Meet Benny Reese | Vintage Haberdasher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Benny Reese and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Benny, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I wanted to provide something different, something fun, mainly for men that wanted to get dressed up. Growing up going to vintage stores in the 90s and 2000s, it was very difficult to find a Vintage store that had a significant amount of menswear . You would find like a rack of menswear, while the rest of the store was women’s. I loved suits, made from the 20s-50s, so I set out to specialize in suits, when no one else did…and that’s what I did. Now I always have over 500 pre-1965 mens suits available, and there’s no vintage store in the world that has more.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I sell “Fashion from the Civil War to Civil Rights”… a term I coined about 15 years ago when I started this journey. Since I was a teenager I would search for Vintage clothing to wear, to be different, to have a piece of history that I could wear. But I would walk into vintage stores and not have very many options as a male…it would be 10% menswear versus 90% womenswear. I sought to reverse that idea because I wanted a place where men could find mostly early 20th century items, rather than walking into a thrift store.
I started slow…I worked with an independent costumer and surrounded myself with knowledge. I read books and articles, as well as looked at old photos and old catalogs. I didn’t rely on information just found online. I went to primary sources; photos, people, literature. I paid attention to the details and what other collectors learned. I asked questions, debated, and studied, because I loved searching, researching, etc. I wanted to know more about older fashion because it was interesting and intriguing. Years later I decided to sell it occasionally, to friends, at flea markets, etc. because I still loved it. It hasn’t changed. Not only do I love sharing history with people through the fashion, but I still wear it everyday. My house, my 37 Packard Convertible, my life.
In the vintage fashion business reputation is very important. Being honest and just an all around good person helps too. I pride myself on taking care of each client personally, which is why I prefer doing trade shows or meeting people in person. Everyone has a story, has history and it’s amazing to learn more about people’s family history, where they came from, etc. The clothes are a small part of history, but meeting someone who loves history and the history of fashion is an instant bond. A majority of my friends love vintage clothing and history, plus they wear it daily as well.
With my business, I want to share history, one piece at a time. “If these clothes could talk”….every piece has a story, whether we know what it is or not. It’s fun to romanticize about who wore what and when, but it’s even better when you find something from someone who “used to wear it” or from the child of someone who did, to have a connection, to have a story, to humanize the people who were living back then.
Plus, it feels good to look good, to be different, to get dressed up; especially in a society that had been increasingly become more casual. No matter what you wear. Male dressing up fun again!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My friends and I that enjoy the Golden Era of the 20s-50s love to get together, get dressed up and get in our old cars and visit older businesses…like driving to the westside and eating at Apple Pan, going to antique stores from Santa Barbara to San Diego. Going to flea markets like at PCC or the Rose Bowl, as well as vintage stores. For activities, the best places have been there for over 70 years…we get together, dressed up of course and get a group to go bowling at an old bowling alley, like Highland Park Bowl, or go Roller Skating at Moonlight Rollerway, or going to Santa Anita Park to watch the horses race, among many other events. Then at night it’s fun to go to dinner at Tam o’ Shanter, Columbos, Miceli’s, Sycamore Inn, or Vince’s Spaghetti, depending on where we were going swing dancing for the night. Then, there’s usually the late night dinner afterwards at an old diner.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There were many people that came before me and have been inspiring, including Zac Vargas (of now Space City, Bobby from Boston, and the encyclopedia that is Marc Chevalier. Plus, I would’ve never jumped into this with the support and push of my wife, Jennifer.

Instagram: @ReesesVintagePieces

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReesesVintagePieces

Image Credits
All photos taken by me, Benny Reese