Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Ayanna Eckblad

At the beginning of the month a new store opened in the Skyline Plaza. It is called 35/90 Clothing Company and was opened by Albert Lea native Nicholas Reichl.

The store stocks clothing, accessories and collectibles from the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s era. Reichl said the store is helping him fulfill his dream of sharing all things vintage with the area.

“I was an ‘81 baby, I grew up in the ’90s,” Reichl said. “A lot of the stuff I sell here is nostalgic for me.”

He said he has been collecting vintage items for about 15 years. He not only enjoys owning and wearing the items but also enjoys hunting for the perfect finds. When a friend told him there was a space open at Skyline Plaza, he knew he wanted to work on making the ideas he had for the store a reality.

Reichl explained the location at Skyline Plaza was ideal for him because he grew up nearby and used to walk through the building to get to Southwest Middle School.

“I love this mall,” he said.

He came up with the name for the store from the fact that the city is situated between interstates 35 and 90.

“I just thought it was kind of fitting and catchy,” he said.

Getting ready to open 35/90 Clothing involved visiting various other stores in the area to get inspiration. Reichl said there are a lot of different vintage shops in larger cities that he enjoys, and he wanted to bring a piece of that feeling to Albert Lea.

After acquiring the space in Skyline, Reichl spent time remodeling, painting the walls and setting up clothing racks and shelves to display inventory.

“Overall, it’s a lot of hard work, but it’s fun and I enjoy it,” he said.

Reichl said he does buy-outs of clothing from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s and is mainly looking for band/concert apparel, starter jackets, military and work uniforms and other period-appropriate movie and television memorabilia. He especially looks for brands like Harley-Davidson, NASCAR and Disney. In addition to clothing, Reichl is looking for action figures and collectibles such as posters, old VHS tapes and promotional signs.

35/90 Clothing Company is open from 2 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays.

“I’m always adding new inventory and putting stuff out and sourcing, just trying to bring the best quality vintage I can to this little spot,” Reichl said. “Overall, there’s a lot of great stuff here …  Come check it out, it’s fun.”