KYN: New Vintage Clothing Store Joins Lakeside Neighborhood

DULUTH, Minn.– A dream come true, to breathe new life into older clothes, has finally come true for a trio of friends.

“Vintage clothing is awesome, because there is so much of it out there. And I really like the treasure hunt, kind of. I love learning, it’s such a cool snapshot into history,” said Caleb Swanson, one of the Jack Pine Vintage owners.

What started as a high school hobby of collecting and selling clothing from the past online has now turned into an up and running business right off of 45th Ave East in Lakeside.

Jack Pine Vintage has clothes all the way back to the thirties, but they mostly specialize in early ’90s, and 1980s apparel.

“Whether it’s an old band shirt, whatever it is. Every piece kind of tells a story. Compared to if you go to the mall. It’s all shipped in from overseas. Not great for the planet, not very sustainable either. Anything Duluth related, anything Minnesota related we love. We’re typically put in the box of men’s wear stuff. We don’t do a lot with dresses or things like that. There are other people in town that are great at that. We’re just kind of focusing on what we know best,” said Swanson.

Another mission for this shop, to combat fast fashion, and how it is impacting the planet.

“There’s some stat, I don’t know the exact number but, there’s enough clothes in the world to clothe everyone for like years. And if everybody stopped buying new clothes, we would still have enough clothes for everyone,” explained Swanson.

For Caleb, seeing the new ways people use the old clothes is rewarding.

“I think it’s really cool to see how people can kind of mix and match old stuff in with their new stuff. Or just old stuff. Some people come in and look, get ideas,” said Swanson.

If you’re willing to give away vintage wear you don’t want, Jack Pine is accepting offers.

Overall, the vintage store is looking forward to a bright future, with relics from the past.