ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR – JORGE GUERRERO
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT 13, 2023
Planted in the Deco District on the West side of San Antonio House of Trends is a gold mine of a second-hand vintage shop, open on Fredericksburg Road since 2021. Brothers Jared Ramos and Joshua Ramos opertate the family-owned business. They are one of San Antonio’s most prominent second-hand vintage shops, selling vintage clothes started out as a hobby for Jared in 2014, where he would occasionally sell and vend at markets.
However, in early 2020 during the pandemic, Jared lost his job as a bartender and sought alternatives to make ends meet. “I had to put food on the table,” recalls Jared. At that time, he decided to sell clothes fulltime at vending markets for a year and a half until their success brought them a golden opportunity.
In mid-September of 2021, after success at local vintage clothing markets such as those that occur at the Brick at Blue Star Arts Complex, the Ramos brothers acquired their convivial shop. Joshua remembers, “I was at Texas A&M University and would make the three-hour drive regularly on the weekends because classes were online.” The Ramos brothers’ determination has successfully evolved their small store into a cultivated shop, procuring articles of clothing fit for any occasion. One can sustainably shop from a wide array of clothing featuring racks of men’s and women’s tops, sweatshirts, preppy shirts, denim bottoms, accessories and footwear. The San Antonio duo has provided their childhood neighborhood a friendly and affable storefront that perfectly achieves their mission of providing locals with an eco-friendly opportunity to purchase comfortable clothing. It connects them to past and current trends, and culture rooted in their upbringing.
One-mile down Fredericksburg Road in the depths of the Beacon Hill neighborhood, lies one of San Antonio’s beloved vintage clothing shops. Pink Dreams Vintage is the result of owner Pinkie’s dream of running their own shop. Born and raised in San Marcos, Texas, Pinkie is a Texas State University Alumni with a degree in fashion merchandising and a minor in business. As a San Marcos native, they sold in local popup markets and eventually moved to San Antonio. Drawn in by the culture and downto-earth nature of locals in the first half of 2023, she stumbled upon the storefront that is now home to her extraordinary business.
Her store has vintage clothing, bags, furniture, adornments, jewelry, plants, framed paintings, and vintage memorabilia including stacks of VHS’s, loads of CRT TV’s endlessly playing shows from the 90s, and vintage toys. Pinkie mentions how they curate the store with items that catch their eye. “If I like it and it feels unique, I gravitate towards it,” explains Pinkie. With a unique, genderless store layout, Pinkie has successfully brought to life one of the most captivating and aesthetically pleasing vintage shops in the San Antonio area, becoming one of the best options for locals to shop sustainably.