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Island Vintage
Offering a Curated Collection of Vintage and Designer Apparel and Accessories

By Olivia Cameron

After years of spending summers on the island, Heather Wolfenden and Alex Nadiger opened Island Vintage in May 2022 as a way to stay more permanently and to share their passion. The couple offer a curated collection of vintage and designer apparel for men and women from around the world, primarily clothing but including accessories and tchotchkes. “We’ve single-handedly picked everything out, so it’s a fun curation. I only want to bring in things that I personally enjoy,” Heather says. She appreciates the history that comes with clothes, as well as the stories and associations people bring, like a recent shopper who bought a dress with the same print her parents wore on their honeymoon. “My favorite is the excitement, when somebody is able to take home a piece that just really makes them feel good, or they couldn’t find elsewhere.”

Heather wanted to be a fashion designer as a kid, but thought it was a pipe dream. She attended school for business, then teaching, and taught for years, supporting the couple’s traveling lifestyle. On their travels they found interesting pieces that they couldn’t bear to leave. She started a Poshmark in 2016, connecting with online sellers and the robust vintage community in Providence, RI, where she opened Fresh & Fossil, Island Vintage’s parent business, selling vintage full time.

They do their best to keep prices affordable, though Heather emphasizes that Island Vintage is not a thrift-store, and don’t receive donations. They will do bulk or estate buys on-island, and consign designer pieces if they have capacity. It’s a new category, one she hopes fills a specific need here. “It’s nice to offer a series of unique pieces that if somebody buys on-island, they won’t see someone else wearing,” she says.

The shop is located at 30 Main St. and open 10 am-6 pm, seven days a week. They can also be found at the Oak Bluffs Open Market on Sundays, the market at Mo’s in the P.A. Club on Thursday nights, the Grange on Fridays, @shopislandvintage on Instagram or their website www.shopislandvintage.com