After more than a year of selling classic furniture and accessories solely through her website, Diana Mathews has recently opened a physical storefront location of her business, Era Vintage, in the heart of Church Hill. Combining her love of vintage shopping and the look of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, Matthews created Era Vintage in 2012. “I’ve always been drawn to the mid-century modern design aesthetic... and I’ve been collecting personally for a long time,” said Mathews. “It was an easy transition to start stocking for retail.” By shopping at area vintage stores, estate sales, and gaining consignments, Mathews has added a variety of items Era customers can choose from. “I am a thrift store junkie,” joked Mathews.
After much success online, Mathews began to look for a debt-free way to open a store in Richmond. “[The moving process] was very lengthy, but in my time frame it happened very quickly,” said Mathews. To keep the opening costs low, she applied for a grant through Bon Secours’ Supporting East End Entrepreneurship Development program. Being one of seven selected to receive the $50,000 grant, Mathews was able to bring Era Vintage to the Church Hill area.
With opening a storefront as her main ambition, Mathews is looking to continue operating the online website and eventually expanding the Church Hill location. “Right now, the goal is to maintain [the website, store and warehouse] and eventually grow,” said Mathews.
Era Vintage is located at 2704 E. Marshall St and is open Tuesday-Saturday from 11am-6pm. Information on upcoming Era events can be found through Facebook.