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From the outside, the yellow building on the corner of Court and Park streets is unimposing. No signage provides any clue as to what might be inside, but word on the street is that it is a “gem of New Bedford.”
The warm, cozy interior invites customers to peruse racks and bins of vintage clothing from the Victorian period through the early 1990s, with a heavier selection from the midcentury through the 1980s. Nearly every inch of the 7,000-plus square foot space is covered with a spectrum of men’s and women’s clothing like ’50s sling overalls, a ’30s circus-themed silk scarf and Victorian lingerie. Some pieces have been featured in shows and films like “Julia,” “The Boston Strangler” and “The Holdovers,” set in the 1960s and 1970s.
The store is Circa Vintage Wear, a South Coast staple, recently named by the New York Times as one of the 50 best clothing stores in the United States — a distinction many customers say is well-deserved. Chris Duval, owner and self-declared fashion archaeologist, has been curating vintage finds since the store opened in 1986.
“We just opened this thing, and immediately we got [a] good response, so I kept it going,” Duval said.
Duval may be operating a business, but the store also serves as a place for community. He warmly welcomes his clients as they filter into the store, catching up with longtime shoppers between making sales and patching the lining of a jacket with a needle and thread.
“It’s an energy,” said Jayme Tracz, who helped Duval decorate the store. “When you come in here, everyone feels like they’re safe here.”
Customers, who range from local South Coast residents to international and out-of-state visitors, said Circa’s extensive inventory and curation make it stand out in the vintage clothing world.
“[It has] men’s and women’s [clothes], which is amazing,” Aja Blanc, a Providence artist said. “The inventory is huge. It’s across a ton of different decades and a lot of the pieces are really unique.”
Blanc, who visited the store for the first time last weekend, described it as the “best vintage shop in the area.”
“You never really know what you’ll find,” said James Roderigues, a Fairhaven resident. “There’s a little bit of everything.”
History
Duval first began his vintage journey when he was 17 in 1974, after visiting a store owned by the late Bobby Garnett, a renowned American clothier based in Boston. Garnett became a friend, indirect mentor and longtime inspiration to Duval.
At the time, Duval was amazed by the quality and pricing of the vintage clothing, describing it as a way to create a unique look.
He became hooked.
“Back then, people didn’t really care too much about reselling vintage. People couldn’t understand why I was buying it,” Duval said.
Although he had never imagined becoming a vintage curator until then, Duval said the meeting prompted him to consider it while thrifting more. He soon realized he had an aptitude, or a good eye, for gravitating toward what would become popular.
“[It] evolved into just listening to my gut and buying stuff I loved because I always felt like if you’re surrounded with stuff you really like, it’s not icky,” Duval said, adding with a laugh, “[Sometimes] stuff doesn’t sell, and it’s like well, at least I love [it].”
The store has expanded twice and relocated three times. It was originally in Fairhaven, then moved to New Bedford’s North End, then to a building on Cove Street. It moved 11 years ago to its current location at 204 Court St. in New Bedford.
“This store has probably been the best,” Duval said, referring to the New Bedford location. “People seem to like it better than all the other places.”
Andrew Skypeck, a customer for 20 years, said he came to Circa this month to visit Chris and book an appointment for him to look into his grandmother’s vintage clothing set.
“His variety is just superior,” Skypeck said. “He has his hands on everything. For every bit of fashion that’s been out there, he has maybe at least a piece of it somewhere. I’ve never come up short on anything I’ve ever asked him for.”
Duval hopes to inspire more people to get into vintage shopping and clothing. While he does not usually focus on accolades or promoting the store itself, he appreciates how publicity like the New York Times list exposes more people to thrifting.
The curation process
Duval said his collection is sourced from a series of avenues which could range from an estate sale to rummaging through an attic.
“I like going to the source, [like] the little lady that saved all her clothes over the years, or somebody who had an incredible collection of specific vintage, and pick through and find stuff that I think is viable or works with my aesthetic,” he said.
Now that he’s become more established in the vintage industry — nearly 40 years now — he can focus more on picking pieces he likes, with less concern about profit.
In his first few years of operating Circa, Duval built his inventory by sifting through thrift shops on the South Coast. Now, most of the items come to him through people looking to give their things a second life.
“I get tons of calls constantly,” Duval said, attributing this to the reputation he’s built over the years.
He said he looks for beautiful fabrics and colors, quality and tailoring, and particularly likes finding an item in rough shape, so he can “bring it back.”
“[Circa’s collection is] not just what’s trending,” Tracz said. “It’s everything across the board.”
Duval said vintage shopping has become increasingly popular as people focus more on sustainability. He added that the internet has also changed how items are priced, since people can now compare these more easily.
“I have no problem with that,” he said. “I think it’s kind of good. Anything that involves the commerce of vintage is good. It’s recycling. It’s repurposing. It promotes individual style.”
The store’s revenue comes from three streams that balance each other out in terms of profit: general shopping, rentals and wholesale.
While it’s only open on the weekends to the general public, customers can also make appointments during the week — which Duval said is his standard business model — to peruse its collections, sell their own vintage items or rent items from suits to costumes. Duval said rentals are also available for films and photoshoots.
Duval said a goal for the store is to keep making it “weirder and always interesting,” and his biggest motivation is to continue being an inspiration to people, particularly kids.
“We’re not trying to get rich here,” Duval said. “I just want to keep this fun. I want to continue to love it.”
Crystal Yormick is a Boston University journalism student and a frequent contributor to The New Bedford Light. Email her at cyormick@newbedfordlight.org.