Vintage boots, flats and hiking boots sit on a wooden display at Kin Clothing Exchange. The woman-owned business sells modern and vintage clothing seven days a week. (Lilly Wall/Emerald)
Decorated in soft lighting and wooden accents, Kin Clothing Exchange is curated in a chaotic yet familiar style, evoking the comfort and ease of someone’s bedroom more than the neat rows of racks found in larger, corporate-owned secondhand stores. It’s an intriguing mix of casual curation and a careful mess.
Workers chat with customers like longtime friends. Persian rugs layer the floor, and bright gold signage adds a touch of soft glamour, infused with a hint of antiquity.
A wooden, vintage vanity displays handmade earrings and candles in teacups, created by Kin staff, blending the new with the old. This theme is echoed throughout the clothing on display, from ornate wedding dresses and upcycled items to stretchy neon tops. Creating space for all kinds of clothing and all kinds of shoppers, Kin embodies its name.
“When you give people something extra special, it’s like a mutual respect goes on,” owner Dagua Webb said about the intention behind Kin. “So, people come in, and they feel like we’ve done a little more than average… and I think people really pick up on that, and they’re kind of looking for that. They’re craving that experience.”
Several women-owned clothing stores are shaping Eugene’s fashion culture through sustainability efforts, mutual support and their own creative flair. Owners of Kin Clothing Exchange, The Clothes Horse and Savona’s Bitchin’ Bohemian Boutique are longtime figures in the Eugene fashion scene, whose stories often intertwine.
In 2018, Mariah Melson bought The Clothes Horse, another secondhand vintage store across town, which originally opened in 1992 by Webb’s mother, Ann Hathaway. Both women, Melson and Webb, credit Hathaway as a mentor and major inspiration for pursuing their passions.
“Some people are just unassuming; you don’t realize what powerhouses they are,” Webb said about her mother. “But I look back on my life with my mom, and she’s just someone who has a vision and then will really see it through. And I think it is a teachable thing.”
Melson has built upon the structured joy Hathaway brought to her business, continuing the tradition of writing personal notes on the tags of every item, holding up a lace, ombre grey- and-black prom dress with the tag “mall goth princess.”
Though it takes hope and whimsy, running a business also requires a healthy dose of reality. Two years after taking over, Melson faced the difficulties of operating a business during COVID-19.
Having to pivot, Melson began posting sales on Instagram. This turned out to be a silver lining, as she amassed a large following of both local and non-local clients.
Melson spoke to the kindness of the Eugene community as another big part of helping the business get by. “Eugene is a place where people really show up for small businesses,” she said.
Melson said hope is something she comes back to, and even in times of desperation, there is value in the joy economy. Picking up a prominently displayed turtle hat, Melson said, “We were joking about it; I was like, “Should I price it really high, so it never sells and we just smile at it every day?’”
Another hallmark of Eugene’s fashion scene is Savona Cook, the owner of Savona’s Bitchin’ Bohemian Boutique. Cook’s mother helped found the Oregon Country Fair and the Saturday Market, so her ties to Eugene run deep.
Today, Savona owns and operates a small shop that emulates her eclectic childhood. Cultural textiles, colorful artwork and cases of chunky jewelry surround racks of flowy clothing that replicate the bohemian style sported at the Oregon Country Fair.
Attributing her love of fashion to her mother, Cook said her mother’s degree in textiles drew her to fabrics and natural fibers, which has influenced her decision to source ethical products for her store.
The boutique’s name reflects Cook’s mixed background, growing up in a bohemian household and her later punk influences. She hopes the name will act as a kind of filter for her clientele.
“I thought anybody like me would come in, and it would keep out people who might be offended,” Cook said. “I don’t want them in here anyway.”