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Michael Raasch is the owner of Our World Vintage, a new vintage clothing store on East 13th Avenue. The store’s throwback vibe and atmosphere has already garnered some attention from Eugene residents.
Raasch, 35, started selling vintage clothing five years ago in antique malls throughout Oregon, most recently in Springfield.
Raasch graduated from UO in 2014 with a degree in sociology. As a student, Raasch would frequent thrift stores like St. Vincent de Paul and Goodwill around the Eugene area.
These chain thrift stores were more abundant back then until they consolidated to just a few locations, he said. Outside of these big thrift stores, Raasch said there were not many vintage stores.
Raasch said East 13th Avenue was the spot to be when he was a student. Now it feels smaller as local businesses try to reinvigorate the strip.
“If you talk to any of us here, we just want East 13th Avenue to be campus again,” Raasch said. “I’ve noticed kind of myself, at least, that it’s been slowly extending and those patches have been filled in with different businesses.”
Raasch said his customer base in the Springfield antique mall was already comprised of mostly UO students, making the decision to open a campus location an easy one.
Some students and community members believe having more community-centered businesses on East 13th Avenue extends campus in a way while also offering relief from tough classes.
“It’s kind of a breath of fresh air from school because there’s a coffee shop and 7-11,” Deven Payne, a community member and Our World Vintage customer, said. “So it’s kind of like a break area.”
An estimated 90% of Raasch’s customer base is new. The remaining 10% has been built up through these last five years in the antique malls.
The community of Eugene and East 13th Avenue — not just UO students — is important to Raasch.
“It’s not just students that come here. To be honest, it’s just a bunch of community people from Eugene, South Eugene and North Eugene,” Raasch said.
Raasch wants to make Our World Vintage a “fun zone.” The store already has a claw machine and will be serving shaved ice in time for the summer, indicating the store’s official hard launch.
“I really wanted a spot here in the summer just for the life of East 13th Avenue, especially when all the college kids go back home to their place,” Raasch said. “We just need something here on East 13th Avenue that can provide entertainment value.”
Some customers might say Raasch has already done that.
“It’s definitely a good vibe,” Payne said. “I feel comfortable to be myself in there. I don’t feel like I’m being stared at. You know how you walk into a store and you’re like, ‘I feel like I’m being stared at.’”
Raasch also wants to add boutique tables to the store in the future. One boutique — Bubbles’ Boutique — already has their own table at the front of the store.
Our World Vintage’s other merchandise includes vintage Duck gear, Pokemon cards and an assortment of vintage clothing. Cartoons are a large influence on Our World Vintage and Raasch’s style, especially ‘90s cartoons like “The Simpsons” and “Beavis and Butthead.”
Our World Vintage soft launched on Feb. 2 with a hard launch planned pre-summer this year. The store can be found at 304 E 13th Ave.
