By La Mesa,Sophia Sleap • Times of San Diego

Copyright timesofsandiego

Everything old is new again – and again.

Young shoppers are breathing life into La Mesa’s antique stores, driving sales and reshaping what it means to collect.

Arlene and Michael Moore of Bohemian House Vintage have been antique dealers for nearly three decades in La Mesa. They say that in the past few years since the pandemic began, a new demographic has been driving sales: youngsters.

Down the street, Marie McLaughlin of La Mesa Antique Mall has seen a similar trend.

“Sales have grown tremendously, but it’s largely because of the young people,” McLaughlin said.

Before the pandemic, about 25% of sales at La Mesa Antique Mall came from young people. Today, that number is closer to 40%.

What’s motivating young people to shop vintage?

Otto Pacheco, a 19-year-old student at Grossmont College, is a regular at Bohemian House Vintage.

“Buying secondhand or repurposed is so important, especially for the environment right now. We just overproduce and overconsume so much,” she said.

Pacheco has a taste for religious symbols and paraphernalia, such as vintage rosaries and crucifixes. While attending Helix Charter High School, Pacheco got into the habit of stopping by La Mesa’s antique stores on her way home from school in 2022.

“This is something that’s been previously loved that someone didn’t need anymore,” Pacheco said. “And now it came into my life, and I need it and I can use it.”

Arlene Moore of Bohemian House Vintage shared the differences in the shopping patterns of young people compared to traditional customers.

“The new collectors are more focused on a vibe. A look. An aesthetic,” Moore said.

She said that traditional customers tend to look for collectible items by a certain brand or make, whereas young customers are more focused on something they can use.

The trend extends beyond La Mesa

Suzan Parker, who sells vintage boots at markets from Ocean Beach to Los Angeles, said most of her buyers are young.

“They don’t want the remake, they want the quality,” Parker said. “These are people with money, but they want the original.”

Pacheco noted the quality of the items Moore sells at Bohemian House Vintage, saying that some of the religious items she has bought come from Florence, Italy, and are handmade.

“There’s just so much knowledge and love behind everything that she brings into the store,” Pacheco said.

Beyond the quality of the items and the environmental benefit, Pacheco sees buying vintage as part of a cycle.

“Everything has a story and everything can continue that story if we let it,” Pacheco said.

“I want to be able to provide that when I get older,” she said. “Passing on my things so other people can create new life and new things from it.”