Storied Stitches: Local Shop explores escapism through vintage fashion

Hannah Conzelman was never a stranger to vintage fashion.

“My grandmother was an absolute Mountain Brook socialite,” she said. “[She] wore a lot of amazing vintage, so I grew up around it.”

As an adult studying social work in Melbourne, Australia, that background — and the passion that sprang from it — led her to become a client at antique clothing store Clara Fox.

“Eventually I thought, ‘I want to make this sort of passion and hobby of mine into a career,’” she said. So, she approached the owner with a proposal: Give her 10 pieces of clothing, and she’d turn an agreed-upon profit within the month. “And that’s sort of how I started Devore Vintage,” she said.

Ten years, a marriage, and a move back to Birmingham later, and Conzelman has turned the business she started on Instagram into a full-fledged online store. In 2022, she opened her own storefront in a historic structure in Pepper Place, where she sells vintage and antique pieces by appointment only.

“Probably 97% of my stuff is from the 1880s to the 1930s,” Conzelman said.

While her online store continues to be her “bread and butter,” Conzelman had always been interested in opening a brick-and-mortar — and the response from the community has been strong.

“A lot of my stuff is historic from Birmingham, and I’ve had a lot of interest in that,” she said. “It’s been wonderful.”

While it’s not unusual to find vintage clothing online, what Conzelman does is a step beyond the norm.

“I sort of aim to bring people into my story — into my world,” she said. “So, it’s more than just selling a piece of clothing. I could put one of my dresses on a mannequin and put it in a corner of my house and sell it, but it’s not the same.”

Instead, she approaches her business from a place of creativity, creating what she calls “photographic storytelling and shoppable editorials” on her website and Instagram — which is still going strong.

“Now, I’m shooting a lot in my space at Pepper Place, but with the different locations I’ve shot in, I aim to sort of give people a way to escape from everyday life,” she said.

For Conzelman, vintage clothing offers an array of benefits over the current fashion industry — from its sustainability and environmental friendliness to its one-of-a-kind nature. “A lot of the time there’s only one of each, because a lot of it was homemade,” she said, “so, nobody else is going to have it.”

For both her in-person and online clients, Conzelman’s inventory has something to offer nearly everyone, as evidenced by the fact that her clients range in age from 17 to 70.

“I think anyone of any age who can appreciate art can appreciate what I do,” she said. “But even if you aren’t a client, she hopes you’ll find something worthwhile in what she does. “Even if you don’t buy anything, it’s a way to escape.”

Since settling into the community at Pepper Place, Conzelman has carried on her grandmother’s legacy of celebrating timeless fashion — but she has no plans to expand her business any time soon.

“Because a wise person once told me, ‘You don’t want to blow up — you just want to coast along,’” she said. “And if I keep doing what I do until the day I die, I’ll be happy.”

To see more from Devore Vintage, visit @devorevintage on Instagram. To set up an appointment, visit shopdevorevintage.com.