WyCo Vintage — boasting world’s largest collection of vintage tees — opens second sister-shop on Broadway
July 31, 2021 | Channa Steinmetz
Patrick Klima likely does more laundry than anyone else in Kansas City, he said, half-joking.
“The WyCo Vintage inventory is constantly being updated. We’ve been doing weekly drops of about 75 or so vintage shirts for the past four years — which means a lot of washing, shooting, SEO stuff and social media,” explained Klima, who officially founded the vintage T-shirt shop in 2015 after years of buying and selling classic tees on eBay.
Since those early e-commerce days, Klima and his team have built a vintage T-shirt and streetwear empire — with three similar (but separate) concepts under their belts: WyCo Vintage, WyCo Vintage on Broadway, and the newest store: Again.
How are WyCo’s concepts different but connected?
WyCo Vintage is the original brand and online shop with the largest selection of vintage tees. It also is located in Congress Lofts above WyCo Vintage on Broadway.
WyCo Vintage on Broadway is the new, upgraded storefront that sells limited edition hype streetwear, sneakers and accessories.
Again is the secondhand store where customers can buy, sell and trade their vintage apparel, streetwear and sneakers.
In July, the team celebrated Again moving into the previous storefront for WyCo Vintage on Broadway — which has expanded next door after three years in business.
“There’s a certain look that we go for in our stores. We try to present in a very clean and crisp way,” Klima said, noting that the stores were designed by the Kansas City architecture firm Pendulum.
Click here to read more about Pendulum.
Again; WyCo Vintage photo
The original 700-square-foot space was completely reimagined by Pendulum, said founder Jonathan O’Neil Cole, with the goal of matching the vibe of the storefront to the WyCo brand.
“We did something really unique to the Kansas City area,” Cole said. “From the all white interior to the custom shelving, it had this super cool look. … Then they came to us again and asked, ‘How do we take it up a notch?’ So we went in, and I think what we’ve done there is just second to none.”
“Pat and his gang have created a haven in Kansas City for sneakerheads, hypebeasts, and fashion enthusiasts alike,” added Mickey Ahammed, a designer at Pendulum. “… Having had the pleasure of working on both stores, I’m just grateful that Pat entrusted not only myself but the whole Pendulum team with such a personal vision.”
WyCo Vintage On Broadway; WyCo Vintage photo
Patrick Klima, WyCo Vintage; Startland News photo
The upgraded 1,400-square-foot WyCo Vintage on Broadway features the same custom shelving, Carrara marble flooring, LED lighting and their logo: a large, neon anarchy symbol — created by Steinmetz Neon.
“My friend Brady designed our very first logo; he decided to make it like a collage, kind of like a ransom note, with fonts from different bands,” Klima recalled. “The anarchy sign was part of the Sex Pistols graphic; so when we rebranded and just wanted a simple logo we just kept the anarchy sign. It’s been great for us because nobody else really messes with it. And, it’s loud.”
Click here to follow WyCo Vintage on Instagram, where the brand posts overviews of weekly drops.
Sign of the times
Such celebrities as Axl Rose from Guns N’ Roses, rapper Trippie Redd, and famed Chiefs player Travis Kelce have all been spotted in either vintage tees or merchandise from WyCo Vintage, Klima shared.
WyCo Vintage; Startland News photo
“It’s crazy to see sometimes — like when Travis Kelce went to an autograph signing in one of our [merch] shirts; we had no idea until we started getting pictures in our DMs,” Klima said. “He’s a good friend of ours, but for him to do that is awesome. It really helps our business.”
Also a big business booster: celebrities wearing band tees and vintage shirts in general.
“Someone like Kendall Jenner or Justin Beiber will wear a Nirvana T-shirt, and then the interest in those shirts will go way up,” Klima explained. “We can usually tell when a celebrity is spotted in a vintage shirt based on sales.”
Sales rapidly increase when a celebrity passes away as well, Klima added.
“I remember when Prince died [in 2016] — I looked at my phone, and people were buying Prince shirts like crazy. I knew before even checking the news that he had passed away,” he said.
Tied in teamwork
WyCo Vintage On Broadway; Startland News photo
As WyCo Vintage and its sister concepts have grown through the years, so has the team — now totaling seven partners. Although Klima is the owner of the WyCo Vintage businesses, every member of his team is considered a partner who works under the same pay structure, he said.
Partners in WyCo Vintage include: Adam Compo, Nick Marriott, Will Long, Trenton Warner, Justen Wright and Stephen Mann.
“We all really work as a co-op; WyCo Vintage basically pays all of us the same amount of money, and then we all make money off the items we sell,” Klima shared. “We have a variety of skill sets that all come together to make this work. Nick’s doing photos; Adam does social media; Will focuses on the store — everybody’s doing different things, but we’re all partners in this.”
The brand and stores would not be where they are today without the team effort, he continued, expressing gratitude for every person who has contributed.
“It’s really neat to be in a situation like this,” Klima said. “I feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be, and I feel like we’re adding value to the city. We’re just going to keep striving to be better.”
Featured Business
2021 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Survivor, innovator Kim Gandy rewards patients for sticking to treatments
In her 20 years working as a transplantation clinician, Kim Gandy found it baffling that a seemingly simple problem had such a difficult time finding a solution. Transplant patients consistently struggled to adhere to their health regimens, resulting not only in significant costs for care providers but also death. “We were literally losing patients,” Gandy…
Kansas City to host national student entrepreneur competition
Kansas City will soon host a national competition for student entrepreneurs. Set for March 6 and 7 at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards will bring its top 25 national finalists to Kansas City. To qualify, student entrepreneurs must be the primary operator of a business less than six years old…
Area experts dive into uncertainty and hope for immigrant entrepreneurship
Now more than ever, it’s important for the community to come together to gain new perspectives. That notion was a driving force behind the February Innovation Exchange in which Startland News dove into the subject of immigration and entrepreneurship. Hosted in partnership with Think Big, the event welcomed a researcher and a policy expert from…
Listen: KC immigrant entrepreneurs share their stories
In light of recent news, Startland News focused this month’s Innovation Exchange on the intersection of immigration and entrepreneurship. U.S. immigration policy has a profound impact not only on society but also the nation’s entrepreneurial vibrancy, which prompted a discussion including a researcher and policy expert, a local immigration attorney and pair of immigrant entrepreneurs.…