Shop Talk
Dundee’s Scout: Dry Goods & Trade, 5019 Underwood Ave., has already become a favorite fixture in the city’s vintage clothing landscape. Now, it’s adding kitschy housewares and small gifts to the mix, many produced by area and independent artists.
“We love the idea of supporting artists that make their own goods,” Scout owner Kelly Newell said, “so that’s a big part of [the new inventory]. The other part is also to offer some really cool items for birthdays and graduation and the upcoming Christmas holidays – just to give more variety for customers.”
New items include pocket-sized Scout Book notebooks, handmade paper puppets and other wall art, art prints by Nikki McClure, the Non-Planner Datebook by Little Otsu (a cute combination planner-and-journal for the more disorganized), passport and checkbook covers, stationary sets and locally made customizable throw pillows that have proven especially popular, Newell said.
Vintage home items will make appearances in Scout’s Etsy shop, etsy.com/shop/scoutdrygoods, too. And while customers can’t bring in their own old knickknacks, they can score home items with store credit gleaned from trading their clothes and accessories.
Scout will start taking fall and winter clothing in August. And on Aug. 28, Dundee Day, the shop will open at 9 a.m. to host a massive $1 sale—some of the store’s best stuff has been stashed away for it, Newell said.
Check out all the new inventory as it comes in on Scout’s Facebook page and Twitter feed—links to both, along with a link to the Etsy shop, are on Scout’s website, ilovescout.com. For more information, call 964-2270.
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Before I go this week, I want to make a brief comment on the rash of gaucho pants I’ve seen around town lately.
I know these were popular back in, like, 2005 – you remember them, right? A little like a skirt and a lot like culottes, these flowy capri-knee skirt hybrids were the track pants of the mid-2000s. I admit to having a few pairs I wore to work or the movies myself.
Unfortunately, at least in terms of those still sporting these, and there are a lot of you, the gaucho was really a flash-in-the-pan trend. After the summer of 2006, it ended.
I know gauchos were comfy. But I promise this season – and every season – offers an alternative that’s more on point. This summer, I suggest the cropped or knee-length legging, which gives you a little practical breathing room when full-length leggings are too toasty. Throw them on with a pair of flats and a T-shirt dress and you won’t miss those gauchos one bit.