University Vintage, an online platform that sells vintage collegiate clothing and accessories, opened its first store Sept. 7 on South State Street. The storefront primarily sells University of Michigan clothing items sourced locally and nationally and features clothing from the ’70s to early 2000s.
University Vintage was founded by Shane and Jared Perlin, brothers who graduated from the Ross School of Business, Shane in 2020 with his undergraduate degree and Jared in 2023 with his masters. In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Co-owner Shane Perlin said they are passionate about representing their alma mater through fashion and giving others the opportunity to do so as well. Shane Perlin said he began their business as an Instagram page in 2017 when he was still a student. Since his brother joined the effort in 2023, Shane Perlin said they have expanded into various pop-ups on campus.
“When Jared came in the fall of 2023, that’s when we started to do more public pop-up shops, like at Blue (Leprechaun), Garage Bar and Cantina,” Shane Perlin said. “Those also went super well and that’s when we realized there is a large opportunity to open up a store.”
Shane Perlin said the business hopes to expand its collection beyond U-M apparel into vintage clothing in general.
“We want to offer a vintage pipeline of Michigan and non-Michigan clothing and merchandise for the school, students and fans,” Shane Perlin said. “Right now we only have Michigan clothing on the floor. We’re looking to expand into regular vintage clothing.”
In order to continue growing the University Vintage collection, Shane Perlin said they plans to allow students to trade in or sell vintage clothing at the storefront.
“People can bring stuff in and get cash or store credit, which we think is going to be a fun opportunity for students and people who like vintage clothing to come and shop,” Shane Perlin said.
Co-owner Jared Perlin told The Daily that running the business has been a rewarding experience so far, due largely to support from the University community.
“The store has been doing really well and we have gotten a lot of great feedback from the community as well as people who have been following the page for years,” Jared Perlin said. “People who went to the University all those years ago love to come in and see the stuff on the walls, the memorabilia and seeing items from games they personally went to. It has, in a way, exceeded our expectations and it’s been fun to see everyone’s reactions and be a part of it.”
Taubman freshman Hannah Toppel told The Daily she decided to visit University Vintage after learning about it and said she had a positive experience shopping there.
“I had heard of the vintage store on campus and went in to shop,” Toppel said. “I heard it sells great Michigan vintage clothing. When I went in I thought it was really cool.”
Shane Perlin said while they only expected support from friends and family, the outpouring of support from the community has been overwhelming and helpful to growing the business.
“It’s definitely been a warm welcome … we have random people walking in that are loving the store and talking with us,” Shane Perlin said. “It’s been great to connect with people and understand what they want, like and enjoy about the store. That helps us get a better understanding of how to cater the store to people moving forward.”
Daily Staff Reporter Maddyn Shapiro can be reached at maddyns@umich.edu.