Posted: 10/28/04 Section: Features

Media Credit: Alex Nowak

Employees at the vintage clothing store, Dandelion, believe their store is different from the stereotypical vintage shop.

"I think that here we purposely go and seek out stuff people want to buy," said Katrina Catizone, Dandelion employee. "At other vintage stores, they think if it's old, you'll want it."

Owner Sara Hudson, a University alumna, returned to Champaign 11 years ago to open Dandelion, 9 E. Taylor St., in downtown Champaign.

"I thought I knew the town well enough," Hudson said. "But I was scared to death, and I'm very lucky and fortunate that it worked out."

She moved to San Francisco after graduating and found a job in advertising. Hudson often frequented vintage stores on Haight Street, which later inspired her to return to Champaign and open her own store. Hudson felt there was room for one more vintage clothing store in Champaign that had a fun, urban feeling to it.

"I brought ideas from the west coast," Hudson said. "I thought people would appreciate something different."

Hudson describes Dandelion as a little more fashion-oriented than other stores. She tries to keep up with the trends, so merchandise is always changing. While Hudson is currently starting to get into '80s fashion, she said the men's section is "fabulous" because of its western-style embroidered shirts.

"The clothes are not only vintage and old," Hudson said. "But they are things we like that are vintage and old."

Before September, Hudson would buy clothes from the public, but the store soon found itself packed with clothes. Since then, Hudson's policy has changed to lessen the amount of merchandise purchased for the store.

"It was difficult to juggle buying clothes from customers while helping other customers," Hudson said. "(Now we can be) more friendly to people coming in."

Hudson said one of her favorite aspects about running the store is seeking out the vintage clothes herself. She finds clothes at church and rummage sales and out-of-town thrift stores. She said the local selection of vintage clothes is limited because most of the clothes are picked over by other stores and college students. Hudson has found some very "phenomenal" secret places that have raised the quality of Dandelion's clothing. She also travels as far as New York for accessories such as jewelry, earrings and watches, which are all new. Dandelion also has clothing brands like J. Crew, Gap and Levi's in stock.

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