In the last five years, 3232 Penn Ave. in the
Strip District has been filled with cubicles, paintings and, now, vintage clothing. All under the same ownership.
Buy-sell-trade shop Hollywood Rag opened, under the tutelage of Josh Freedman, in late August in a 750-square-foot space on the Lawrenceville edge of the Strip District.
When Strip District resident Freedman first got into the Penn Ave. space, he was running Freedman Capital Group, a mortgage brokerage firm that employed 17 and closed between $4 and $6 million a month across the U.S. The economy being what it is, Freedman shut down and let everyone go in August 2008, and decided to convert the office into an art gallery. Freebird Gallery hosted one show in October 2008. The show--by Emmeric James Konrad, who painted all the tables and walls at Lawrenceville's Remedy Restaurant and Lounge--sold out.
After executing the Freebird Gallery concept, Freedman set off on a cross-country trip, hitting all the major cities, and getting ideas for what to do next. The one thing that popped out?
"All major cities have great vintage shops," says Freedman.
Taking inspiration from thrift chain Buffalo Exchange, Freedman converted the once-office, once-gallery into Hollywood Rag, the kind of place where high-quality clothes and accessories are cheap and plentiful, and you can turn a profit on your gently worn wardrobe. Right now, Freedman's giving store credit on goods, but will start to deal in cash in a few months.
Down the line, Freedman sees himself establishing a cool laundromat-café, inspired by San Francisco's BrainWash, in the vacant storefront next door.
"Right now, there's no connection between the Strip and Lawrencville," says Freedman, who's trying to change that.
Writer: Caralyn Green
Source: Josh Freedman, Hollywood Rag
Photograph copyright Caralyn Green