New: In Commune on Capitol Hill
SLIDESHOW: The new vintage (and more) shop on Capitol Hill, In Commune.
Owner Sara Hoffman studied apparel at Seattle Central before opening her 12th Avenue shop. If you didn’t know, you might guess she had studied fine arts, minimalist merchandising, Japanese textiles, or studio pottery. But don’t think that means the wardrobe are without a distinct point of view.
Among the vintage and slightly used wardrobe options for men, women, and children: hand-knit sweaters, Pendleton wool shirts, wide-wale corduroys, ’60s shift dresses, linen trousers, tweed skirts, railroad-striped overalls, winter-white silk shirts, and plaids of every stripe.
Some stores that deal vintage clothes and housewares have a magpie approach: get all you can get and crowd a small space with it. Hoffman’s version of presentation is much more minimal and spare. All her pieces are meticulously cleaned and pressed, and each one is given it’s due space for appreciation and contemplation. It’s a way of living, and of doing business, that will suit her well when she eventually expands and offers not just used items but new, local and up-and-coming designers and crafts.
Hoffman’s aesthetic is recommended for Seattle shoppers who frequent Totokaelo, Blackbird, Les Amis, Bitters Co. and like-minded outlets. Here, a funny little made-in-Germany ’80s blouse for her, and …
…it’s on-trend Americana mini-me.
As a working mother, Hoffman’s on-task in terms of responding to the world we live in. She was ready for the recent snowstorm. Were you?
