From dorm to pop-up: Vintage vision unfolds

After countless days of sitting in the car while his mother visited flea markets, yard sales and thrift stores around the Lehigh Valley, Will Ironside, ‘25, suddenly decided to join her inside one day. 

Initially, he said, he was fixated on shoes, which he purchased and resold throughout high school. But on his journey to acquire more shoes to sell, he stumbled upon vintage clothing hung up on racks and folded on tables. 

“I fell in love with the pieces and started selling them,” he said. “I like the look of it but also the sustainability aspect.” 

Ironside has been collecting vintage clothing for about four years. Today, alongside being a Lehigh student, he owns his own vintage clothing resale company, IRONSIDE, through which he sells vintage pieces made as early as the 1940s to the Y2K era. 

He said he’s been doing pop-up shops for his company for two years, but on March 28, Ironside hosted his first Lehigh showing.

“I was inspired to try out the Lehigh vintage pop-up, because I love vintage clothing, and I am a student at Lehigh,” he said. “I used to hang the pieces up on the walls of my dorm room.” 

The pop-up shop was a one-day only event, hosted at Homebase Skateshop on West Fourth Street.

Andy Po, the owner of Homebase, said he’s been in contact with Ironside for a few years since he frequently shopped at Po’s other local business, 2nd Base Vintage in Easton. He said Ironside had also once interviewed him about being a small business owner for one of his classes. 

Since Homebase is located on the South Side, close to Lehigh’s campus, Po said he frequently meets students. 

“We like to engage with students from Lehigh who come off the hill,” he said. “It’s natural for us. It’s part of the business’s DNA.” 

Frequently lending Homebase’s space to small businesses trying to establish themselves, Po said he enjoys supporting the local community. For Ironside, Po said he gave him advice and feedback to ensure the IRONSIDE pop-up ran smoothly. 

“We have run pop-up shops of other brands and artists, not only focused on vintage, as it is not easy for up-and-coming businesses to get into the public eye,” Po said. 

Sydney Mikesell, ‘27, was one of several Lehigh students who visited Ironside’s pop-up at Homebase. She said she decided to attend after receiving a flier for the pop-up through GroupMe.

She also said the fellow students she saw at the shop all seemed fascinated by the pieces being displayed, and she believed there was a large and diverse variety of clothing to choose from. 

“I would definitely come back and would love for more of these to be hosted,” Mikesell said. “I think this is a rare and unique type of shop. It’s a great and different opportunity for students.”

Ironside said he collects pieces online and from people who know he buys Lehigh vintage apparel. 

He also said he hopes to connect with alumni to collect more Lehigh-related items that have stood the test of time.

Ironside considered the pop-up turnout to be a success with more than 100 attendees. He said about half of the merchandise was sold at the event.

In regards to future plans, he said he’s gauging which items were most popular among visitors, such as sweatshirts and crewnecks, to plan future pop-ups. If he can’t schedule another pop-up this semester, he said he’d love to visit after graduation and continue selling to the Lehigh community.