After opening its doors just three years ago in a tiny space at the back of Mid March Clothing Co. on Broughton St., Glory Days Vintage has secured the title of Best Thrift/Vintage Clothing Store in Savannah. It’s a hard accolade to garner, as Savannah’s vintage market has grown considerably in recent years.
“I believe I have created a space where people feel comfortable in expressing themselves, trying on different things and being able to bring these things home and give them a new life,” said owner Ella Shipes. “I am incredibly thankful to win this. The vintage community in Savannah is constantly changing and growing and I am grateful to be a part of it.”
Shipes’ little shop of vintage treasures is more than just a business. It pays homage to not only her clear love for collecting, but to her mother Gloria who inspired the shops name.
“I grew up thrifting with her,” Shipes recalls. “She was crazy and so much fun. She’s who helped me develop my love for all things vintage. She passed away a few years ago so I named my business Glory Days after her.”
Very apropos for a business that is meant to elicit nostalgia and executes that moniker successfully and playfully. While it doesn’t take long to stroll through the tiny space, you can get lost for hours in the countless new pieces that Shipes pulls in to bring life to the store.
“I source primarily from estate sales and curate my collection based off of my personal style and what is currently trending,” explains Shipes. “My goal is to bring in quality pieces that can help someone figure out their style and experiment with a variety of different things to create something original but to also make it affordable.”
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Something that sets Glory Days apart from some competitors is Shipes’ dedication to accessibility. She sources, cleans and mends everything herself, which for those who have only recently discovered a love for vintage, can make the shopping experience a lot less intimidating.
While Shipes’ store mingles together decades and styles, she has a particular soft-spot for the 80’s and 90’s.
“I love curating pieces with crazy patterns and colors that you just don’t see as much in current fashion and making it affordable,” said Shipes.
Vintage fashion, while has always been, for a lack of better words, fashionable, has really burst in popularity more recently as consumers, particularly young adults and teenagers, are looking for fast fashion alternatives to reduce their footprint on the Earth. Reducing and recycling are very “en vogue” and second-hand clothing provides a way to express yourself with one-of-a-kind pieces without having to contribute to textile waste or pay in the thousands for designer clothing of the same trend.
While Shipes is certainly riding the wave of her store’s win, she also has her eyes to the future. Right now, she reaches customers at her brick-and-mortar store and at vintage markets throughout Savannah, but later this year, she is excited to expand her treasures to an online platform.
It looks like nothing but glory days from here on out.
Glory Days Vintage is located at 3 E Broughton St. in downtown Savannah. Just walk into Mid March Clothing Co. and go past the fitting rooms to start your adventure.
Limited number of tickets available for Best Of Banquet on May 16!
https://events.connectsavannah.com/event/best-of-savannah-2024/
This article appears in Connect Savannah I April 2024.