Columbus, Ohio USA
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Dis 'n' Data
By Margaret Marten, Editor
email margaret@shortnorth.com
December 2011
Two vintage clothing stores opened recently in the Short North. Royal Factory, located at the southwest corner of Fifth and High where An Open Book closed three years ago, offers both repurposed vintage apparel and new items. Situated at a major intersection, under the watchful eye of curious idling motorists waiting for the light to change, and within steps of the highly publicized Garden Theater sign, the shop has probably caught your attention already. Royal Factory is open daily at 1209 N. High. They can be reached at 614-754-1061. On the other hand, many of you may not have noticed the opening of Mad4Mod Vintage at 972 N. High in the former Verizon Wireless space next to Nida’s Thai on High. Jason Koenig, 32, and his wife Jennifer, 30, have been in the business over a dozen years, selling vintage stock online since the late ‘90s. According to Jason, there was a real boom for sixties merchandise at that time: “The big cities were all over it,” he said, and Mad4Mod expanded with that interest, selling vintage furniture, accessories and clothing. He considers the October move into the Short North a return to the store’s retail roots. In fact, the physical store began in this neighborhood. According to Koenig, while he was working as a design consultant for Functional Furnishings 10 years ago (the legendary furniture store located at 601 N. High from 1978 to 2004), owner Matt Unger invited him to place his business inside the store. “We love the Short North so much,” said Koenig. “I feel that’s where we started.” Two years later, Mad4Mod moved to 3292 N. High in Clintonville as an independent storefront in 2003. They also maintained a space and sold inventory from the basement of Eclectiques Antique Mall, 3265 N. High, for a while. Koenig says his store has always been a mixture of clothing and furniture, but with the opening in the Short North, it’s really more about fashion. “When you come into the store, you see maybe 90 percent fashion, maybe less than 10 percent furniture,” he said. “The truth is we deal in higher-end mid-century modern furniture, and because it is a little higher end, we seem to sell to cities like Chicago, New York and Los Angeles” – online. Here in Columbus and in the Short North, fashion is their mainstay. It’s a passion for Koenig too, something he attributes to his parents, who owned a vintage clothing store in the ‘80s called Bonnie and Clyde in Clintonville. “I grew up watching my parents do this,” said Koenig. “I know it’s in my blood. I would go to school and have vintage on. When I was in first grade, I won the Halloween contest, and my parents dressed me in an original art deco 1920s pimp suit. I had the whole complete outfit.” Male shoppers, in fact, are some of his most enthusiastic customers these days. “I’ve heard from the men coming in that they don’t have much of a choice for men’s vintage in Columbus, so I feel like we’re kind of a destination for that.” When asked to describe vintage, Koenig explained that it’s different for every age group. “Believe it or not, ‘90s is becoming vintage,” he said. “It’s really your youth that you shop for.” He and his wife love the mod sixties, the styles, colors, and the life, so they named their store Mad4Mod. What everyone will find in the store is uniqueness: one-of-a-kind or few-of-a-kind. “If you come in and buy a jacket from us, you’re the only one who is going to be walking around with that jacket,” said Koenig. And he’s thrilled when that jacket becomes a staple piece. “We feel so good when that happens. They’re like, ‘Oh, that coat that we’ve had, we’ve had it for three or five years and we love it, and it’s still around.’” The Koenigs are spending more time in their store than in the former location in order to reacquaint themselves with the neighborhood, so please stop by and say hello. Mad4Mod Vintage is open Thursday through Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. except on Sunday when they close at 6 p.m.
Call 614-424-6202 or visit online at www.mad4modvintage.com to learn more.
Doral Chenoweth, the Grumpy Gourmet, who turned 90 this year, is featured in Crave magazine’s winter issue. In an interview by Jill Moorhead, he puts in a few good words for Kent Rigsby. “Today they brag on the Short North,” he says, “but they don’t brag on the best chef up there: Kent Rigsby. Absolutely. The most innovative, hard-working guy.” He also talks about his work as a reporter at The Star, a trash tabloid once published in Columbus. Recently I was honored with an invitation to pick up an issue of that newspaper (1961) at Doral’s home (as he was distributing a few copies to various media) and enjoyed time in his office listening to colorful anecdotes about his work. It was wonderful time spent. Although retired from reviewing, Doral’s presence online is prolific. You can start at www.grumpygourmetusa.com
Another local in the news is photographer Debbie Rosenfeld. She and her husband moved to Victorian Village from New York after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, and she is featured in two anniversary articles on the subject: “The Artists Of 9/11: Finding Talent In Tragedy,” by Annemarie Dooling at Huffington Post, September 9, 2011, and “The Great Escape from New York,” by Elizabeth MacBride in Crain’s New York, August 14, 2011. Another noteworthy development for Rosenfeld is that two of her photos are now in the permanent collection of the B’nai B’rith Klutznik National Jewish Museum, in Washington, D.C. Her website is www.DebbieRphotography.com
We extend our condolences to Italian Village resident Emily Noble whose husband, local musician Mark Farmiloe, passed away in October. He was lead singer and band member of Pica Huss and Econo Thugs. Emily recalled how he expressed the fact that his life could be summed up in lyrics of Lennon and McCartney:There are places I’ll remember
All my life, though some have
changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends I still
can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life, I’ve loved them allEmail the Editor margaret@shortnorth.com
©2011 Short North Gazette, Columbus, Ohio. All rights reserved.
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