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If you walk a few minutes outside of Syracuse University’s campus on a weekend afternoon, you’ll find a big white house on Madison Street with racks of clothes in the front yard. Cars line each side of the street and groups of people thumb through clothes before leaving with a bag of new additions to their closet.

“It’s a really cool feeling to give someone a new option of fashion,” Andrew Rainbow, co-owner of The Yard, said. “Instead of spending $100 on a new denim jacket, people can shop here and express themselves or experiment with their style.”

Syracuse natives Rainbow and Steve Davis opened The Yard, a pop-up vintage business, in August 2022. Almost every weekend since then from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the duo has set up shop in Rainbow’s front yard. With countless racks of vintage SU gear, sports jerseys, pop culture t-shirts and tables of hats and other accessories, The Yard attracts crowds of Syracuse locals and students alike.

Davis met up with Rainbow when he bought a few items from his table at a flea market near Destiny USA Mall. The two bonded over a shared love of vintage clothing and Rainbow invited him to set up at The Yard.

Leonardo Eriman | Staff Photographer

The Yard displays over 25 vintage hats from the 1980s to 2000s. The hats are from an array of industries ranging from an MLB Subway Series Hat to a Vernon Downs Casino Hat.

Though The Yard’s offerings rotate every weekend, the duo’s personal vintage item collections are years in the making. Davis began collecting retro Nintendo 64 video games as a child, while Rainbow followed in his father’s footsteps, collecting vintage Philadelphia Eagles snapbacks. As the two grew older, their collections inspired a love of all things vintage.

“It spiraled into, ‘Oh, I like old hats, well now I want an old sweatshirt to go with my old hat,’” Rainbow said. “And then I was like, ‘I kind of want an old coat to go over the sweatshirt.’ And then it snowballed into ‘Oh, man, I have four closets worth of clothes.’”

Once Rainbow and Davis’ collections grew large enough, they teamed up to sell items. Rainbow described the collecting and selling process as a “sickness.” As he collected more pieces and made bigger sales, it sparked a desire to throw himself further into the business.

The Yard reaches a wide range of people because it’s within walking distance of both residential and college neighborhoods. Davis said students living in the University Neighborhood were the shop’s first customers, buying vintage SU jerseys to wear to games. In recent months, other members of the community— from neighbors to the mail carrier to delivery drivers— have browsed the shop’s racks too.

Leonardo Eriman | Staff Photographer

A customer happily holding up a vintage shirt. The customer ended up buying the shirt along with two other items.

Because of its proximity to SU, The Yard partners with student organizations, including philanthropies, sports teams and Greek life. Last spring, the shop sold at Walnutpalooza, an annual student-run music festival, and the Fashion and Design Society’s Fashion Expo. Davis said these events gave The Yard more exposure to SU students than ever before.

When SU junior Bella Tabak tabled with University Girl at the Fashion Expo, she was already familiar with The Yard. Passionate about sustainable fashion, Tabak knew she wanted to scope out Syracuse’s thrift stores as soon as she got to campus. Luckily, she lived in Haven Hall her freshman year, which was a short walk from The Yard.

“I remember grabbing my friends and being like, ‘It’s literally less than a 10-minute walk, we have to go,’” Tabak said.

Since then, Tabak returned to The Yard with her friends to shop for everything from game-day apparel to going-out tops. So far, she’s picked up a vintage SU athletics t-shirt from the ‘70s, a vintage Nike sweatshirt and a Hannah Montana baby tee, which she said are some of her favorite pieces in her closet.

With the success of The Yard off-campus, Rainbow and Davis hope to expand the business onto SU’s campus with a storefront in the future.

“The students have shown us so much love just hanging out in our front yard,” Rainbow said. “And we want to show love back and be a part of the university community.”

Published on November 13, 2024 at 11:17 pm

Contact: Jepryor@syr.edu