Avenger’s Vintage is a high-end vintage clothing store that fits right into the eclectic yet historic Nob Hill district in Albuquerque. The shop is run by Carlos and Selah who have made it their mission to bring the community the most unique collection of authentic vintage clothing from the 1920s to the 1970s. They take pride in having pieces that can help people explore their style and feel confident.
Carlos and Selah’s dedication to curating a high-quality vintage inventory hasn’t gone unnoticed by the New Mexico film industry. When they first opened the shop, Carlos and Selah thought about trying to integrate themselves into the film industry, but before they could put themselves out there, the film industry found them. Studios that like to source locally, have sought out pieces from the Avenger’s Vintage inventory. At the beginning of a production, a team will come in and buy items in bulk and often return throughout the remainder of the production, to pick up a few more items for specific scenes.
Often times studios can’t disclose the projects they are working on. However, Carlos and Selah were made aware of a few of the television series and movies that chose to use Avenger’s Vintage, which includes the Dark Winds television series on AMC, the upcoming JJ Abram’s television series Duster, Ethan Coen’s upcoming comedy film Honey Don’t, and the film Love Lies Bleeding with Kristen Stewart.
After seeing their vintage pieces appear on screen, Selah said that they felt “so excited and were overcome with a lot of emotions.” Carlos further added that it brought them a “sense of pride” because their eye for vintage aesthetics is good enough to be in movies and television series. This success and the positive emotions have kept them motivated to keep their collection well stocked so that they could be ready to supply vintage clothing for upcoming television shows and movies when needed.
Identifying vintage clothing isn’t something that comes naturally to people today. Carlos and Selah have developed a keen eye for spotting authentic pieces. They look at the style, print, buttons, tags, types of stitching, type of fabric, etc. to know if it’s authentic or not. They want items that are of sellable quality, but that doesn’t mean that they must be in perfect condition. There will be flaws with vintage clothing, but they can either mend some of those flaws or they choose to leave the flaws as is because it gives the clothing character.
When it comes to restocking their vintage collection, they usually go about it in one of two ways. They like to travel to small towns across the country, stopping by local thrift stores where they can find some real hidden treasures. They also acquire vintage pieces from people within the Albuquerque community. People will bring them vintage pieces from their family, which often comes with a backstory, such as a dress that belonged to someone’s grandmother or a pair of shoes that belonged to their dad. They have built a rapport within the community as a place where someone can bring a cherished vintage item, knowing that Carlos and Selah will handle it with the utmost care, ensuring it goes to a loving new owner, including television and movie studios.
Selah described the partnership they’ve created with the film industry as “godsend.” Studio teams walk through their doors as repeat customers or simply through word-of-mouth recommendations. Carlos said that the success that Avenger’s Vintage has seen since opening their doors “wouldn’t be the same” without the film industry.
Avenger's Vintage is located at 4011 Central Ave. NE in ABQ. Their phone number is 973.668.1360 and their website is https://www.avengersvintage.com
Carlos and Selah’s dedication to curating a high-quality vintage inventory hasn’t gone unnoticed by the New Mexico film industry.