Few stores have modern prom dresses hanging next to masquerade masks.

Le Shoppe, in downtown Champaign, is one of the city’s unique vintage shops. Le Shoppe has an interesting variety of shoes, clothes and jewelry, in addition to gifts and home decor. Visible from the window is a collection of dolls, ranging from American Girls to Chuckie-esque. Stores like Le Shoppe fit a need.

Lauren Messina started vintage shopping in high school. When Messina, a 2008 University graduate and current student in the Center for Translation Studies at the University was a junior, she started working for the vintage boutique called Dandelion, located in downtown Champaign.

“It was kind of just serendipitous,” Messina said.

Messina has worked at Dandelion on and off since 2006.

“It’s getting harder definitely to find vintage clothing,” she said.

However, the City of Champaign has a thriving antique community.

Downtown Champaign has changed greatly in the 27 years since Carrie Homann opened her vintage store — Carrie’s — which boasts a wide array of antiques.

“The changes are just immense,” Homann said. “Some of us were still here in the beginning of the changes in Champaign.”

Dandelion owner Sara Hudson, like Homann, has seen downtown Champaign grow and change.

“There was just a big boom, like a resurgence,” Hudson said. “It was really fun to be a part of that.”

When Hudson opened Dandelion 18 years ago the downtown had other resale book and antique shops so “it was really easy to be in this neighborhood.”

Since then, bars and restaurants have opened up, bringing more people downtown.

Hudson started keeping her boutique open Friday nights because people go downtown to eat and realize the city also has stores.

“We feed off each other, it’s good for all of us,” she said.

Cafes have also opened, bringing in University undergrads and graduates to study. And MTD bus services give students a way to get downtown.

“Students are getting off campus a lot more than they used to,” Hudson said. “They’re a little more aware of their surroundings.”

Carrie’s sells jewelry, clothing, art, books and an eclectic mix of home furnishings, games and oddities.

At one point, Homann even got her hands on a statue of a squirrel riding a prairie chicken. The clothes date back as far as the flapper era and the store’s sign “Fabulous to Funky” rings true.

A shopper can leave Champaign’s vintage stores dressed for a religious service, for a night on the town or for a 70s-themed bash.

Among its many finds, Dandelion has a sunglasses collection and unique jewelry, with art rings and bold brooches.

Carrie’s and Dandelion have diverse customers and while they serve the area’s theater groups, students also frequent these niche stores. Some shoppers are looking to complement every day wear, while others are looking to dress for themed parties and Greek exchanges.

“A lot of people are looking for something very specific but within a genre,” Hudson said.

Others enter for the first time and are taken back by the eclectic options, Messina said, adding that first-time shoppers “kind of run around.”

Halloween is Dandelion’s busiest time of the year. People either come in with a costume in mind but no clue where to get the pieces, or they have no clue what to dress as and use Dandelion’s diverse pieces to create an image.

“It’s kind of all over the place,” Hudson said. “We target people who are looking for something different than what they have at the mall. Each person should listen to their inner voice and create their own individual style. I think that mixing up new and old is a really good idea.

Borrowing from the past is really interesting because we have a really rich history of fashion.”

Hudson looks at fashion magazines to see what is in style. This year, she said, the 70s are making a comeback, as skinny jeans give way to high waisted bell bottoms.

“When you shop in a vintage clothing store you already have a jump on the game. No one’s going to have the exact pair of jeans,” she said. “Why not find a really cool shirt or a cool sweater that you’re going to be the only person wearing it and having it?”

Homann started buying vintage clothes when she was 12, and she opened her first store as soon as she was of legal age. From Mattoon, Homann grew up with a mother who loved vintage shopping and owned her own stores.

The vintage scene has far flung roots and Homann attends events across the country.

Hudson gets much of her merchandise from similar trade shows and events.

Her store Dandelion opened in 1993. Opening on Chester Street, the boutique has been in its present Taylor Street location for the last 17 years.

Hudson grew up in the Chicago suburb Deerfield and attended school at the University, following in family members’ footsteps. She then moved to San Francisco and was swept up by Haight-Ashbury, a neighborhood that started as a hippie haven and quickly became very fashionable.

“It’s just a really fun place to go if you’re into quirky fashion and vintage,” Hudson said.

A friend convinced Hudson to pursue her vintage hobby as a career because of her passion.

“Do what you love and the money will follow,” Hudson remembers her friend advising.