Prelude, Lincoln's newest vintage clothing and sneaker store, might be considered — as its wares suggest — a throwback.
Its Gen Z demographic is buying the clothes made popular by their parents — and grandparents — in a brick-and-mortar setting that some might consider antiquated in today's Amazon-influenced e-commerce economy.
Matt Johnson understands the perceived disconnect. Heck, he adds to it with a strong social media presence that serves as the marketing arm for the clothing store at 4220 S. 33rd St.
Johnson, the boyish-looking Gen Xer with tattoos from head to toe, is a product of the flea markets he grew up attending in Sacramento, California.
He cut his teeth buying vintage toys — Ninja Turtles were his forte — branched out to clothing and sneakers and gradually began selling his acquisitions online.
And he's made money — enough to buy a house in Hickman and provide for his family: wife Christina Horton and four children.
Still, there is no substitute for buying something in an actual shop, he has always believed.
"I think people miss the interaction, the shopping experience," he said. "It's not as fun to just click something convenient and buy it."
The shopping experience has evolved to the internet, but many people are still reluctant to buy clothes online because of the inconsistency with each brand's fit.Â
In addition, when selling vintage clothing, the description of a used piece of clothing is often up for debate. What one person considers to be gently worn might be considered completely worn out by another.
That said, the couple considered their options.
"We went back and forth for a while on whether to open a store or not," said Horton, who manages the shop.
At the end of the day, opening the shop — even with the overhead of rent, utilities and the commute from Hickman each day — made sense for one good reason.
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"I wanted my house back," said Johnson, who spends much of the day selling vintage clothing online. "I want to separate my house from my business."
But with only 30% of the inventory currently in the store — and the fact that he's always in acquisition mode — the house will always be used for overflow inventory.
Perhaps the most unique thing about Prelude is the guerilla marketing approach Johnson has taken to promote products.
Each night, he and Horton make a video and post it on Instagram to highlight 30 new items that will be available in the store the next day.
In doing so, Prelude continues to churn its inventory, while giving shoppers a reason to continue coming back.
"We've had a bunch of people come back again already," he said. "That's big for us. We want that repeat business."
The store, which opened May 15, has grown its online presence with about 75 new followers each day.
That's how 17-year-old Angel Flores heard about Prelude. He was in the shop Wednesday and left with a few vintage items.
"It feels very simple," he said. "But yet, there's a lot of stuff here."
In three weeks, the number of Instagram followers has ballooned to nearly 1,000.
"I always ask people when they come in how they heard about us," Horton said. "They'll say, 'Oh, I follow you on Instagram' or 'Somebody sent me your Instagram post.' I try to get people to follow us on Instagram because we put out good stuff."
Johnson also paid about $100 for an Instagram ad that has led to an early uptick in business.
"I feel like that was money well spent," he said. "We got that back in the first two hours after it posted."