Cynthia Deering is building a future on the past. As proprietress of her eponymous Tremont shop, Deering sources, edits and styles vintage clothing and accessories for a devoted clientele. In this Q&A, Deering discusses her love of vintage, her passion for first-class customer service and the appeal of "instant relatives."
OhioAuthority: From where does your interest in vintage wares stem?
Cynthia Deering: My mom. She dragged me to flea markets from the time I was a little girl, and I hated every minute of it. Everything was old, dirty and used. We had about 40 old framed photos of what I thought were relatives on the wall up our stairway. Found out in my late teens [that] three were relatives, the rest were strangers. I got the biggest kick out of my mom for doing that! I've always had big glass cookie jars filled with old photographs for sale at my stores I call [them] "instant relatives." Thanks mom!
OA: What is your memory of "discovering" vintage?
CD: In the late 1970s I started going to Wolf's auctions on (I think) Larchmere. Those auctions opened my eyes to art, and objects d'art of a higher quality. I started then to develop my "eye". I was starting to find good pieces amongst the mediocre and crap at auctions and estate sales. I became hooked.
OA: What was the impetus to open Deering Vintage?
CD: Kelly Grimm from The Cleveland Auction Company on Professor [Avenue] in Tremont asked me to work for them during an Art Walk last June. I had a blast! I missed the business, the people, the stuff. I wasn't working at the time; it was a no-brainer for me that opening another store was in my future.
OA: What types of things do you gravitate towards?
CD: I gravitate towards so much! Blenko crackle glass vases in purples, blues and greens. Quality dresses and suits with bound button holes from the 1950s-1960s. Anything Mod - Mary Quant, Twiggy, Jean Shrimpton, the British fashion revolution of the 1960's. Old fashion magazines. Art Deco, mid-century modern furniture and art. Anything Lucite, from picture frames to furniture. Vintage fabric, buttons and patterns. I love to sew.
OA: What have some of your favorite items been lately?
CD: A silk hankie from the 1950s with little donuts and coffee cups on it. 1950s cotton colorful sundresses. Girlie calendars from the '40s and '50s advertising old gas stations and bars.
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