Melrose Vintage: An oasis in the "desert" of Italian secondhand shopping
- Diego Perdomo
- Jun 11, 2023
- 3 min read
by Diego Perdomo
Boldly introducing itself through vintage advertisements and antique bikes, Melrose Vintage brings a taste
of retro Americana to the palate of Florence’s Renaissance architecture.
Melrose has carved out a space for itself within the marble of established Italian fashion and tradition. Enticing travelers to check out pieces from all across Europe and America, the stores get foot traffic from their proximities to the city center and Santa Maria Novella train station.
Melrose Vintage Genori, located in the city center, opened in 1987. With “Melrose” vertically emblazoned in a western-style square serif on both sides of the entrance, the maximalist decoration of vintage advertisements, technology and mannequins give the store an aged ambiance. The long, narrow store primarily showcases an assortment of American and European pieces. However, just as inconspicuous as the perfect thrift, the store hides four themed rooms within a small entrance toward the back. The first room, a coat room, contains a spectrum of leather coats, blazers and outerwear. Moving into the next room down, the womenswear room offers an expanded collection of bags, jeans, furs and skirts. The military room, located at the end of the expansion, contains of American and German uniforms, camouflaged clothing, and moleskin trousers, with pieces as obscure as a German army jumpsuit with nametape that says “Rocket” on it. The last room, holding clothing for girls, recreates the whimsy of a childhood bedroom with pastel colors and soft vanity lighting, stuffed plush characters filling shelves and antique decoration like prints and rocking horse toys. While separated, these rooms match the eclectic patchwork that gives Melrose an identity.
The respective coat, womenswear, military and girlswear rooms within Melrose Genori.
The Santa Maria Novella train station location, Melrose Vintage Alinari, recaptures the same surprise of the first location and expands from a room the size of a small shoe store into a large, open basement with substantially more clothing on display than the city center location. This store contains the same themed sections as Genori with a larger selection of older clothing items like traditional outfits, vintage jackets and custom shoes.
Originally serving as a distributor for Levi’s 501 jeans, Melrose has expanded into an indistinguishable part of Florence’s vintage scene.
It occupies the same market as Humana Vintage, a local location of a vintage chain that expands across Europe, and Dolce Vita, a vintage store that specializes in sports memorabilia.
Pictures taken throughout the Melrose Alinari Location. While it is not as conspicious as the other store, it has a more characteristic selection of clothing items.
Sustainability and a green economy are what drove owner Giuseppe di Leo to open Melrose. Upon the stores opening, as Di Leo described, locals were shocked and could not understand the value of secondhand shopping.
“The younger generation is more used to it. They normally wouldn’t care if a pair of jeans were ripped or stained,” said sales assistant Enrica Cammarota.
“On the other hand, adults are more conservative. Also, they would come into the store and ask, ‘What kind of store is this?’”
Italian clothing culture, as Cammarota explained, remains traditional. This cultural norm is likely due to the nation’s virtues of modesty and respect, which appear to extend from Catholic values. As younger Italians begin to adopt American trends in clothing and hair, Melrose’s holds a place where it can sustain itself through that new demand and the demand that exists from tourists already interested in vintage clothing and thrifting. This does not mean that there is no vintage scene in Italy, however, as many bloggers have documented the lowkey scene throughout Italy.
“I just came to check out the vintage scene here and see if it matches back home,” said Dwayne Dale, a tourist from Providence, Rhode Island. “Just checking out the vibe. This one just caught our eyes.”
While Cammarota and Di Leo affirm that mostly tourists visit Melrose, Cammarota, a local, shared how the store served as a third place for her growing up.
“I have been a customer first for many, many years (five or six years) I’ve always loved this store. Not even to buy but look around. To me, it’s really interesting. It’s what I like. I would like to keep working here — not as a sales assistant, but to go in the warehouse.”
While Di Leo has retired from working inside of the store and traveling to find vintage pieces, he maintains his commitment to the business through frequent visits to the stores, talking with the employees and guests.
The oldest item in the shop is a top hat from 1928. However, if you were to ask Di Leo what it is, he might playfully jest that it is himself. Through its many eccentricities, Melrose curates a connection to youth through a timeless appreciation for what has existed.
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