Winnipeg Vintage Reviewed: WildWood Rose Vintage (Winnipeg's Premier Underground Vintage Shop)

WildWood Rose Vintage309 Churchill Dr
Etsy Shop
wildwoodrose@mts.net
204-955-1967

***** out of 5

This spring I had the pleasure of meeting Patti Henderson of Etsy's WildWood Rose Vintage. I was looking for someone to buy the remaining vintage stock from my consignment at Ruby Slipper. It turns out Patti was advertising on Kijiji looking for vintage to purchase. I, of course, answered the ad and found myself in Patti's basement 3 days later.

Here's the thing about WildWood Rose: it's not just an Etsy shop. Patti also sells her stock out of her basement shop in her own home. It's tricked out with clothes racks and stuffed to the gills with quality vintage! I had heard rumblings about this underground vintage shop, but never knew how to find it! The minute I walked down the stairs I knew I'd found heaven!

Patti's shop is pretty special. Not everyone knows about it and not just anyone can drop in to shop it. You can of course buy at will from her online shop through Etsy , but if you want to peruse the goods in Patti's basement you must have an invitation. It is not open to the public. The shop is open by appointment only.

Now I'm not normally one for elitism, but knowing that I've stepped into Winnipeg's underground vintage shop makes me feel pretty cool. And I'm sure if you live in Winnipeg and are genuinely looking for something you could contact Patti (contact info is at the top of the post), or convo her through her Etsy shop and get an invite. You too can feel cool like me.

Patti is a costume designer for film and has developed her taste for vintage as well as her collection through years of working on movies in both Canada and the United States.

She was very friendly and we talked easily about vintage and Winnipeg's film community for over an hour while she sorted through my vintage and I sifted through hers. She told me she can host bachelorette parties (bring your own wine or champagne and shop till your hearts content with your gal pals!) and has been known to have an open house on weekends where anyone savvy enough to be in the loop can drop in and shop sans invitation (watch her Etsy shop announcements and Facebook page for this info)! 

WildWood Rose Vintage is a well curated shop full of high quality vintage clothing from the 20's to the 70's. Everything has been cleaned and repaired prior to hitting the sales floor. I was overwhelmed looking through the racks in Patti's shop. There were so many beautiful pieces! If I was in the market for a gorgeous vintage suit or party dress, I would call Patti first.
Her shop is not confined to clothes alone, there were, of course, racks and racks of shoes, many hats and beautiful purses! Not to mention jewellery and other beauty accessories (I still have my eye on an antique Bakelite and Celluloid Vanity Set). I could spend many hours and many dollars in Patti's shop. It's been a long time since I've felt that way about shop in Winnipeg.

As for the clothes and accessories I brought in to sell, Patti was very precise about what she wanted to buy and what she did not. This impressed me. As a seller, she knows what is moving, what she can use in films she's working on and what is stagnant or unusable to her. She is not just taking anything and everything that might be considered vintage. I truly wish I had taken everything I had to her in the beginning instead of consigning at Ruby Slipper first. She bought nearly everything I brought outright and offered me top dollar for it (she even told me I had excellent taste! Flattery will get you everywhere!) and, as you would expect, did some trade for a few items I couldn't leave without. I was thrilled with the cheque she cut me and even more thrilled with my new finds!

Be warned though, you will pay top dollar for vintage in Patti's shop. Her prices are not your typical discounted Winnipeg vintage prices. They are more comparable to the internet market, but well worth the extra money.

Wildwood Rose Vintage is the kind of shop the Winnipeg vintage landscape desperately needs. Quality vintage, well curated and cared for, carrying a broad range of styles and eras for any kind of vintage clothing fanatic. It may be said that the only downside is that it does not have a brick and mortar store front in a commercial area open to the public. I wouldn't say that though. I think it's current incarnation only adds to it's allure.


Lisa.xo

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