Anita Sherman and Avery and Kenzie Hughes, a mother-daughters-trio and Glenwood Springs locals, celebrated a soft opening for their vintage fashion store, Y2Kynk Vintage, on Sept. 28. The niche vintage shop offers size-inclusive, sustainable, casual, professional, festival and designer fashion options.
The shop is currently open with limited hours: Fridays from 4 to 8pm, Saturdays from 10am to 6 pm and by appointment on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. After a larger grand opening celebration, scheduled for Oct. 27 with a 1980s fashion theme, the shop will open officially with increased hours.
“A big point we want to make with our store is that we have cute things for every body, because everybody is different,” Avery told The Sopris Sun. “We’re not all cookie-cutter. Some people fluctuate between sizes, and we want to ensure that there is something for everyone’s body type.”
And, the Y2K aesthetic is certainly prevalent. The recently revived style was first manifested in the late 90s and early 2000s by brands like Juicy Couture, True Rebellion and Baby Phat — of which are available within Y2Kynk’s inventory. Some notable icons with said style included reality television stars such as Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, and pop stars like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.
Anita worked closely with her daughters to create the business after her younger, Kenzie, mentioned doing her capstone project around fashion — something they all share a passion for. From there, they went down a rabbit hole of thrifting, consignment shopping and finding vintage sales. Then, they elevated their hobby to a brick-and-mortar resale concept. They are also finalizing their online shop, all while Kenzie is still in high school and Avery in college. “Sometimes, moving into a creative process is throwing it to the wall and seeing if it sticks,” Anita shared.
Each of the family members’ individual styles are reflected in Y2Kynk. Avery, describes her style as funky, fun and unique. Kenzie describes hers as trendy with a twist. And, Anita, who worked in fashion stores in her youth, describes hers as explorative.
“My style progressed in the ‘80s. The fashion of that time was experimental, and I had a lot of fun in my teenage years,” said Anita. “My life, however, went in a different direction. I got into other things and had my girls.I could see they were both unique in their styles and their fashion. It’s not my first rodeo being an entrepreneur, and I see that both of my daughters have that spirit.”
When building Y2Kynk, Anita wanted to ensure that her daughters’ involvement was something they could feel confident immersing themselves in, whether they stick with the business forever or decide to pursue other careers.
That collaboration goes beyond the family unit, including networking with other fashion gurus around the country, already having made connections in New York, Scottsdale and Los Angeles — places where the trio plans to collect future inventory.
The Y2Kynk team, according to Avery, wants to prioritize inventory in their shop that will last and not end up in a landfill — an all too common occurrence from “fast fashion” brands, she expressed. “It’s up to our generation to ensure the planet stays a planet. With fast fashion, you see how much ‘deadstock’ is accumulated, because so many things are coming in and going out of fashion. It’s too bad, but companies will make so much of a stock that will sit in a warehouse and never get sold, and could end up in a landfill where it won’t decompose.” Avery concluded. “We need to think about ways to be more sustainable with our clothing, collectively.”
For updates on Y2Kynk, check out their Facebook page, Y2Kynk Ltd. To reach the shop, call 970-426-629, and, for their online inventory, visit www.y2kynkvintage.com
