A couple months back, after spending an afternoon drooling over eBay shop Meat Market Vintage's eclectic, sometimes out-there stock, we mooned over the possibility that the couple who run the online store, Cory Martinez and Ben Funke, might someday have a place where we could admire their funky wares IRL.
So, when the duo announced via Facebook that they were opening up a brick-and-mortar storefront while continuing to sell their vintage finds online, we were pretty ecstatic -- and momentarily convinced that we had psychic capabilities.
Today, Meat Market Vintage is open for business. The small store is located at 1020 S. Mill Avenue in Tempe -- in the same unit that used to house Three Roots Cafe, which has now been halved. (For info on what's happening in the other half, Flavors, we'll refer you to our sister blog Chow Bella.)
Taking cues from San Francisco vintage boutiques and aesthetic concepts from the industrial vibes of local coffee houses, Meat Market is outfitted with metal pipes for racks, a cement slab counter, black rafters, and cement floors.
It makes for a clean canvas for the colorful clothes that Meat Market is known for snapping up and offering to daring shoppers. With the exception of a soon-to-be-colored mural logo from Wet Paint owner Jessica Jordan, the walls are stark white.
Martinez says the new store will carry womenswear catering to a wider variety of body types than Meat Market usually vends online, along with menswear (which they don't sell online), lots of vintage tees, and casual pieces.
She and Funke hope to attract the nearby college crowd by focusing on more ready-to-wear items and keeping pieces at price points ranging from $12 to $50. And after six-plus years of selling online, the twosome are looking forward to connecting with the community and their dedicated local shoppers on a deeper level.
Meat Market Vintage is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Stay tuned for information on an upcoming opening celebration.
