It’s been about a year-long wait, but the new Flower Child Vintage store will finally open its doors on Saturday, September 15.
Located at 233 E. Fifth Ave., in an old warehouse, it has about three times the space of the Short North location they held for 12 years. To fill the space they’ve added three more vendors bringing items from new genres of fashion, home decor and memorabilia, including Japanese anime, art, and military-themed menswear.
It’s all set in three main areas: the front room, which features accessories, kitchenware, and some furniture and clothing; the back area, which hosts a variety of living room sets and their entire selection of menswear (including an Airstream camper filled with “glamping gear”); and a second floor dedicated to fashion through the ages.
Owner Joe Valenti says the bigger space and new location allow him to offer a better experience for his customers, who often come in from out of town or even out of state.
“My customer, I think, deserves things like parking and a docking door,” Valenti says. “And we’re more destination-driven, so people drive in to see us a lot of times. So, we like the fact that when a customer comes in, they can grab a soda and a candy bar and walk around and enjoy it, and not feel as though they got to rush out for a parking meter.”
Along with the parking available in the neighboring lot, a surface parking lot is headed for the open field across Fifth Avenue. It’s part of a larger initiative to bring more foot traffic to that growing area of Italian Village.
Columbus City Council President Pro Tem, Michael Stinziano, was present for Flower Child’s preview event on Friday, September 14. He was there to announce the resolution made by the City, recognizing Flower Child for being the first small business to move to the Fifth Avenue gateway from the Short North.
“Basically it’s just to say they’re proud of the fact that we’re investing in Fifth Avenue,” Valenti says. “Cameron Mitchell, Seventh Son, Stump — we’re all trying to be the cool kids, trying to get in there. And you know [there will be] growing pains and all that stuff, but I did it once with the Short North when I started there 12 years ago.”
Flower Child has another location in Cleveland, and Valenti says the city of Pittsburgh has expressed interest in having a store in their arts district. Those plans are still amorphous.
Flower Child will keep the same hours of operation they had in the Short North, opening at 12 p.m. daily and closing at 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 6 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit flowerchildvintage.com.
