MANSFIELD — A Facebook post asking “What store would you open for Mansfield?” turned into a real business for Joe James.
“To be 100% honest, I was bored one day in the middle of winter and made a Facebook post,” James said. “All these people were commenting restaurants, thrift stores and other things.
“Then (Rodney Zellner) texted me and said I don’t want anybody to steal my idea, but I would start a vintage, retro boutique.”
The two brothers celebrated their new storefront at 34 W. 4th St. with a ribbon cutting on Thursday.
Uncommon Nostalgia sells clothing, toys, action figures, video games and consoles, comics, sports cards and more — all from 20 to 40 years ago.
“One thing that makes us different is everything in here is old and original, it’s not reproduction,” James said.
Zellner said the best job in the store is video game tester.
“I’ve had to pry him away from the video games sometimes — they work,” James laughed.
The store cleans all of its merchandise before pricing the items. All clothing is from 2003 or before, including a number of sports jerseys and local T-shirts.
“I really like watching people walk in and you can see something click in their eyes, like they go back in time,” Zellner said. “We want to bring people in, let them have a good time and relive their childhood.”
Uncommon Nostalgia will also buy or trade relics.
“But don’t bring all of your stuff, just ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s and then we’ll take a look at it,” James said.
James said opening a business and storefront has helped him recover from long-term effects of COVID-19. He was diagnosed in November 2021 and was in the hospital through June 2022.
“So it’s almost been therapeutic for me, mentally and physically, with everything it takes to start, own and operate a business,” he said.
Uncommon Nostalgia is located next to The Boot Life. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. James said hours may be extended if enough customers are interested.
The store also has a rewards program, “Memories,” that will offer 10% of your purchase once you spend $100 at the store.
Uncommon nostalgia can be found online at www.uncommonnostalgia.com and on Facebook.
