After one year on NE Glisan Street, Tigersden Vintage relocated to 3900 N Mississippi Ave. Last month staff closed their Montavilla shop at 7035 NE Glisan Street and moved into a new retail space four and a half miles away. Despite strong ties to Montavilla, safety concerns prompted the shop’s relocation outside the neighborhood.

Owner Salina Nuñez is a Montavilla resident, making the retail space on NE Glisan Street a natural choice for her first physical storefront. “Our location on Glisan was my first brick & mortar [location], which we opened in the heart of the pandemic. I am so proud of the work that we were able to accomplish there and the vibrant community of vintage sellers that were financially supported by our success,” said Nuñez. She continued to explain that the supportive community fueled their early prosperity. “We loved our neighbors in Montavilla and grew to have many regulars. The folks [in] Montavilla are the best, and we learned so much from them about how to be a customer-oriented small business.”

The positive customer base could not always counteract other forces in the area. Eventually, concern for her staff’s safety caused Nuñez to relocate the business. “We were prompted to move due to the amount of violence and harassment that was taking place in the neighborhood. We had our front door smashed in and had to suffer through the mental illness crisis of many houseless folks who would come into our shop and harass the women who are employed [by] me. After a year of trying to build a sustainable resale clothing store in our neighborhood, I made the decision to move to a safer neighborhood.”

Moving a business is a difficult choice with many costs and the potential to lose customers. However, Nuñez noted some regulars have already ventured to the new location to show support. Tigersden Vintage staff are happy with the move and feel comfortable in the North Portland neighborhood. “Our new location on Mississippi is safer and has more support from the city and the police. We love the diversity of folks who shop with us, and Mississippi is a street that brings everyone together.”

This last year in retail challenged Nuñez, but ultimately her waste-reducing retail business thrived, and she sees a better future with these recent changes. “In this last year, we have sold over 100k of preowned clothing, accessories, and home goods that would have ended up in the landfill. The last year has been a wild ride, and the next few years will be even more awesome for Tigersden vintage & Modern.”