With carefully curated spaces boasting vintage items alongside art, home decor and more, Re*Entropy adds a new option to Spokane's bustling vintage shopping scene.
Owner JJ Wandler opened the shop as an extension of his record store Entropy, which opened last March. While Entropy originally also sold midcentury modern furniture and decor, it wasn't an ideal spot for vintage shopping.
"I felt like at Entropy I was trying to do too much in too small of a space," Wandler says. "I decided to limit the focus over there to more pop culture, music, movies, some books, little handheld collectibles and fun stuff and weird stuff, and [Re*Entropy] would be the larger space."
Wandler made up the name Re*Entropy by pairing the idea of reusing and recycling with Entropy, also the title of a Thomas Pynchon short story exploring the tendency of organized systems to descend into chaos.
Re*Entropy opened on Nov. 25, just three weeks after Wandler signed a lease on the building.
He and Re*Entropy's manager Garrett Zanol (a rock scene staple who fronts Kadabra and Indian Goat) were able to pull off the quick turnaround due to the space — which previously was the Bike Hub — already being retail-ready. Additionally, the two decided to bring independent vendors in to diversify their inventory.
"We did a vendor open house kind of thing where we just said come down, do a walk-through, look at the spaces and figure out what works for you," Wandler says. "Within two days, we were almost to a waiting list point. It came together really fast. It was shocking."
One reason Wandler brought other vendors to Re*Entropy is to diversify the space, noting that every vendor has their own aesthetics and resulting blindspots.
"Not everybody's going to like the same thing out of a certain booth, but they'll find something they'll love in another booth," Zanol says.
Re*Entropy's sales floor is over 5,000 square feet, consisting of a main floor and basement. Upon walking in, shoppers are greeted with various larger furniture pieces and an array of vintage items and clothes primarily from the 1950s to the early 2000s.
Additionally, Wandler is an avid vintage collector with a keen interest in midcentury modern furniture and decor, so he's brought some of those pieces into Re*Entropy.
While many vintage stores have organized displays, Wandler says that some shops can develop a cluttered and overwhelming feel, something he and Zanol aim to avoid at Re*Entropy.
"Garrett is really excellent with merchandising and setting up spaces," says Wandler. "We want the experience to be curated and clean and fun, and for people to be able to walk in, see a setup, and feel like they could see it in their home."
The best vintage goods showcase the peak of each decade's iconic designs and aesthetics. For Wandler, they're durable and higher quality than many modern-day items.
"The last 20 years of furniture manufacturing is particleboard and largely disposable," he says. "But vintage furniture, vintage clothing, it was built to last — it's not from a disposable society."
Beating out other vintage competitors is not the goal for the duo. In fact, they're trying to help foster a supportive community among Spokane's vintage sellers and stores.
"There's flyers for our shop hanging up in other vintage shops because ultimately, if somebody's out shopping for vintage, they're going to hit all the vintage spots," Zanol says. "We encourage the other vendors and businesses to bring in a flier so we can cross promote you as well because that's ultimately what it's about."
Wandler and Zanol plan on continuously adding to and updating Re*Entropy, keeping the store in a constant state of invigorating flux.
"This space is never going to be done," Wandler says. "The way that it works, there's always new stuff popping up every single day." ♦
Re*Entropy • 1403 W. First Ave. • Open Wed-Sun from 10 am-6 pm • 509-414-3363
