Milk & Ice Vintage and Sturgis Antiques, two specialty stores that shared a space on The Avenue in Hampden, announced they will be closing their physical storefront and shift to online business and by-appointment studio visits.
In an Instagram post, the owners of Milk & Ice said that closing the store is something they had been considering before the COVID-19 pandemic forced many non-essential retail businesses to close their doors.
“Having time off due to this pandemic only pushed us in this direction where we can focus more on curating the true vintage & antique clothing we love most,” the post said. “This means more freedom for us as buyers & collectors to explore and collaborate with other artists.”
Christian Sturgis wrote in a separate post that posting his collection of antiques and oddities online “has given me new outlook on my business.”
“This life of Covid has given both businesses a chance to breath[e] and work on creating a new way to do retail,” he said. “Retail has changed over the past several years and this new situation we find ourselves in has changed us both and this change will be for the better for both of us.”
The two shops shared the storefront on W. 36th Street for six years.
Milk & Ice carried practical staples like vintage T’s and jeans while also stocking rarer, unique finds, such as Edwardian night gowns and a children’s “Davy Crockett” top from the 1950s.
To give you a better idea of the styles for sale: Kate Thomas, who co-owned Milk & Ice with Angie Gavin, told Baltimore magazine in 2016 that her style inspiration is Patti Smith.
Sturgis Antiques, meanwhile, had old advertisements, paintings and furniture alongside curios like Victorian tear catchers and a skull depicting the scenes of three presidential assassinations.
