New name, location on the way for this downtown Rockford vintage retail store
ROCKFORD — Last April, Ryan Smiley opened his brick and mortar retail store to introduce vintage clothing to the downtown area. This year, he's growing, expanding both the size of the store and its offerings.
Smiley will be moving the store from the second floor of the Indoor City Market to 120 N. Madison St., a location that Thirdmark Supply House will soon vacate. The store will also change its name too, from Smiley's Vintage Supply Co. to simply Smiley's.
The name change signifies Smiley's plans to make the business more than just a retail store.
"We're planning events and different things for people to just come in, not feel pressured that they have to buy anything, but just give them something to do," Smiley said.
He plans to add a sneaker wall, offer store-branded clothing and feature popular local brands such as Lanor and OTHXR.
"There's stuff for everyone so that if they come in and they're not super into vintage, per se, they can still find something that they like," Smiley said. "So eventually I want to expand into having Levi's and Champion, bigger brands in here. But we'll start with local brands, and I'd like to mix local with big. I feel like that helps rise up the smaller brands."
He's also adding famous streetwear brands like Supreme and Bape to the store, something Smiley was initially against because of negativity associated with reselling expensive and exclusive items.
"I want to put my own twist on providing streetwear so that it's not like I'm wearing Supreme because it's expensive," Smiley said. "I want to put culture back into streetwear and vintage."
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In this new iteration of his store, Smiley said he wants to show customers they don't have to spend an exorbitant amount of money to be a part of streetwear culture.
"You go into a sneaker shop, you're gonna see Yeezys and Jordans. But most people the majority of people are not willing to drop $300 on a pair of shoes," Smiley said. "There are so many high school kids that want to be a part of the culture but they're priced out of the market."
Smiley's will host its grand opening on February 5.
Customers can expect to see five original pieces on the store's first day, including collaborations with OTHXR and Lanor and Smiley's store-branded pieces.
Shaquil Manigault: smanigault@gannett.com; @RRstarShaquil
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Downtown Rockford vintage retail store getting new name, location
