VTG 315, a vintage clothing store on Springfield's historic Commercial Street, has officially closed its doors to the public.
After a three-year run, VTG 315's last day of business was May 25, co-owner Holly Coffman said. Coffman and her business partner, Jina Gorham, decided to shutter the business partly due to financial reasons, but also because the co-owners both thought the business had run its course and it was the right time to close.
“My business partner and I realized we were vintage hoarders,” Coffman said. “So, we decided let's start a shop together.”
Coffman and Gorham decided not to renew their annual lease on the 1,600 square-foot space, located at 315 W. Commercial St., which will end June 1, 2024, Coffman said.
“We both just said ‘I’m tired of working this hard, let’s do something else,'” Coffman said. “It was just a super easy decision, and that's kind of the way the relationship (with Gorham) has been.”
Building a community of vintage enthusiasts in Springfield
The vintage shop in the heart of Commercial Street was known for its eclectic selection and affordable prices, Coffman said. The business pair were always trying to partner with vendors to bring a vast array of unique vintage items to Springfield.
In the last year, the shop featured up to six vendors, including a painter, jewelry makers, and someone who upcycled clothing, on top of Coffman's and Gorham's vintage collection.
More than anything, the mission of VTG 315 has been to provide a place for vintage enthusiasts to love and a store that could build vintage lovers in Springfield, Coffman said.
“Our business model was when someone would bring vintage in and we would buy from them, we would tell them we try to pay a fair price. We want you to be happy,” Coffman said. “We want everyone to enjoy vintage.”
Vintage lives on in the next steps for the co-owner
Coffman said she plans to stay busy. With her next business venture, the 66-year-old entrepreneur is digging back into the three decades she spent living in Los Angeles, California, where she trained under a successful milliner, or an artist who specializes in women's hats.
Coffman plans to focus on felt and straw hats, practicing out of her home studio to begin, she said. The artist already has about 150 wooden blocks, used for shaping the hats, as well as a number of millinery sewing machines from the 1920s.
“Felt and straw hats, where you steam them, pull them over the wooden hat block, rope them off,” Coffman said. “Once it dries, (you) wire the edge, put a headband in it (and) trim it.”
The clothes Coffman collected during the run of the business will be used for inspiration, she said.
“I have an arsenal of of vintage now to use to design hats for and I'm excited about this new chapter,” Coffman said.
Historic C-Street provided a community, memories
The building that housed VTG 315 is owned by Dan Johnson & Associates, LLC, according to the Greene County Assessor's Office records. The entire 11,500 square-foot building had a total appraised value of $485,500.
It's a bittersweet ending to a chapter of Coffman's life, and she said what she will miss the most are the people who made up the community of historic Commercial Street and the offbeat customers the store would attract.
“I really enjoy all the quirky, crazy, artsy people that come to you having a vintage shop,” Coffman said. “That's what I'll miss the most: All the interesting people.”
The Commercial Street community is something unique to Springfield, and the VTG 315 co-owner said she's not ruling out being back on the historic street in the future.
“To come to some place like this is really special,” Coffman said. “I've got friends over here and I know whatever is next will show up and maybe it will end up being over here.”
