather bags. For winter there is a good range of leather, fur and suede jackets all in excellent condition and at reasonable prices.
EVB also stock copies of Collectif magazine; a collaborative by two fine art graduates, Sophie Peacocke and Laura Kay. The newsprint mag launched in November 2011 captures “fresh creative projects around New Zealand that would otherwise go unfound”.
Visit Emporium at 103 Cuba Mall in Wellington.
Words and photos Cyndi Greep
13 June 2012
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