Dame's Vintage Emporium owner offers unique clothing and accessories

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Paid Sponsor Partnership: Philadelphia Corporation for Aging

Alané Dame has a gift for thrift, curating clothing and accessories for all genders at Dame's Vintage Emporium.

"This has been a dream of mine since I was 18," says Dame, owner of Dame's Vintage Emporium. "I just wanted to have secondhand, beautiful clothing."

She carries pieces from the 1940s to the early 2000s.

Dame says she wanted to give people the feeling of "looking at history," not just vintage clothing. There's everything from boots to belts.

"This is like an art gallery of jewelry," she says.

She framed and hung the jewelry on her store walls.

Dame says her aunt first introduced her to pre-loved pieces.

"One time she sent a pair of cantaloupe slingback shoes from the '60s," she says. "I just was hook, line and sinker, loved it."

Her passion for fashion started at a young age.

She has a selection of her Barbie doll clothes framed on the wall as well.

"I designed and made this piece on a toy sewing machine when I was seven," she says. "There's pieces of me throughout the store."

She takes great care of her unique finds.

"I will thrift piece by piece, handpick each piece," she says.

She has suits for men and women, a little sportswear and t-shirts.

"People are surprised at the amount of men's I have in here," she says. "It's hard to find. Men hang onto their stuff much longer."

Vintage purses are prized by Dame.

"'40s, '50s, yeah, they're old," she says. "They have a story."

A story to be continued with the next owner.

"They're very special," says Dame. "There's a lot of love that goes into my store."

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Dame's Vintage Emporium
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Dame's Vintage Emporium
804 N. 2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123