Vintage Warehouse in Spartanburg has completed its relocation to the 34,000-square-foot former Palmetto Textiles building at 1201-B Union Street across from Carolina Cash Co.
The store’s owners said the move was prompted by their needs for more space and their previous landlord’s decision to sell the building at 844 S. Pine St. that housed their original 8,000-square-foot store.
“We outgrew the space,” said Carmen Blanton, who co-founded the store with her friend Jane Crook in 2014. “I don’t think we realized by how much until we moved in here. We knew we didn’t want to buy that building because we needed more room to grow.”
During the past year, Crook and Blanton have taken on two ownership partners, Spartanburg artists Darrell Griggs, who specializes in electrical and metalworking, and Greg Whisnant, a skilled carpenter.
The store’s merchandise includes refurbished, handmade and collectible pieces, mostly for home décor, that are either made by the owners or a group of local “vendors” who rent space within the store.
Since July 2015, the store’s number of vendors has increased from 24 to 35, owners said.
“We knew we wanted to remain on the [Mary Black Foundation] rail trail,” Crook said. “Our spaces [for vendors] were small. We always had an open floor plan, but this provided us with more space, more flexibility and more options.”
The building is a warehouse built in 1939 for a textile machinery company, although it has served a variety of tenants during its lifespan. A spur at the rear of the building connects with the deactivated Norfolk Southern corridor that runs alongside the 1.9-mile rail trail between South Pine and Union streets.
The building’s interior includes 3,000 square feet of air-conditioned space that previously served as offices but now houses artwork displays.
A 25,000-square-foot bay that features concrete floors, steel beams, exposed brick and a wood ceiling has been transformed into Vintage Warehouse’s main sales floor.
Adjacent to the sales floor is a 6,000-square-foot building addition the owners have converted into event hall. It will serve as a venue for weddings, receptions, social gatherings, charity events and other functions.
The sales floor and event hall are heated by gas but do not yet have air conditioning, which the owners hope to address in the near future.
A parking lot in front of the building has ample space for customers. The owners plan to improve the path that connects the building to the rail trail.
The property includes a 1.5-acre concrete pad next to the building, which the owners plan to use for outdoor events. They also hope to add a coffee and juice bar near the main entrance.
“We couldn’t be more excited about it,” Crook said. “Everyone has always told us that our store is like Etsy or Pinterest come to life. We feel like we’ve been able to keep the character of the store, while providing ourselves with enough room to grow.”
Gowns & Glory
Vintage Warehouse will host a vintage bridal gown auction and fundraising event Gowns & Glory from 10:30 a.m. to noon on July 4.
Proceeds from the event will benefit Upstate Warrior Solution (UWS), a nonprofit group that supports veterans, active duty military members and their families in Anderson, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg and Greenville counties.
UWS and Spartanburg-based ELYSIAN magazine are co-sponsoring the event, which is the brainchild of World War II veteran Bob Forsyth.
Forsyth donated the dresses that will be auctioned off. They include dozens of designs by his wife, fashion designer Eva Haynal Forsyth.
For information about the event and the gowns, visit www.readelysian.com/bridalgown.
