Over the Moon at Late Bloomer Vintage Boutique

CHICO — I’m obsessed with thrift stores.

In fact, not only thrift shops, but also vintage shops, swap meets, and antique fairs. I also love old buildings. Anything with history.

So when I walked into the Late Bloomer Vintage Boutique, owner Ava Moon’s vintage store on East 6th Avenue, I was instantly hooked. I love the store decoration. The wall in front of the building is painted in bright pink and orange, and the inside of the shop is also brightly colored. Moon has a small lounge in front of the store where people hang out and take Valentine’s Day photo shoots.The theme of the lounge changes frequently with holidays and seasons.

She mainly sells clothes and vinyl, but she also sells many other types of products such as sunglasses, mini backpacks, wallets, men’s clothing, furniture, and artwork.

“We love supporting local arts,” said Moon.

I was also impressed with how clean and organized the store was. Everything has its place and I love the way she decorates. A cute vintage bento box hangs on the wall next to the cash register, and a glass cabinet under the cash register is lined with vintage items from the 1980s, including a collection of cut-out dolls by Lightbright and Gilda Radner.

“We’re keeping the old Chico vibe alive,” Moon said. “It’s the culmination of artistic expression.”

A handful of curators sell items at Moon’s store, which opened in October.

Moon accepted the old Kate Spade purse she was about to throw away. She gave me her store credit and in exchange I got a very cool Jack Daniels painting of her whiskey. A customer can earn credit for her store by bringing in merchandise, and she offers gift certificates.

Moon was interested in photography and majored in Mass Communications at Chico State University. She is a native Sicoan and has learned how to market herself at Vintage Her Store and her previous stores West Her Eighth Her Streets and Froom Her Streets Magic Her Store.

Moon describes himself as a “compulsive thrifty man”. She brings items from her own garage for the collection and also has collections from other store curators.

“We take what we think is cool,” Moon said. “Chico locals keep the old Chico vibe alive.”

Moon has a sale on Fridays, offering color-coded items for sale on specific days. According to her, the prices of the items in the store range from $15 for her to $150 for her.

Moons are very community oriented and generous. She gives back by donating sweatpants, socks, and other clothing items to her Safe Space Winter Shelter. She also keeps her books in a small free library when she finds them. If torn or soiled clothes are brought in, she will fix them. She also makes dyes from plants.