We’re stepping inside the spaces that take care of communities. From independent clothing labels holding it down in small studios to the coolest boutiques curating fits, we pull up, dig through the racks, and show you what makes each spot worth the visit.
For our debut installment of STORE INVASION, we take you to a little lowkey shop tucked away inside the heart of Taft Avenue: The Archives Vintage.
We had a chat with the owners Miguel Go and Nica Dominique as they told us the story of how they’ve managed to flip a once small garage sale in their Baclaran basement into a curated space for people discovering their taste in fashion.
“Sometimes you just have to be delusional to get to where you are or where you want to be. If you asked us five years ago na magagawa namin ito, hindi kami maniniwala.”
It’s been three years since The Archives Vintage started out in their garage, having pop ups for community events in Season Pass and South Trading Post. They recently celebrated one year at their Taft space, being a staple among the students and residents of the area for a quick getaway from all the dusty urban surroundings along Manila.
Exploring the store can be somewhat tricky. The small space can fool you into thinking that you can see everything after a quick glance. But the beauty in the store is not just seeing but experiencing: talking with the owners and fellow shopgoers offer a sense of connection, in what Miguel and Nica described as a conversation pit.
Some discoveries our team made would range from the Rothmans Jacket from their 1996 championship to an actual signed Terminator 2 leather jacket by the film’s lead himself. Even as we entered the shop, racks of tees with classic streetwear brands like Stussy and Bape caught our attention. And that apparently is by design.
“We try to curate everything. We have essentials yung mga basic knitwear, polos – ung random lang na something that you can put on a random day. Then we also have streetwear and then a few luxury and statement pieces. Kasi, we try to make your time worth it when you come here.”
Given that they’re located next to De La Salle University and other nearby colleges, The Archives Vintage embraces their identity as a gateway for the younger generations of fashion MFers to find their personal style. And for Miguel and Nica, it’s not just one style. They allow the kids to experiment with their styles in the thrift section of the shop to actually invest in pieces that reflect who they are and what they’re actually passionate about.
Similar to how Miguel and Nica eventually led to creating the store in the first place: a passion for fashion and enjoying what they like. Without this fundamental understanding, The Archives Vintage wouldn’t blossom to what it is today not just as a clothing store, but a hub for cultivating conversation on personal tastes as well.
The Archives Vintage is open from Mondays to Saturdays, 12 NN to 9 PM.
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