Vintage shops revamp plaza in St. Pete

Nestled between a barber shop, a “zodiac stress relief center” and a gentleman’s club, you’ll find three new additions to St. Pete’s growing vintage scene.

Ingrid’s Vintage & Thrift Shop opened in June at 10387 Gandy Blvd N. The shop, founded by Ingrid Bridges with help from her 26-year-old son and his friends, aims to provide affordable vintage clothing in a market where anything deemed “vintage” has become increasingly popular and more expensive.

“It’s all about buying power,” said Bridges. “Things can be affordable if you have the time to curate it. If you can buy things in humongous bulk, that also brings down the prices. So I said, ‘That can be done. Let’s do it.’”

Ingrid’s doesn’t take in-person donations like a typical thrift store. Bridges said the shop’s inventory comes from various sources, including a significant acquisition of 1,000 pieces from a defunct Manhattan boutique, as well as estate sales, storage unit auctions and personal collections. 

This diverse sourcing has resulted in a sizable array of men’s and women’s clothing and accessories, with notably competitive pricing compared to online platforms and markets. Tops are priced between $8 and $30, jeans from $8 to $25, and dresses from $12 to $30, with some exceptions for brand-name or rare vintage pieces. This pricing strategy aligns with the store’s mission to offer authentic, affordable vintage clothing, accessories and decor for shoppers of all ages, sizes and styles.

 “We sell a lot of T-shirts and a lot of menswear, actually,” said Molly Ryan, the store manager. “We put a lot of effort into making sure we had a good selection of masculine clothes because another complaint I was hearing from people my age is that they go to these awesome, curated vintage and thrift stores and the men’s section is like 10 by 10 feet. They didn’t have a lot of good masculine things to wear, so we have actually been selling a lot of men’s stuff because people have been pleasantly surprised at the selection that we have.”

Just a few weeks before the vintage shop opened, Bridges and her husband opened Bargain Hunters thrift store next door. Their passion and knowledge of the market come from years of selling mid-century modern furniture at IM Vintage, which sits in the same plaza as Bargain Hunters and Ingrid’s. 

In addition to vintage clothing, accessories and decor, Ingrid’s Vintage & Thrift Shop houses a “record bar” where shoppers can play a record before purchasing.

Bridges said shoppers have been drawn to their stores seeking unique, sustainable fashion and furniture options.

“I think there’s a larger conversation about sustainability happening,” said Esperanza Liverio, an employee at Ingrid’s. “Fast fashion is actually now replicating vintage clothes, but it’s falling apart at the seams and doesn’t last past one wash. Plus, depending on the material [used], it has lead in the clothing or microplastics.”

“For the most part, a lot of these [vintage] pieces were taken care of, and we are sourcing them from people who did have a deep appreciation for the clothes,” Liverio continued. “So as opposed to the millions of pounds of clothing that end up in landfills each year, we’re able to cut out the middle man and give it to you for a better price.”

The store’s location in north St. Petersburg was a strategic choice to avoid the high rent prices faced by downtown merchants, and has helped make all three shops accessible to a wider range of customers.

Employees at Ingrid’s said some of their most popular items have been men’s clothing, shoes and accessories.

“There really isn’t a nice thrift or vintage thrift store right in this area, so we have people from South Tampa constantly coming over,” Bridges said. “We’ll have people that come up just from above us in Clearwater or Seminole and Largo rather than going all the way to downtown St. Pete. I love the feel of downtown, but one thing we do know is that when someone walks through the door, that person specifically came here. They weren’t just walking by; they are coming for a reason.”

Before opening her three stores, Bridges bought and sold vintage furniture and clothing out of storage units in the mini-storage business next to the plaza. After growing her collection to 13 different units, she felt it was time to move her enterprise to brick-and-mortar locations.

Bridges said not only has her love of vintage pushed her to continue growing, but having a knowledgeable and reliable team by her side has been a key asset. Ryan and Liverio are long-time friends of Bridges’ son and share the owner’s passion for giving old items a new life.

“It’s really nice because it’s showing that everyone, especially the younger generation, has an appreciation now for older things,” Bridges said. “These things aren’t garbage. Sometimes you’ll go to an estate sale, and you kind of feel bad because the family is not looking at some of the items as how special they really are, and that they should be saved, not just thrown away.” 

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