Carrie Pace is the owner of Valentina, which opened March 1 in Lawrenceville.
In case you hadn’t noticed, “thrifting” — the practice of recycling and reusing clothing — has not only gone viral but gone upscale. No longer just a practice among those who for generations have thrifted out of economic necessity (and long before there was a cool word for it), but who see the virtue in seeking out recently made or vintage apparel of quality, versus adding to the rapidly growing, environmentally irresponsible wasteland that’s been the inevitable result of a glut of inexpensive, poorly made fast fashion.
The scale of this growing movement toward “circular fashion” is growing rapidly; the New York Times recently cited a study by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a British non-profit that advocates for a circular economy, that predicts thrifting will become a $700 billion market, or 23 percent of the fashion industry, by 2030.
That said, the thrifters among us now have a new place to, um … thrift. On March 1, Valentina, a shop offering vintage women’s fashion and a well curated selection of gift items, opened at 23 Phillips Avenue in Lawrenceville. The building, next to Vidalia restaurant, formerly housed Zuzu art gallery and qualifies for the “vintage” designation as well. The circa 1890 structure was moved from the campus of the Lawrenceville School to its present location in 1925, according to the previous tenant.
The shop is named for the daughter of Valentina’s owner Carrie Pace. Carrie, spouse Dan, daughter Valentina, and sons Luca and Henry recently moved to Lawrenceville.
Why did Carrie decide to open Valentina? “I’ve always been drawn to clothing and style and fashion,” she explains. “My grandmother had a suit that she bought for a hundred dollars in the ’60s for my mother’s graduation. My mother wore it in the ’80s, and then she passed it along it to me in the early 2000s. I wore it to my first job interview after college in New York City. I got the job, and I’m still wearing it!
“I wore it on the first day of opening Valentina,” she continues. “I love the idea of being able to pass things through generations that are made to last, with hand-made button holes and other cool details, and that are gentle on the environment. There are so many treasures to be discovered out there.”
Pace notes that her love of good design is reflected in her formal education as well. “I was an art major in college, and I’ve worked in interior design,” she says, noting that her first job was with Scully and Scully (a mainstay of elegant decor and design services in Manhattan since 1934) and then with a fashion design firm in the West Village. “I wanted to bring that experience with me, an appreciation for the thought and effort that went into well-designed vintage clothing.”
Valentina has taken the Phillips Avenue space that previously housed the Zuzu Gallery.
This is her first brick-and-mortar business. “I had an online clothing business 15 years ago,” she says. “Wherever we’d travel I’d pick up pieces and photograph them and blog about them.” Pace notes that she is constantly on the hunt for vintage items for Valentina. “I always have an eye out for unique items for the shop,” she says. “I go to Brooklyn, shops on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Hoboken, estate sales, sometimes even items from my own closet!”
How would she describe her inventory, the mix of clothing and gift items? “The clothing is all vintage, but when it comes to gifts I have quite a few new things, all selected by me,” she says, pointing out the eclectic selection of ceramics, vases, books and other gift items. “I enjoy seeking out pieces, that’s one of my favorite parts of what I do. When people think that ‘I really need a unique, special, thoughtfully sourced gift that you won’t find everywhere, that you can’t get on Amazon,’ I’d love them to think of me and my shop.”
On a recent visit, vintage items on offer included a gray Italian wool sweater by Luca Nobili ($45), vintage USA-made LL Bean lambswool blazer ($75), heather herringbone Harris Tweed coat ($200) and a distinctive teardrop shaped Bottega Veneta evening bag ($600).
What’s been the response to Valentina so far? “A lot of neighbors have been popping in,” Carrie Pace says. “The response has been great!
Valentina, 23 Phillips Avenue, Lawrenceville. Hours: Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday by chance. 917-543-2029. Instagram: valentina_lawrenceville. Email: carriekile@gmail.com.
