Wantagh Vintage Clothing Shop Takes Customers Back In Time
WANTAGH, NY — Focusing on clothing from the 1960s to the early 2000s, Dino-Mite Vintage brings retro to today’s fashion trends.
Jaina Shaw’s first brick-and-mortar venture started with a soft launch during Memorial Day weekend. It was so “soft” that “I’ve been my only employee until recently,” she told Patch.
By August, she’ll extend the shop to regular weekday hours.
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Shaw, who moved to Long Island five years ago, has been a vintage shopper for decades. The former librarian, originally from Minnesota, “went for it” in turning her “thrifting” into a career path.
She recalls wearing a 1960s shift dress for Halloween in 8th grade. “I just started wearing it in real life,” Shaw said. “It kind of went from there.”
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The store features apparel for women, with its inventory growing for men. There are also some items for kids, including toys.
“My goal is to be kid-friendly. It’s not necessarily a kid store,” she said. “I’m trying to keep breakables out of reach of kids.”
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The store’s title is an homage to Shaw’s love of dinosaurs, which you’ll find popping up throughout. An earlier incarnation of her business used a variation of the 1985 film “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” with its connection to dinosaurs.
While looking for her eventual storefront, Shaw needed it to be close to her Westbury home, as she has two young children. She selected the Wantagh Avenue location because of an untapped vintage shop market in Nassau.
Shaw’s shop stands out with a focus on plus-sized options, which she said are hard to find for vintage clothing, something she knows from her own personal experiences.
She has been pleased with the reaction since opening, largely from her established following on Instagram.
Her exuberant personality seems a perfect match for the passion she shows for her work.
“I’m Midwestern, so it’s in the culture that you are just talkative,” Shaw said.
She hopes to use the space for classes, but for now, the back patio is operational.
“It was an abandoned parking lot and I turned it into this T-Rex Tiki,” she said.
Inside, it was a vape shop, “and I de-vaped it,” overhauling the black walls and floors.
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