Busacca (Images: CHS)

As Red Light Vintage prepares for one last liquidation sale on Broadway before leaving its space and making way for Lifelong Thrift, another source of recycled fashion and style is settling into Capitol Hill. Nestled atop Jai Thai on the western corner of Thomas and Broadway is Revival, a “one-stop-shop” boutique offering to buy, sell, and trade an array of items such as clothes, furniture, home accessories, and and jewelry.

Though the shop has been on the block for around half a year already, it still is somewhat of a “secret spot,” due to its above-street-level location, according to co-owner and San Francisco transplant Ashley Busacca.

“People are like ‘I live across the street and I had no idea you were here, when did you open?’ I’m like ‘six months ago!’”

Having grown up in the Bay Area and learned the ins and outs of the in-store and online clothing retail business, Busacca moved to Seattle a year ago and decided to pursue her aspiration of opening up a storefront in collaboration with her boyfriend and business partner Ryan Darcey. “I found this spot… and just kinda jumped on it. We have a two and a half year lease here, it’s like the perfect training wheels [in starting a new store] for us,” she said.

Revival is a multi-faceted boutique with a mix of new and used products and services, somewhat similar to Crossroads, Buffalo Exchange, or the outgoing Red Light. Customers can purchase on-site goods, sell or trade, arrange for consignment or for Busacca to search for a particular item online and in other stores.

The shop space itself is best described by the Revival’s site: “We’ve built our space around the comfort and feel of a friend’s home, but everything is for sale.” And it does indeed feel like cozy living room with a hand-picked wardrobe, all of which could potentially be yours.

Despite Revival’s self-described “underground” (above ground?) status as a newcomer to the area, Busacca has already built up some connections in the community, with the majority of in-store clothing having been traded or purchased from Seattle customers. “As long as I can sell it I’m happy to take it,” said Busacca. “Vintage, contemporary, designer, I’ll take a look at it.”

Revival also features and sells work by local artists, currently displaying work from video game concept artist Chris Alderson. Revival takes a small percentage of sales, but, as Busacca put it, “it’s more just to make our walls look pretty and keep it interesting and promote the ‘creatives’ that live here.”

As for as competition goes between other neighborhood boutiques, it shouldn’t be an issue, according to Busacca. “it’s a bummer Redlight is leaving because they’ve been really awesome in sending people my way,” she said. She said that though vintage shops can offer similar services, there’s enough room to fill different demands in the used and fashion markets.

“Since I’m a lot smaller, I can be a little more edited,” she said. “I’d say my customers are a little more classic with a little bit of edge, a little bit of romance,” Busacca said.

“I think we’re all kind of supporting each other,” adding that she hopes shoppers can “hop all over the place.”

She currently runs any online consignment requests via her ebay and etsy accounts, though she plans to eventually streamline and merge the operation through Revival’s under-construction website when she has adequate time away from managing the store.

Though happy with their current eagle’s perch above Broadway, Busacca and Darcey are hopeful that sustainability of the business will allow them to expand into a larger street level space, allowing for more passerby visibility, access, and room to sell and display more vintage furniture.

“Our mind is already there,” she said.