Just Opened

Wilbur Vintage & Consignment

by Natalie Hope McDonald

Open Fri., 2-7 p.m.; Sat., noon-7 p.m.; Sun. noon-6 p.m., the Antiquarian's Delight (basement), 615 S. Sixth St., myspace.com/wilburvintage

On a recent Sunday afternoon, just a month after Wilbur Vintage & Consignment officially opened, stylish men and women were paging through its jam-packed clothing racks for Anna Sui skirts, Nan Duskin coats and Harris tweed jackets. After a visit to the intimate boutique, it becomes obvious that owner Daniel Wilbur gets to know his shoppers personally. "I have tables and chairs in the shop so friends and customers can come to sit and chat and gossip with me," he says.

The space may be small, but it's artfully cluttered and packed with vintage clothing, shoes and costume jewelry, as well as T-shirts by local designers Kennie Bowen and Billy Muldoon. "I started doing shirts for my own personal use," says Muldoon, whose latest creations feature iron-ons of Cher, Patty Hearst and Dolly Parton. Meanwhile, Bowen's otherworldly shirts, magnets and note cards showcase his original pantheon of androgynous deities and femme fatales.

At once cozy and decadent, the shop feels a bit like a small Parisian marketplace. You almost expect Wilbur, who sometimes raids his grandma's closet for new inventory, to pour you a demitasse while you try on a new outfit in the private dressing room. "It's like a rummage sale with style," he says.