Latina women open thrift boutique in Downtown Bellefonte
BELLEFONTE — It’s not a rags to riches story by any means. But in a way, the birth of a new sustainable thrift and vintage boutique here almost sounds like one.
Last week, Stephanie Caldero opened La Vida Local, a new women-owned small business with a unique cross-country backstory. The boutique is located inside Belle Mercantile located at 135 S. Spring St. in Downtown Bellefonte.
Caldero, who moved to Bellefonte from Austin, Texas in 2023, has roots in the south, specifically Georgia and the Carolinas.
She has a history of working in retail dating back to 2006, working for companies like The Gap, Coach, West Elm, and Nordstrom. Her experience in the retail industry was later combined with her thrifting skills during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Caldero and her boyfriend Bill Wadell, who is now her husband, were living in Dallas, Texas when the lockdown occurred. Wadell was a field reporter for a national weather company at the time and needed a freelance videographer.
“I had a bit of videography experience, so we decided to team up and see what happened,” Caldero explained. “We started chasing storms and during that time, I started thrifting a bit, just for us. I knew it was important to give back to the local communities that were devastated by the weather, so I made sure we ate at local restaurants and shopped at local stores as much as possible.”
After a few years of weather-chasing, the couple decided to move to Bellefonte, where we have lived for the past three years. It was then that Caldero found Belle Mercantile and owner Andrea Skirpan, who hired Caldero to work there. While working at Belle Mercantile, she also met Noelia Torres, owner of Bixi Awotan.
After a few years of living and working in Bellefonte, Caldero decided that she wanted to bring in clothes sourced from across the country from the Southwest to Appalachia that she had thrifted from her weather-chasing trips. Caldero thrifts clothing that are close to her own personal taste, which she describes as “laid back bobo with a touch of romantic whimsy.”
“There aren’t many clothing store options in Bellefonte that carry clothing with my personal style, so I started to think about selling what I thrifted. When I went to Andrea with my idea of a curated thrift store, she was as excited as I was — and we started to plan,” Caldero said. “I knew I wanted to bring in Bixi Awotan to the space as well, since our aesthetics are very similar.:
That was the point when the curated thrift store La Vida Local came to life. The shop shares space with Bixi Awotan co-owner Noelia Torres. Bixi Awotan is a family-run, ethically made leather goods business with ties to León, Mexico.
Caldero and her husband travel all over the United States and while traveling, she shops at smaller, non-chain thrift stores and estate sales to gather her inventory.
“I prefer to shop at smaller, non-chain thrift stores that give back to local communities, but I will pop into a Goodwill if there’s one close by,” Caldero said. The current inventory is from Virgina, New Mexico. Texas, California, Florida, Tennessee and Pennsylvania.
“I love southwestern styles, so you’ll see a good bit of that. Natural colors and materials such as wool, cotton, and linen are what I look for most,” Caldero explained. I try to stay away from fast fashion, sourcing items that will last and not fall apart immediately.”
Caldero will spend from 30 minutes to several hours thrifting, finding what she likes and then checking the materials and where the items are made. She also checks for wear and tear on items.
“I’m ok with light wear on clothing, but I avoid anything that has large rips or tears/stains. I do look for certain brands, too. You’ll see Anthropologie, Everlane, Free People, Levi’s, Carhartt- some of them are vintage pieces.”
After a thrifting trip, Caldero inventories everything and then starts cleaning by washing/drying the clothing, or even dry cleaning if required. Items are then tagged, photographed and added to the store if they fit the current season.
“I find a lot of cold weather items in warmer states since they don’t need it as long or as much, which is perfect for us in Pennsylvania where it stays cooler longer,” Calderone added.
She said she feels that her boutique’s future success will be determined from having something for everyone.
“We carry men’s and women’s in all sizes. Our clothes have history and style — oversized, wool grandma sweaters from Albuquerque to Y2K dresses found at an estate sale attic in Virginia. Inventory will change every few weeks, which makes finding something you like much more exciting. Get it now or it’ll be gone tomorrow!”
For now, it is only the couple and their dog Copper manning the store, which is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
La Vida Local and Bixi Awotan are Latina, woman-owned businesses, Caldero stressed.
“Bixi Awotan has sold bags all over State College, but this is Noelia’s first store in Bellefonte. Her leather bags and accessories are made in Mexico at her family’s manufacturing facility,” Caldero explained.
