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Pop-up vintage 'experiment' open in downtown Naperville

The Washington Place strip of storefronts in downtown Naperville might not be the most vibrant this holiday season.

Two of its sections are empty, undergoing a transformation to house women's athletic attire shop Athleta and clothing retailer Banana Republic, which property owner Steve Rubin said are expected to open in March.

But one end of the building is occupied with a "pop-up shop," as Danette Lince's Dane Vintage will be selling classic dresses, purses and shoes there until Jan. 6.

"I've been selling vintage garments online for 10 years," said Lince, 42, of Naperville. "I thought I would take a chance and just try to see how the market is here in Naperville as well as find an opportunity to showcase what I have."

And what does she have? Roughly 1,500 "one-of-a-kind" dresses from the 1920s through early 1960s along with women's shoes and purses from those eras. Lince opened the store Nov. 18 after eight days of work setting up a "very high-end and chic" environment.

"The idea with the store is to make it modern," Lince said, contrasting with the old - in some cases antique - clothing she's selling. "If you walk in, it looks like a modern dress shop, more like a special occasion shop."

Lince said customers are marveling at the dresses she usually sells through an online presence on sites such as Etsy.com/shop/danevintage for a wide range of prices between $55 and more than $1,200. She's been devoting less time to her web sales this year and more to the Naperville store, which opens at 11 a.m. each day with hours throughout the afternoon and into the evening most nights.

Pop-up stores, she says, are "a brilliant business idea" to capitalize on the holiday shopping season without needing to rent a space the entire year.

"It's wonderful to fill a space that has a void," Lince said. "It adds to the overall excitement of the downtown shopping district."

  A pop-up vintage shop called Dane Vintage will be open until Jan. 6 at the Washington Place strip of storefronts in Naperville. Safiya Merchant/smerchant@dailyherald.com
  Dane Vintage's Naperville pop-up shop sells vintage clothing and accessories. Safiya Merchant/smerchant@dailyherald.com
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