Vintage pop-up shop downtown Mount Pleasant this weekend
Cecilia’s Closet, vintage boutique and pop-up shop, had its debut opening Sept. 29 in the Old New Yorker Building, 117 S. Main St.
The shop opens after six weeks of hand-washing, spot treatment and ironing original creations from throughout the decades.
The shop will only be in operation on Friday and on Saturday, Sept. 30 from 12-5 p.m.
Shop manager and Mount Pleasant Vice Mayor Allison Quast-Lents said Cecilia's Closet will hopefully be making a reappearance downtown by Feb.
“We have enough items to do at least five more sales,” Quast-Lents said, adding that boxes of clothes are still available for opening and display placement in the near future.
The idea for Cecilia's Closet originates near the year 1945, where a young Australian seamstress was brought to the United States to marry an American soldier who had been stationed in Papua New Guinea during World War II.
The rompers, nightwear, hats, skirts, blouses, lingerie, shoes and jumpsuits available for purchase are original creations from Quast-Lents’ grandmother, Cecilia.
“(She) was very, very fashionable,” Quast-Lents said. “She was the kind of grandma who would go to the beach (wearing) pearls and high heels with her homemade bikini.”
After her grandmother passed away in the spring, she left behind hand-crafting clothing, patterns and fabrics.
“She spent a lot of time designing her own clothes and sewing her own clothes, and never threw anything away,” Quast-Lents said, explaining that her grandmother had left behind distinctly timeless and classic pieces as well as the materials necessary for creating them.
Items include collections of jewelry and accessories, as well as clothes the grandmother had customly made for her five children.
Outfit sizes range from zero to 14 in women’s clothing, Quast-Lents said, adding that she believes to have offered a fun selection.
Quast-Lents’ grandmother resided in Corunna prior to her death, where Quast-Lents and her sister spent summers throughout their childhood.
“We never had a close, personal relationship and there were a lot of things in her home that were off limits,” she said. “The sewing room, especially, we were never allowed to go in and see.”
She said she and her sister would frequently yearn to visit the room to view the old homecoming and prom dresses their grandmother had designed for their mother.
The pop-up show is succeeding to honor a woman who was always dressed to the tee and carried herself with a unique look, Quast-Lents said.
Another goal is to also promote the Old New Yorker building as an official pop-up location.
“We’re getting it ready to do more pop-up events in it,” she said, adding that electrical and plumbing repairs are still in the works. “The idea idea of having a series of pop-up events (can show clients) what can be done in this space.”
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