Buzz it Up! The BEST of Ballard Vintage

Aside from the boyfriend, and my mamacita, two things that I love most in this world are arguably, coffee and vintage. So imagine my pleasure whenever I get an opportunity to experience both at the same time; which is what I got to do recently, when I hosted a coffee meet + greet with some of the best vintage sellers from my favorite Seattle neighborhood: Ballard.

Coffee Talk: The BEST Vintage Sellers in Ballard get BUZZED UP over a cup of Gevalia Coffee

Ballard is a charming and quirky neighborhood, full of great shopping gems, including a grand assortment of vintage clothing shops. The best vintage in Ballard however, are without question, the Trove, Lemon Drop Boutique, and Beats and Bohos.

The coffee was the easy part- a quick trip to Safeway, where I picked up of a bag of dark, smooth French roast by Gevalia, along with some cream, sugar and other supplies. The rich, never bitter taste of Gevalia comes in a variety of flavors and roasts, most of which are available at Safeway. 

The not-so-easy part, was getting everybody together- these ladies are super busy! But we made our coffee date on a Monday, a day that both Lemon Drop and Beats are closed, and met early enough in the day, before Trove opened its doors for business.  Trove, the minty-fresh gorgeous boutique located on NW Market Street, is run by Sara Leonard and Cyrena Preszler, two of the friendliest smiles you could bump into, and curators to some of the smartest 1950s + 1960s vintage clothing around town. 

Meeting this adorable duo was Jodie Obde, the lovely proprietress of Lemon Drop Boutique (located around the corner on 24th Street, across from the Java Bean.)  If you are a fan of Gatsby inspired styling, or are a big fan of flapper and pin-up styles, THIS is your boutique! (For a quick peek into the Lemon Drop aesthetic check out the review I wrote for The Fabulous Times last year HERE.)

Jodie also met my all time favorite Seattle vintage seller, Omaima Fox, co-owner of Beats and Bohos. Beats and Bohos sells a fantastic collection of vintage clothing, and records, or as Omaima describes it: vintage + vinyl. Beats is the rock-n-roller of the bunch, and the choice, affordable vintage picks in the shop are all about the collision of music with fashion.

This is what I love about vintage clothing and vintage clothing lovers: everybody can do it differently. While these 3 shops all have a vastly different look, they all have such a great selection of vintage.  Not surprisingly, we all showed up to coffee wearing vintage dresses, but nobody was dressed in the same era or style. 

No one took their coffee the same either. The coffee (enthusiastically poured into cute vintage porcelain cups + saucers) were all doctored up differently. Some took it black, some took it sweet, and some took it with no sugar and LOTS of cream (ok, the last one was me.) The conversation ran the gamut: our favorite vintage scores, coffee vs tea, shop talk and a little friendly politics, as well as making plans for our next meet up. That's the great thing about a good cup of coffee- you can't help but make friends.

BUZZED UP: The BEST of Ballard Vintage

Trove Vintage Boutique
NW Market St, Seattle, WA 98107 

Lemon Drop Boutique
5818 24th Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107

Beats + Bohos Vintage and Vinyl
7052 15th Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98117

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.