The first time I walked into Milk & Ice Vintage in Hampden, I was in love. I am a horrible, impatient vintage shopper but I love it when things are carefully curated for me to look at and shop. Milk & Ice is exactly that kind of store. A lot of vintage boutiques can feel haphazard and grandmotherly but theirs feels more rock n' roll and vanguard.
Milk & Ice Vintage opened its doors in 2014 where they share a showroom with seasoned antiques dealer, Christian Sturgis. Together they strive to bring the beautiful and the strange into the loving arms of those looking for piece of their unique aesthetic. Owners Angela Gavin and Katherine Schultz pride themselves on being Baltimore's premiere source for men and women's vintage clothing in an array of sizes from as many eras as possible. They strive to stay true to their slogan "vintage for everyone."
I stopped by the shop yesterday to interview and photograph Angie and Kate.
Kate and Angie, the owners of Milk & Ice Vintage.
Tell me briefly about yourselves - where you grew up, where you live, how you two met, etc.
We met about 15 years ago partying in Baltimore, actually. At a bar that just recently closed called Dougherty's in Mt. Vernon. We immediately formed a very tight sisterhood type of bond. We were both troublemakers in our youth. A lot of people avoided us for years back then since we were just a lot to handle together. I think now that we've grown as friends and as individuals, we have found a real beautiful balance in that once dangerous closeness. We've channeled it into a business and that makes us both pretty proud.
An ostrich foot that I am contemplating purchasing. Hopefully nobody buys it before I do!
Can you give me a brief intro of your shop? How did you get started with Milk & Ice? What does the name mean?
We are a vintage clothing shop carrying a variety of styles from a variety of eras, from the 1920s up to the 1980s. We pride ourselves on selling vintage across the board for both fanatics and also people who just want a unique vintage accessory to accentuate a modern look.
12 years ago, we worked together for a real estate liquidation company and helped the owner open a real estate liquidation company and helped the owner open an auction house. Through working for him, we sold online and learned the ropes of buying and selling. We gravitated towards clothing and it just stuck. For a few years we each moved out of state (Kate to Texas and Angie to Oregon) and worked on our own, then Baltimore brought us back together in 2013 where we officially began Milk & Ice as a business.
Milk and Ice just happens to be a random drink most people find appalling and we both love. We named our store Milk & Ice because it was just something completely us. It has served us well and still holds up because our friendship and who we are as individuals has a lot to do with the direction of our brand.
What are your greatest influences?
Rock n' Roll.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
Travel! We both work and live in the same small neighborhood so we love getting out of our comfort zone and finding inspiration on the road. The road is where we do our best brainstorming!
Is there a specific era that you find most interesting to pull from?
No! The most fun part of living in 2016 and owning a vintage shop is that we get to pull style from every era and mix them together for the ultimate original wardrobe!
What do you love most about vintage clothing?
We love the history in clothing, both style-wise and the fact that each piece has lived in a previous life. That's why we love working with private estates because we can usually get a real background and find out who wore something and when. It's fun to make up your own vision of who wore something... but to meet a woman in her 70s and have her show you a photo of HER mother or father in a piece of clothing you now possess really brings this wonderful new life to it. Vintage clothing is the easiest way to identify and really embrace history, to touch it, feel it and cherish it!
I am a terrible vintage shopper. Unless everything is perfectly curated like your shop, I can never find anything I like. Can you share some tips for a vintage shopping noob - how to look for great items, where to go, pricing?
The best vintage shops we've been in are warm and owned by people who are genuinely stoked to help you out, so a useful tip is never hesitate to ask for assistance! We've found that a lot of people who say they're bad at shopping for vintage just over-complicate it for themselves. Try to shop the same way you would in any clothing store and expect quality to be the same, if not better. Chances are if we were to dig through your modern wardrobe, we cold match each piece with a trend that debuted previously throughout history. If you're overwhelmed by vintage shops, narrow down what you're looking for by coming up with intentions of what you want before you go in. Doing a little style research makes it easier for you and a shop owner to focus on finding what you really want.
Are there trends among vintage shoppers and collectors?
Definitely! While we embrace trends, we believe vintage allows you to be the trendsetter, so we focus on stocking our shop first and foremost with actual vintage clothing that tells its own story, then we build around that.
What are your ambitions for Milk & Ice Vintage?
Keep on truckin' and clothe the world in Milk & Ice!
FOR STYLE AND DESIGN SERVICES SUCH AS MERCHANDISING, EVENT AND COSTUMING, CONTACT ANGIE AND KATE AT MILKANDICE@GMAIL.COM.
MILK & ICE VINTAGE IS LOCATED AT 833 W. 36TH ST., BALTIMORE, MD.