I can’t really explain the excitement I feel when a new shop opens up in Columbus, especially if it involves clothing. A few months back, James and I were walking around Bexley after seeing a movie at the Drexel and we saw a sign for “Skipping Rock Farm Pop-up Shop” and the window display immediately drew us in. I found out that this pop-up shop was a collaboration between Amy Hamilton of Skipping Rock Farm and a vintage collective called Mighty Hand vintage. I also found out that one part of the husband/wife duo behind Mighty Hand vintage was someone I knew from my modeling days at Amy Butler design, Molly Huston. Check out my interview below with Molly and be sure to stop by the pop-up shop located at 547 S. Drexel Ave Bexley, Ohio 43209.
lucky star: Were you and your husband, Brandon, always interested in vintage and fashion? When did you both know that you wanted to start Mighty Hand vintage and the pop-up shop?
Molly Huston: We have always been interested in fashion and old things, so it only made sense the two would eventually become one. I’m sure the experience we’ve had working for “a large fashion corporation” has opened our eyes to a whole new world of classic Americana that we have been interested in more recently (within the last 6 years). We’ve had our hands on such amazing vintage garments that have been ruined by scissors, cut up for color or construction reference, and pinned on boards… it was heart breaking! What a waist! We just got tired of pinning and cutting and decided to share! On our own time, we started to take trips– hunt, gather, collect until we figured out what we wanted Mighty Hand to really be (I think we’re still figuring that out). It can get tricky mixing guys and girls fashion because girls are WAY more adventurous and eclectic. Men are so easy going when it comes to trends. Men’s style doesn’t change as rapidly.
ls: How did you and Brandon come up with the name “Mighty Hand vintage?”
MH: We came up with the name Mighty Hand together. Brandon thought of “mighty” and I added “hand.” We love the classic strong American brands. The super old brands like Hercules, Five Brothers, Big Mac, Champion and then some of the newer ones: Mr Freedom, Union Made, Strong Hold.
ls: Was there a particular garment, vintage store, or person that really ignited your passion?
MH: Bruce Weber’s shoot in W magazine’s November 1997 issue “High Camp.” I was in high school and this is what started it for me. Kate Moss, Stella McCartney, Maryann Faithful. It was high fashion plus vintage plus camp. It’s like I had been freed from the idea that fashion had to look and feel a certain way. Not such a unique thought, but I was seventeen at the time and that’s huge concept to accept when your in high school. LOVE it! (pictures from this shoot below). Since then, we are constantly inspired by travel, music, food, culture, and, of course, shops that represent quality, vintage, and style like Mr. Freedom, RTH, and Imogene & Willie.
ls: Do have particular blogs that you love to read for inspiration?
MH: Erie Basin, Free People Blog, An Apple a Day, SANFORIZED, One Trip Pass, The Selby, and Tomboy Style.
ls: How would you characterize your personal style? Do you mostly dress in vintage or do you like to mix old and new pieces together?
MH: We like to mix it up. Now that we’ve been at this for a little while, it feels weird if I don’t mix in at least one piece of vintage. Adding in new gives vintage pieces a facelift of sorts. It makes it look current, but it’s still a one of a kind piece. All goes back to the W magazine photo shoot. Eclectic. We’ve talked about ordering some new items for our shop that would layer in nicely (if we decide to do a shop “full steam ahead.”)
ls: What are some of your favorite spots in Columbus; your favorite places to shop, favorite boutiques/vintage stores, restaurants, and coffee shops? Where do you spend your time when you’re not in the store?
MH: We’re kind of boring. We like having people over. We love to cook and we love food! Skillet in German Village and Harvest Pizza and any other place the supports local farms! They also make great places to people watch. As far as clothing goes, we shop so much for our business that we rarely shop for ourselves specifically. Nowadays, if we go thrifting, we keep that for ourselves and only sell the special stuff we find elsewhere. Now people are starting to bring things to us, which is nice. We travel all over! Just recently to the Southwest and West Coast. We LOVE flea markets and antique malls. I’m looking forward to Springfield Extravaganza this summer!
ls: Tell us a little bit about the buying process. How do you choose what comes back to the store?
MH: We’ve gotten pickier as we’ve gotten more serious about our business. We like to travel outside of Ohio to find merchandise. We go to flea markets and antique malls. We have vintage wholesalers we work with (mostly out West) that have warehouses full of crap. Some of it is cool and jives with what we’re trying to do and say with Mighty Hand. It’s tricky because we want to offer affordable classic Americana, but we have to factor in the cost of travel, so right now we’re not racking in the dough. But that’s okay for now because we’re learning a lot about business, vintage, our brand and what we want it to be. We’re even learning about each other. 
Some pictures I took of the pop-up shop!
Thank you so much Molly for taking the time to speak with me! I’ll be in soon!
ls
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