store opening

Clothing Warehouse

1211 S. Charles St., Federal Hill

410-244-6554, theclothingwarehouse.com

Open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.

Some people think of vintage-clothes shopping as a treasure hunt in a dusty old attic. We would just as soon do it in a fashionable boutique. Luckily, the new Clothing Warehouse is more boutique than attic. The space is fresh-looking - and spiffy clean! - and the men's and women's clothes are attractively organized by color rather than by size or decade. (Manager Whitney Ritchie says vintage sizes are so different from today's as to almost be useless.)

The clothes come mostly from a wholesale warehouse in Atlanta, where they are "analyzed to make sure they are authentic and in mint condition, then cleaned, steamed and pressed," says Ritchie. "This isn't a 'secondhand' store where you hunt through an old chest." Other things we learned:

What you didn't know about "vintage " clothes: The term covers 1930 to 1985. Anything before that is "antique." Anything after (until the present) is "retro."

So why should I buy vintage? You won't run into the same dress on someone else.

Whitney's tips for buying vintage: Try everything on because sizes are so different, and be willing to spend money on alterations.

What shouldn't I miss at the Clothing Warehouse? Dresses, sunglasses, cowboy boots, jeans, men's hats.