‘Like treasure hunting’: Greensburg native pursues love of secondhand shopping, opens vintage clothing store downtown

For as long as he can remember, Greensburg native Zach Butler has appreciated vintage clothes.

As a kid, he watched antique picker shows such as “Storage Wars” and borrowed clothing from his dad’s closet.

“People used to be like ‘You look weird, but it looks good,’” joked Butler, 24, of Greensburg.

Butler’s passion came to life this month when he opened the doors of his secondhand, vintage clothing store, Stone Age Collections.

The South Pennsylvania Avenue shop carries clothing from the 70s to the early 2000s, including graphic t-shirts, Pittsburgh memorabilia, corduroy pieces, Levi’s jeans and sneakers.

There are also a few reworked Nike, Adidas and Carhartt jackets on the racks. These items are made by sewing together fabric from multiple vintage clothing items to create a refurbished piece.

Searching through the bulk bins and racks at local Salvation Army and Goodwill stores for vintage finds has become a favorite pastime for Butler and his girlfriend Maddy Sheedy, who helps with Stone Age Collections’ social media.

After spending hours watching YouTube videos on vintage clothing, Butler knows just what to look for.

“The tags are what tells it all — the tags, the stitching, the material,” he said.

Clothing with single stitching, a trend that mostly came to a halt in the late 90s, or tags that read “Made in the U.S.” are often indicators of a vintage piece, he said.

“That’s when thrifting becomes like treasure hunting,” he said. “That’s why it’s so fun.”

Vintage clothing and thrifting have become a trend in recent years, particularly among the college student demographic, Butler said.

With its proximity to universities such as Seton Hill, the store will thrive in its downtown Greensburg location, predicts Jessica Hickey, owner of the Downtown Greensburg Project.

“With the younger generation and college students in our area, I think they will get a great response from them,” Hickey said. “I think they already are.”

The store is on the main drag of the Greensburg Night Market, an annual series hosted on Pennsylvania Avenue between Otterman and Fourth streets by the Downtown Greensburg Project. Vendors and live entertainment pour onto the street for a night of shopping, art, music and food.

“The Greensburg Night Market is one of the main reasons why I’m even opening this shop,” Butler said. “It will really put something in people’s heads that Greensburg can be cool, Greensburg can be hip and it can be fun to come downtown.”

Butler hopes the popularity of vintage clothing does not overpower the positive environmental impact of shopping secondhand.

About 9 million tons of clothing and footwear textiles were sent to landfills across the country in 2018, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s most recent data.

Butler was inspired to start the business when he left a job as a truck driver after about 2 1/2 years.

“I was driving one day and a truck flipped in front of me. The guy died. Everybody just kept driving, to work or whatever,” Butler said.

“At that very moment, I called my girlfriend Maddy and I was like ‘I cannot do this. I’m freaking out. I just saw some guy die.’ No one batted an eye. They just kept going.”

Butler wasted no time in pursuing Stone Age Collections, working four to six months to renovate the space with his father.

“We’re just hoping the community comes and greets us with open arms,” he said.