Yung Esau’s Vintage: The stories we wear

Aaron Stutz was 6 years old when he first fell in love with Grateful Dead T-shirts at Pinemere Camp in the summers of the 1990s. 

His counselors wore bright tie-dye shirts with dancing bears. He said he didn’t know the Grateful Dead’s music yet, but he loved the style. Years later, when Stutz began listening to the band, the songs brought him back to summer sing-alongs and the feeling of belonging. 

That same childhood fascination now hangs inside Yung Esau’s Vintage Shop on 97 E. Broad St., named after the Grateful Dead song “My Brother Esau,” — a track the band performed live for only a few years. What started in his living room, with an ironing board as a desk, has become a storefront filled with racks of vintage clothing, collectibles and more. 

He began selling Grateful Dead T-shirts as a hobby in 2003 and eventually turned it into an online vintage resale business in 2018. After years of selling vintage clothing online and at markets, Stutz opened his first brick-and-mortar storefront in December, transforming a longtime side hustle into a physical space centered on nostalgia. 

Stutz grew up in Allentown before moving to Philadelphia for college, where he studied to become a teacher. After graduating in 2011, he spent 14 years working in education and for Playworks, a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia. When he met his wife, Dylan Star, in 2014, the pair moved to Denver, where Stutz worked for another nonprofit. 

He left his job in Denver just before the COVID shutdown and decided to fully commit to selling vintage clothing after years of doing it on the side. 

“Once we came out of COVID, I realized that we had a pretty solid business already going,” he said.

In 2022, Stutz and Star moved to Bethlehem and secured a booth at Belleville Market in Easton, marking their first physical location after years of online sales. Stutz also began setting up a pop-up at the Bethlehem Vintage Market at the Rose Garden in 2023, which runs annually from spring through fall and welcomes Yung Esau’s and around 60 other vendors. 

When the East Broad Street space became available in September, the couple took the leap and opened their first storefront in December. Stutz credits Star with making the transition possible by giving him confidence, helping with the business plan and envisioning the store’s design. 

“(Star) was really instrumental in a number of ways,” he said. “She was very supportive. She told me it’s not a new venture, it’s just a new era for it.”

Star said Stutz’s ability to connect with people comes naturally. Stutz said his background in education shapes the way he interacts with customers.

“He’s such a people person,” Star said. “Seeing him relate to people is amazing to watch. It’s fun to watch someone you love do something they love and are good at.”

Customers from Lehigh, Moravian University and beyond visit the shop searching for vintage school memorabilia and pieces that spark storytelling and nostalgia. The shop carries a wide variety of vintage items for collectors, but its roots trace back to a love for the Grateful Dead. 

One of Stutz’s favorite memories came during the shop’s first week, when a man brought in about a dozen Grateful Dead T-shirts he’d worn in the ‘70s. 

“He even had pictures of himself wearing (the T-shirts),” Stutz said. “I feel like we have been friends forever. Age doesn’t matter when you have a connection like that. That’s just one example of the relationships I’ll make over the years here.”

Moments like this reinforce what Stutz believes the shop is really about: not just clothing, but connection.

Lehigh Valley native Natalie Milsztajn said she loves shopping at Yung Esau’s at the Belleville Market. A couple years ago, the shop’s selection of brightly colored vintage windbreakers caught her eye, and she bought a “funky colored” jacket that became one of her favorites. 

While shopping at the Bethlehem Vintage Market — sporting her windbreaker — a shopper approached her to ask where she got it. Before she could remember the name of the shop, Stutz stepped in and joked that he knew exactly where the jacket had come from. 

“(Stutz and Star) make you feel so welcome when you are in their presence,” Milsztajn said. “They have a passion for vintage treasures and they have a very good eye for it. They genuinely love this line of work and that’s very refreshing to see.”

From then on, Milsztajn followed Yung Esau’s to local vintage markets. She said it was exciting to see the shop open a permanent location so she didn’t have to wait for the next pop-up. 

Yung Esau’s move into a permanent space has also brought online followers into the shop. Mel Orlando and their friend discovered Yung Esau’s on TikTok in early February and visited the shop together. 

Orlando said they enjoyed the vibe and selection of clothing, stuffed animals, CDs and cassette tapes. An avid thrifter, Orlando said they’re excited there’s now an affordable vintage shop in the area. 

“There’s no judgment in the community and people are not afraid to be themselves,” Orlando said. “I think that’s really nice.”

Milsztajn said the thrifting community in Bethlehem is larger than people may think and filled with pride. She said she feels a sense of pride when wearing items from a vintage shop.

For Star, the appeal of the vintage community goes beyond style. 

“It’s nice to be with people who value the same things like recycling, upcycling and finding treasures,” she said. “It’s been really fun to connect with the community.”

Through upcycling and recycling clothing, Stutz aims to keep the story behind each item alive. 

Whether he’s selling Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figurines to a father and son or rescuing clothing that might otherwise be thrown away, he believes each item has a story worth continuing. 

To further support Bethlehem’s community, Stutz also hosts fundraisers to benefit William Penn’s Elementary School’s science programs and local organizations such as the Coalition for Appropriate Transportation. He said he uses the store to support local causes. 

“I’m truly trying to figure out what connects (the shopper) to the item, why they’re here and where they’re from,” he said. “I love asking people questions. The community aspect is something that has been necessary in any job I’ve done and something that I’m focused on.”