Coast to Coast Vintage is a mobile vintage shop on wheels serving up men’s and women’s vintage pieces that are sure to start a conversation! I found CTC on Instagram a while back and fell in love with their unique, colorful pieces and wild prints. Based in L.A., it was about time I go visit Baby Girl (CTC’s lovingly converted vintage camper a.k.a. the coolest shop ever!) down at the Melrose Trading Post, where she can be found most Sundays!
CTC is curated by Jaimee and her partner Adam, who have a love for vintage and traveling the across the U.S. Each item is hand picked by these two and their selection does not disappoint!! I mean, can we talk about this Ah-Mazing outfit my girl Jaimee has on! She has a great eye for design and her shop is full of one of kind pieces like this.
Outside the camper, you are greeted with colorful garment racks, fun accessories (ice cream tattoos, rainbow pins and killer sunnies) and quirky shoes to complete your look.
Of course, keeping it California cool!
Once you step into the shop your greeted with an even greater selection of vintage treasures from polka dots to floral to tribal and if you’re in need of a mini rainbow piñata they have you covered on that too! There selection is based on the season as well, so you can find the perfect Spring dress right now and a fabulous coat in Winter, making your shopping that much easier!
Flanked by their signature palm trees, CTC is a kick ass spot to add something awesome to your wardrobe. It is for sure, a must stop shop!
Which one is your favorite?
Selection of men’s shirts. Find something for your Boo too!
This is one of my favorite parts of CTC. Each tag shows you where your piece was found and the journey it took to get to you! Love this!!
I asked Jaimee, Founder and Curator of Coast to Coast Vintage, to share a bit more about the shop the below.
Q: How did Coast to Coast come to be? A: C2C came to be after I had saved up a good amount of money and was officially over my retail job! I was living in NYC at the time and feeling both trapped and suffocated by the city life. I had been making trips out to California more and more frequently and could totally see myself living there! Owning my own vintage shop had always been a dream of mine, but seeing as I had zero experience buying or selling beforehand, I thought a mobile shop would be a fun way to test it out before committing. Some might have just gone for an Etsy shop to start but I like to think big 🙂 I bought the trailer in 2012, and one year later Coast to Coast was born and we were on the road and off with a bang!
Q: Do you have a background in fashion?
A: I do! I went to FIT for Fashion Design. I decided after completing the program that I didn’t love it enough to put my all into it, and that I really just loved appreciating clothing that was already made. And even more so, the concept behind personal style and how people put pieces together! I then went into a Visual Merchandising career in retail that spanned 7 years and focused on the science behind what makes people buy certain items and why? So all of this combined helped in the creation of C2C 🙂
Q: Do you have any favorite designers that you seek out?
A:I love anything Diane Freis, Flora Kung, I.Magnin, Liz Claiborne (and all her subsidiaries), Silkscapes, The African Village, Josefa, Catherine Ogust..the list goes on and grows everyday as I learn of more!
Q: You have an amazing selection of prints and color. How do you pick the pieces for your shop?
A:Thank you so much! The best way to explain it is that I select the pieces that make my brain go “!!!!”. I like to find items that are conversation pieces, as well as items I haven’t seen before. I mix in quite a bit of vintage basic or subtle pieces for our in person events, but it’s all the vibrant stand out pieces that make it onto our web site so it really pops!
Q: Can you share a memory of your best vintage find?
A: Oh wow, there are so many!! I once found an amazing mint condition Cross Colours printed and semi-rare two piece shorts set on a super rainy and miserable day in NYC that ended up bringing me a pretty penny.
Q: Without giving away too much, do you have a favorite city to treasure hunt in?
A: We love shopping out here in LA, as well as anywhere in the Midwest!
Q: Do you sell all over the U.S.?
A:Technically, because I have an online shop, I sell all over the world!! 🙂 In person, we have currently sold in 14/50 states to date and are always looking to add more to the list!
Q: What’s your favorite part of having a mobile shop?
A: Having a mobile shop reduces my overhead while giving me maximum control! Plus, it’s a fun way to meet people and to stand out at events when everyone else has tents 🙂
Q: What is your go to accessory?
A: My go to accessory is a three-way tie between a silk scarf of bandana, a pair of statement sunglasses, and my red lipstick! 🙂
Where ever you are in the world you can visit their online shop for one of kind vintage pieces!
To stay up to date on what city Baby Girl is in, make sure you follow their journey on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
iamsheglobal.com 