I’d driven by Retro Rampage & The Feather Rose Jewelry on Athens Avenue hundreds of times in the two-and-a-half years since the store opened.
I glanced plenty, but never stopped. Besides, although I was intrigued by its funky exterior, right across from Subway Sandwich and the Jazzercise Center, I couldn’t quite figure out what Retro Rampage & The Feather Rose Jewelry was. A thrift store? A recycled clothing store for young people?
I became much more motivated to check it out last year after I learned Retro Rampage was where Chita Johnson bought her famous pink dress.
What dress?
Oh, baby. The Pink Dress that Johnson, KRCR’s weather reporter, wore in last year’s Dancing with the Stars – Shasta County Style disco set when Johnson and her partner Logan Grimes performed It’s Raining Men – the number that produced a collective gasp from the audience when Johnson removed her raincoat to reveal a short pink halter dress with a swishy skirt.
Yes, that pink dress.
I finally stopped by to see Retro Rampage for myself last week.
I met Chris Jolliff, Retro Rampage’s owner, who said she spends a lot of time educating people on the finer points of what her store is not.
“This is not a thrift store,” Jolliff said as she hung up a ’60s-era green dress with a matching green feather trim. “We are a retro store, which means everything here is generally between the ’40s through the ’80s, or things that are new, high-end or designer clothes that look retro.”
Jolliff said every item in her store is hand-picked, either purchased outright or commissioned for sale.
Take the ’40s-era snake-skin shoes, matching handbag and matching suitcase, something you won’t find at Target.
Or that classic ’70’s-era Laura Ashley dress (it’s identical to what my twin wore for her wedding).
Or Jolliff’s retro collection of jewelry, hat pins and accessories.
Retro Rampage is about as full as a store could be and still allow room to walk between merchandise. It displays not just women’s wear, but Jolliff’s line of The Feather Rose Jewelry (including tiaras and entire sets of made-to-order jewelry, a big hit with brides and bridesmaids), and even mens and childrens retro clothes, although apparently, vintage mens clothing isn’t as available because men tend to wear things out, while women are more inclined to rotate their wardrobes as styles change.
Jolliff also sells some non-clothing items, such as vintage luggage, and a few housewares, like this vintage bar set in its original box.
Jolliff, who personally favors the ’40s for its tailored styles, defines herself as a “free spirit” who came of age in the ’60s and ’70s, a time when she first learned to make jewelry, a time when she dressed up in clothing with nipped waists and padded shoulders from her mother’s downtown Redding shop – Marmalade – named for its colorful inventory mix.
She’s proud to follow in the retail steps of her departed mother, Gail Cadwallader, and has gone full circle. Jolliff’s own daughter grew up with such an appreciation of vintage clothes that she’d rather buy something old than something new.
In fact, the stunning black-and-white vintage dress Jolliff’s daughter will soon wear to her senior ball is currently being carefully restored by Jolliff’s friend and right-hand Retro Rampage helper, Natalie Phillips, whom Jolliff described as one of the best seamstresses around. The two women marvel that in the ’80s they vowed that when they were older, and when their lives settled down, they’d figure out some way to work together, which is exactly what they do now.
During my Retro Rampage visit a woman with a little dog in a carrying bag stopped by to see if Jolliff would be interested in seeing some vintage clothing like leather jackets.
Jolliff said yes, by appointment only, and she gave the woman a card with Retro Rampage’s phone number: 243-1934. Duly noted. And also noted were the store’s hours: Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Got it.
Was that customer typical?
“Yes, but we also get people who are like me, who love the older clothing and jewelry,” she said.
“And I get the Club Cougar kids – gosh, they almost paid my rent for an entire month – and we get school plays and musicals – and I give them discounts because I want to help where I can. And I get lots of people who dress up for parties of a certain era – the ’80s or whatever. I mean, I didn’t have a clue the ’80s was retro until I opened this shop. I’ll tell you what I do know – retro is trendy.”
