By Payton Turkeltaub
Medill Reports
From the racks of vintage Levi’s and Missoni tops to a table covered in Chanel ballet flats, shopping at Past Studies feels a lot more like peeking inside a fashion lover’s dream wardrobe than it does stepping inside a traditional retail store. The airy West Loop loft the vintage designer store calls home is decorated like one too; pastel pink sofas fill the space, as do racks of watches, wallets and purses so neatly organized you’d think they’ve come from someone’s personal collection. The price tags are the only detail that might clue you in that everything is, in fact, available for purchase. This was done by design.
“It should feel like your closet and you’re trying stuff on, instead of feeling like you’re in a store,” owner Katherine Guo said.
One year since opening, Past Studies has become a hotspot for seasoned vintage lovers, first-time secondhand shoppers and everyone in between. And it’s not just Chicago residents who are fans – some customers even fly in to visit, Guo said. But beyond selling coveted designer items, Past Studies is building a community of devoted consumers focused on elevating their personal style, one piece at a time.
“I think that’s how we’re capturing people who are just getting into vintage,” Guo said. “They start with their first Fendi bag, their first Louis Vuitton bag, their first Chanel bag, and they’re like, ‘Oh my God, vintage is so cool.’”
Growing up, Guo was focused on STEM – not designer clothes. The 26-year-old graduated from Duke University with degrees in computer science and economics in 2019 and worked as a quantitative trading analyst at Chicago Trading Company before starting Past Studies. But fashion was always her creative outlet.
“When I was in a corporate role, I would wear these crazy outfits,” Guo said. “I’d pull up to work, and they’d be like, ‘Oh, what’s with your outfit? Is it supposed to be wrinkled?’”
It wasn’t until Guo was laid off from her job and began selling at local vintage markets that she met Maria Coss, now the general manager of Past Studies. The duo turned out to be a perfect team – Coss’s retail background (the 27-year-old previously worked at Ganni, Coach and Reformation) worked well with Guo’s financial one. Since opening, the team has grown to include nearly 10 part-time employees.
“I honestly think that’s why we’ve made it this far,” Coss said. “She teaches me things all the time. I teach her things all the time. It’s a good marriage.”
Past Studies fills a niche in the West Loop – one of the reasons why Guo doesn’t see them relocating any time soon.
“Chicago has a very fragmented retail space,” Guo said, pointing out the pockets of thrift stores in Wicker Park and high-end shopping on Oak Street.
Currently, the store operates on a by-appointment basis, allowing customers to reserve private shopping sessions Wednesday through Friday. This allows each shopper a more focused, specialized experience than a traditional retailer.
“You feel more comfortable changing or sifting through things when you are by yourself,” Guo said. “A lot of people end up just walking around barefoot in the store because they’re the only ones here.”
She estimated nearly half of their total monthly sales come from appointments, with the rest of the revenue coming from their Saturday open houses, shopping events, e-commerce and their Instagram, @PastStudies.
“We have a few clients that don’t live here and operate solely through direct messages,” Coss said.
Community-focused marketing efforts have been a key path to success for the store, whether it’s an after-work shopping event, weekend coffee pop-up or hyper-local social media posts. Influencers have also given Past Studies shoutouts on TikTok, something that often prompts an influx of activity. Guo says in April, she helped a woman who made an appointment after seeing a creator’s post about their purchase on TikTok.
Social media was how 42-year-old May Rioux said she first found the store. She has since visited four times and previously purchased a Celine crossbody. This trip, she had her eyes on a top-handle purse (also Celine) before another customer scooped it up. She picked up a black and white Chanel bowler bag to illustrate its shape.
“It’s beautiful stuff,” Rioux said. “It’s also a fun place to just browse around.”
During a recent Saturday open house, a steady stream of shoppers circulated the studio, sifting through racks of Issey Miyake, Dior and Gucci ready-to-wear, and sliding Fendi baguettes (a pink one is $995) and Prada bags (a studded nylon backpack is marked at $695) over their shoulders. Some browsed the front corner of the store, where classic damier print Louis Vuitton pochettes, Speedys and duffles were nestled. Others looked through racks of vintage Levi’s, which start around $140.
The store’s inventory was curated intentionally, primarily through private collectors and vintage wholesalers that allow the team to purchase specific items, said Guo. The focus has always been on quality over quantity – in turn, customers are more purposeful about how they shop.
“You don’t have to walk out with 10 things,” Guo said. “You can walk out with one or two intentional things, and be like, ‘Wow, I really am going to use this piece a lot.’”
In an average month, Guo said the store brings in anywhere from mid-five figures to low six figures in revenue. And while roughly 200 customers make purchases each month, the number of visitors the store sees is “two, three, four times that,” according to her. Repeat customers comprise about 25% of that number.
“It’s really great for us and speaks to the relationships we build,” Guo said. “People just feel comfortable coming here, which is the number one priority for us.”
Coss echoed the sentiment: “Ultimately, it’s about the connection.”
One year down, the team has started to think about what comes next for Past Studies – whether it’s a new space or a clothing line.
“It would be great to have a standalone ground-floor retail space somewhere, but we just haven’t found our fit,” Guo said. She followed this up by saying it would also be a more significant financial risk than their current loft space.
“We were focusing more on building a better foundation on the business, then ramping up slowly. We were never really in the rush to do things. I think that’s what’s allowed us to grow intentionally.”
Payton Turkeltaub is a graduate student at Medill in the Magazine specialization.
