When Domingo Remodis was a kid, he often went to thrift stores and flea markets as he wanted to dress for less. According to him, this eventually led him into the business of vintage reselling, finding clothing from back then. An example of this is a sweater. He has an early 2000s Arizona sweater that he was selling at a vintage event with other sellers at the University of the Pacific.
Ryan Vasquez and his brother Justin Vasquez own a vintage shop, called the N9ne. Ryan started off selling shoes as a slide job, while Justin sold clothing. Eventually they decided to merge into the n9ne located on Stockton’s Miracle Mile. Beyond knowing what makes vintage clothing uniquely attractive to those who collect and wear it, knowing how to tell a genuine vintage article apart from a reprint or bootleg is a vital skill.
Domingo Remodis stated “This can be achieved by looking at the details on the shirt, such as the stitching. Older shirts are single-stitched, while modern ones are double-stitched. Other ways can be through the tag, because company logos do sometimes change furthermore. The design itself, or the material clothing is made from, can also give away what era it’s from another can be the tag itself as paper tags where used during the 90’s to early 2000s.”
There are other issues to consider, as well, including the quality of the clothing, what size it is and whether it’s stained, ripped or faded — all conditions that could affect the value.
What makes clothing considered vintage can differ from person to person.
“Y2K is what I would consider vintage,” said Domingo Remodis. Other resellers would say clothing originating from the ’80s and ’90s, though finding them now can be tricky.
Vintage clothing can be sourced from a variety of place, such as thrift stores, which often get donations of clothing. Other sources include estate sales and flea markets.
In the case of Ryan Vasquez and his brother, they would attend vintage expos.
“We mainly go to these events to buy products for our store,” said Ryan Vasquez. Or you can be Domingo Remodis as he attends these events as a seller “markets are more my thing you know the connection” with resellers. These expos range from small gatherings of 10 resellers at University of Pacific’s event to events like World’s Worst that is happening in Sacramento having about 150 vendors attending.
You need a platform to sell what you’ve sourced out, whether the buyer is a local or from out of town there are different apps and websites to choose from.
“We sell on Ebay, Instagram, and our own website,” said Ryan Vasquez.
Domingo Remodis’ focus lies on in-person events and sales.
“I’m more of an in person seller for the connection but I do use a little bit of Depop,” said Domingo Remodis.
Getting into the business of vintage reselling is difficult, so stretching your limbs to other forms of vintage or just reselling in general is a good idea. Other forms can be plates, glass cups, shoes, figures, or even hats.
As Domingo Remodis puts it: “Vintage can apply to everything: accessories, bags and shoes from top to bottom.”
When Ryan Vasquez started, it began as a hobby. Of course, Justin was reselling as well, but he got into it before Ryan started out working separately until 2018, when the two decided to merge together. Domingo Remodis likes to make connections with other resellers.
“I know most of the resellers here at this event,” said Domingo Remodis.
