Women in Ann Arbor will soon have a new way to feel lovely. The curated vintage shop
Dear Golden is planning to open on Fourth Ave. in downtown early next year with garments from the 1920s to 1970s personally selected by owner Lauren Naimola for modern women.
"Each garment is selected for it's fashion relevancy and overall quality," she says. "I have built a great customer base in the US as well as other countries."
Dear Golden was born online five years ago, and Naimola operated the shop from her home until it grew into a business that required its own space. About two years ago, she moved into an appointment-only location in Ypsilanti, but her continued growth only allowed that model to work for so long.
"The shop, even by appointment only seemed to attract attention and I started wanting to be able to be open to the public simply because there seemed to be a desire for that," says Naimola. "Fourth Ave. is such a great spot, it is situated nicely between the State St. area and the Main St. area and seems like one of the last parts of downtown that could foster new businesses. When I saw
Today Clothing was there I knew that my shop would fit in nicely."
Naimola will be transitioning into the Fourth Ave. space over the next few months with an eye on opening in March of 2014. Along with the new location and regular hours, Dear Golden will feature a small number of new clothing by small designers selected to complement her vintage offerings.
Moving to the 1,400 square foot space while continuing her online sales will prompt Naimola to expand from a one-woman operation to a business with staff. She anticipates adding two to three employees over the next year as Dear Golden gets established in its new space.
Source: Lauren Naimola, Dear Golden
Writer: Natalie Burg
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