Good Neighbor Podcast Northport
Bringing Together Local Businesses and Neighbors of Tuscaloosa and Northport!
Good Neighbor Podcast Northport
Alabama Vintage: Preserving Tuscaloosa's Treasured Past with Charlie Nelson
Ever reminisce about the good ol' days of college, when life seemed simpler and your biggest concern was making it to the next tailgate party? Patricia Blondheim here, bringing you a conversation with the charming Charlie Nelson of Alabama Vintage, whose store serves as a time capsule of those carefree days. Charlie opens up about his evolution from a fashion-forward teen to the beloved custodian of Tuscaloosa's treasured past, weaving tales of his adventures in seeking out those rare finds that define Alabama's spirited history. He also shares the life lessons learned from the challenges of keeping a vintage shop thriving in a modern economy, reminding us that passion and adaptability are key ingredients for success.
Join us as we peek behind the racks of nostalgic Alabama gear to uncover Charlie's world beyond the shop walls. Learn about the man who not only curates memories but creates them through his love for cooking, gardening, and quality time with his girlfriend and dog. For those eager to own a piece of Alabama's legacy or simply indulge in a bit of nostalgia, we discuss how to connect with Alabama Vintage, both in person on University Boulevard and across the digital landscape. Remember, this is your chance to support local gems like Charlie's, so be sure to nominate your favorite hometown heroes for a spotlight on future episodes. #GNPNorthport #AlabamaVintage #GameDay #Clothing #RollTide #UniversityofAlabama #vintageclothing #vintage #vintagestyle #s #vintagefashion #sfashion #vintageshop #fashion #retro #secondhand #thrift #vintageclothes #streetwear #ootd #sustainablefashion #style #thriftstorefinds #thrifting #sstyle #vintagedress #vintageforsale #thrifted #preloved #thriftshop #svintage #vintagetshirt #vintagetee #thriftedfashion #vintagelove #vintageoutfit
This is the Good Neighbor podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Patricia Blondheim.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Good Neighbor podcast. I'm your host, patricia Blondheim, and today we have Good Neighbor Charlie Nelson, and Charlie is the owner of Alabama Vintage here on University Boulevard in Tuscaloosa. How are you this morning?
Speaker 3:I'm doing great. How are you doing?
Speaker 2:I'm doing great. Thank you, it's a pleasure to see you. I've been in your store. It's completely unique and really a cool place to go. Tell our listeners a little bit about Alabama Vintage.
Speaker 3:Yeah, well, thank you for that. Our own Vintage. It's just a vintage clothing store in Tuscaloosa, alabama. Like she said, it's downtown Tuscaloosa on University Boulevard. We specialize in mostly vintage Alabama gear from the past to kind of provide a nostalgic feel to students and alumni. The majority of the store is Alabama stuff, but we also have a huge selection of things like vintage hats. We also have some shoes. We've got our merch a little bit of everything.
Speaker 2:Vintage is so cool. How do you source these items? I mean, it's like finding a needle in a haystack, isn't it?
Speaker 3:It is, and it has gotten harder. When I first started it was a lot easier. I really just started going to thrift stores and would find just really I didn't know what was expensive and what wasn't. It was more of just what I thought was cool, which I liked that aspect of it. But recently it's gotten a lot harder. With it growing in demand, a lot of people will bring stuff into me to sell, which makes it a little easier. The cost has gone up a little bit, but it's really however I can find it. I go to garage sales, estate sales, thrift stores, but I'd say most of the stuff people will reach out to me, whether it's online or in store, and a lot of people will ship stuff to me from, like Florida, georgia, tennessee, things like that.
Speaker 2:Well, that's wonderful. How did you get into this, Charlie? I mean, what an interesting little niche.
Speaker 3:So when I was in middle and high school I really would go thrift stores just to kind of create my own style with my friends. We didn't really like the current style. Everyone was wearing just the typical polos. We wanted to be a little bit more unique, so we would go thrifting just to find personal clothes. And then in college I kind of realized that there was just a growing demand for it and it was just quickly coming really popular. And I realized that I also had a full closet of this stuff so I started selling it and had some extra spending money.
Speaker 2:So do people walk in? And just how? Do people walk in and know it's a vintage store, or Do they have any misconceptions about your store when they walk in?
Speaker 3:Yeah, a lot of people will come in thinking it's like one of the new stores, like selling all the new apparel, like license stuff that we're making. But it's really not. The trends in how them are a little bit slower, so people are still catching on. But a lot of people there's people that will think it's like a thrift store, which I wish it was, I wish we got stuff donated. But there's a lot of people that think it's like an Alabama gift shop, which I guess it is technically. But I get it because we have so much going on in here that it's hard to identify it as just one thing.
Speaker 2:That's what makes it fun.
Speaker 3:Exactly.
Speaker 2:Yeah, never change. It sounds like what you do is a lot of fun, but when you're not doing what you're doing, what does fun look like for you?
Speaker 3:I'm not lying, I'm kind of simple. When I'm not at the shop, I love just keeping it low key, relaxing and spending time with my girlfriend and my dog. I really love to cook. Last year I started a vegetable garden so I've been busy with that. That's been a lot of fun. But it really depends. Sundays that's my off day and I like to do a little. I like to do a little bit of outside for a little while, just because I'm getting cooped up in here, but I just like relaxing with my girlfriend and my dog.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, that is so valid. I love that stuff too. There's nothing nicer than shutting off your brain and just sitting with the people that you love that is fun, it's for nothing better. So did you ever encounter anything in your life, Charlie, that made you a better person? Maybe it was a little bit more than a speed bump. It created an opportunity for you to grow and it made you a better person. Can you describe a hardship?
Speaker 3:like that. Yeah, there's a I mean I could say a couple, but I would say a recent thing has been the rising costs and inflation. That's been real tough, like just starting a business and you know everyone got those COVID checks and stimulus and everyone had a lot of money and they were spending it and I thought I was going to, you know, be a no in there, but then the rising costs and inflation kind of caught up. So that's been hard to maneuver through but I'd say I figured out other ways to kind of keep up with it. If that makes sense, it's. I think it's helped me grow my business to other avenues, whether it's like our custom merch or the shoes we've added or just vintage hats. Just it's kind of I've had to figure out ways to keep up with the economy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean that is like that's a common thread with entrepreneurs, not only here in Tuscaloosa, but everywhere. Covid made us agile. Right, we had to pivot during COVID, absolutely, but then we carried those skills, those really valuable skills, over into this new inflationary market and it's just causing us to have to think on our feet, you know Absolutely. So what's the what's something that you want our listeners to take away about Alabama vintage?
Speaker 3:I'd say that even if you're not into like Alabama gear or used clothing, no matter what you're really into, we've probably got something for you in here. Even if you're like an Auburn fan or a rival fan, if you come in here, there's something for you in here. Like no matter who you are, what you're into, you're all here at Alabama vintage and we'll find you something.
Speaker 2:Wonderful. How can listeners contact Alabama vintage and how can they find you?
Speaker 3:So we've got pretty much all the social medias. We've got a shop downtown Tuscaloosa. It's 2210 University Boulevard, smacked in between BlackWare Brewery and Tuscaloosa Flower Shop. But we do have socials like this. How we started was Facebook, Instagram, things like that. So we do have that and we have a website called AlabamaVintagecom. But I would follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, whatever you use.
Speaker 2:Wonderful Charlie. Thank you so much for coming by and letting me meet you today. It was a pleasure getting to know you.
Speaker 3:Absolutely you as well. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast Northport. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPNorthportcom. That's GNPNorthportcom, or call 205-809-4910.