Sad news today for Twin Cities vintage lovers: Uptown vintage stalwart Tatters has announced it will be closing. Located near the intersection of Lyndale Avenue South and West Lake Street, Tatters was founded in 1980 by Marc Luers, a former Ragstock manager and vintage aficionado, where it has remained as the cool older brother of Twin Cities vintage (and a great place to put together an authentic-looking Halloween costume or Mad Men-inspired party look).
Doug Denham, who has long managed day-to-day operations of the store, shared the sad news with me today via email, citing the raising of property taxes in the Lyn-Lake area, which he says “tend to squeeze out independent retailers,” as well as the constant construction of condos and apartment complexes. Other vintage sellers Uptown have recently been squeezed out of the area thanks to rising rent prices, such as furniture store Theater Antiques in 2006 and clothing exchange Everyday People last year.
Denham cited additional factors that contributed to the closing, such as the rise of online buying and selling via sites like eBay. “Why would someone sell us their motorcycle jacket when they can get two or three times our offer online?” he says. He says “perhaps the final blow as this past brutal winter when no one left the house. We were just not equipped to recover from that.”
While a closing date has not been set, Denham said the store will start its closeout sale this Monday with 25 percent off the entire stock followed by deeper cuts as they get closer to closing day.
Denham adds, “We are all very sorry, not just over the loss of our jobs but over the loss of all of our great customers, long time and recent, who have supported and depended on us over the past 34-plus years.”
Beginning Mon. 2928 Lyndale Ave. S., Mpls., 612-823-5285, tattersvintageclothing.com
