Field Trip: American Apparel

Rifle through racks of American heritage brands at Greenwich Vintage -- if you can find it

“Mustache” Mike Ader, Tamas “Zen” Pomazi and Maximillian Miller are the cofounders of Greenwich Vintage, the Twin Cities’ most under-the-radar menswear store.

Image credit: John Wallace/wallacefoto.com

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By: Mary O'Regan |   February 2012   |  From the print edition

Few shop owners pride themselves on maintaining a mysterious, almost hidden presence—typically the more people who know about your store, the better. Then again, few shop owners have names like “Mustache” Mike Ader, Tamas “Zen” Pomazi and Maximillian Miller, the eclectic, old-timey cofounders of Greenwich Vintage, the Twin Cities’ most under-the-radar menswear store.

“We want to be that dirty little secret to your look,” says Pomazi, a burly, Pendleton-clad retired graffiti artist and sneaker designer who also works as the shop’s shoe customizer. “This is not Express Men.”

Pomazi and Ader had originally wanted to open a shoe shop/barbershop that would also sell clothes, but after an overwhelmingly positive response at the NorthernGRADE menswear expo, they decided to dive headfirst into fashion, signing a six-month lease on a retail space in the North Loop last December. But don’t go looking for a storefront.

“The guys who are in the know, they know which door to go into,” Pomazi says. To patronize Greenwich Vintage, you’ll need to call ahead, make an appointment, find the shop in the Whitney Square Building, get buzzed in and take an elevator into the basement. Inspired by old-fashioned speakeasies, Pomazi dreams of one day instructing customers to enter through an old English-style telephone booth, dial a special number and have the back door slide open, revealing the shop.

For now, it becomes clear upon setting foot inside the store that the hoops are worth jumping through. The space has a hip, masculine atmosphere with steel racks, rugged barn carts, old traveling trunks, war-era footlockers, a retro principal’s desk, exposed brick and vintage Playboy magazines. The shelves are full of hard-to-find American-made throwbacks like Pendleton flannels; Red Wing, Chippewa and Frye boots; Bemidji shirts; Winona knits; and Woolrich buffalo plaid. Pomazi estimates 60 percent of his merchandise is “old new stock,” meaning unworn vintage, with tags and in the original packaging—hence the $80-$250 price range.

“Our customer starts out as the average guy with nostalgia for a few pieces that remind him of that coat hanging in the back of his dad's closet,” Pomazi explains. “He keeps coming back when he realizes the quality and forever style of good, American-made menswear.”

In addition to sourcing the shop’s vintage duds, Pomazi creates bespoke wingtip shoes accented with vintage Pendleton fabric and refitted with vibram soles. CFO Miller handles the business side of things, and Ader refers customers to his other job as a classic barber at Heimie’s Haberdashery, giving hot-towel shaves and taper haircuts. “Our long-term goal is to have all of these services on-site at our brick-and-mortar location,” Pomazi says. “We want to offer something unique for people who are willing to take the time to find us, and [who] care about how they look every day.”

+ Shop at Greenwich Vintage, 210 2nd St. N., Mpls., by appointment only. Call Zen, 612.310.0373, Mike, 612.817.1777, greenwichvintage.us.