Meet Nostalgia Vintage Cafe, Your Next Vintage Streetwear Obsession

If you’re looking for the best vintage streetwear from the ‘80s-2000s, with an impeccably curated collection of rare and designer finds, you might expect to head to LA or New York. But Boston?

The South End, you ask?

The South End—with its $800 price tags? No. It’s in Somerville.

Somerville?!

Streetwear in Somerville???

I know. It sounds unlikely. But now Nostalgia Vintage Cafe, a new consignment shop, video rental store, and coffee shop that is quietly building what may be one of Boston’s most exciting collections of vintage streetwear. I wouldn’t be surprised to see fashion aficionados from all over the world lining up around the corner for its latest finds.

It’s run by fiancés Phil Kahan and Jenny Reddick (soon to be Jenny Kahan), a couple with impeccable taste and a shared longing for childhood.

The pair quietly announced their arrival in Union Square this past June. Tucked behind a modest corner storefront on 322 Somerville Ave, the shop greets passersby with bright pink neon and orange signage, promising good vibes, cozy seating, and specialty coffee.

But the real treasure is the fashion.

With the clothing safely kept out of the windows to protect it from sun damage, you truly don’t know what you’ll find until you’re already immersed in Nostalgia’s bubblegum-pop, Nickelodeon-obsessed, Limited Too-and-Mario-Kart time warp.

I got the inside scoop from Phil and Jenny on how they created their throwback oasis—and how they managed to source such an unusually curated collection of rare vintage finds.

Nostalgia Vintage Cafe Store owners Phil Kahan and Jenny Reddick. (Photo by Sonny Oram)

In addition to buying directly from people who stop into the shop (though they are now booked for months), Phil personally sources nearly every piece himself, scouring estate sales, auctions, flea markets, thrift stores, vintage markets, and online resale platforms for standout finds. He’s constantly on the hunt for pieces with the right mix of quality, rarity, and ’90s character, so the selection is always evolving. New finds hit the racks every week.

Phil’s inspiration for the store came from living in LA for nine years and frequenting stores like Round Two and Cool Kicks. He opened a designer boutique in Portland, Me before moving home to Massachusetts, where he met Jenny, an artist and coffee lover who helped him turn his vision into the ultimate hang-out spot.

Entering the store is like walking through a portal into the past. It’s your best friend’s ’90s bedroom. It’s the video store down the street. It’s the neighborhood stop where everyone knows your name. Customers are greeted by faces at a bar facing the entrance, with people coloring, drinking coffee, playing video games, and doing homework. A cozy couch with fills a corner nook by the window where you can people-watch, read, color, watch any movie or vintage video game from their collection.

Nostalgia Vintage Sign and storefront (Photos by Sonny Oram)

It’s really more of an art installation than a store. Jenny wanted to build a community space where people could bond over their love of a time before social media disrupted in-person interaction. She misses the simplicity of childhood. “The little things were major. We didn't need more,” she told Qwear. “There wasn't somebody boasting online about what they had or what you could have. We weren't comparing all the time. We were happy and content with what we had, and I think a lot of us forget that… You had a certain amount of time on the internet you could take during the days. It was the time when, if you were on the internet, it was to send a message to say, ‘Meet me here.’”

Seating area with games, movies, reading material, coloring, and more, featuring spread of Qwear’s 2025 Print Zine (Photos by Sonny Oram)

Mini shelf display (Photo by Sonny Oram)

In the back of the store is a specialty coffee shop with childhood nostalgic flavors like a Popsrock Latte and a Fluffernutter Latte. Phil takes his new foree into coffee just as seriously as his fashion finds. They sourced their coffee from Onyx, a high-quality specialty roastery. The store is also soon launching an extended food menu with breakfast sandwiches and lunch sandwiches.

I wanted to learn more from Phil, noting his amazing attention to detail, quality, rarity, and authenticity. “I like to think that the 90s shirts were made a little bit better than what you would order on like Shein,” He said. “Any of these fast fashion places that burn millions of pounds of clothing a year literally contribute to like insane amounts of waste. Like you order a shirt and you start touching it and you're like, what is this made out of? Why does it smell weird? Why does it, like, why does it feel like this on my body? It's not as comfortable as I'm used to wearing as just a cotton tee.”

“Any of these fast fashion places that burn millions of pounds of clothing a year literally contribute to like insane amounts of waste. Like you order a shirt and you start touching it and you’re like, what is this made out of? Why does it smell weird? Why does it, like, why does it feel like this on my body? It’s not as comfortable as I’m used to wearing as just a cotton tee.”

— Phil

(Photo by @0nyx.lens)

(Photo by @0nyx.lens)

(Photo by @0nyx.lens)

(Photo by @0nyx.lens)

(Photo by @0nyx.lens)

(Photo by @0nyx.lens)

(Photo by @0nyx.lens)

Collector items shelf (Photo by @0nyx.lens)

Modeling the store’s Magic blue basketball shorts (Photo by Sonny Oram)

Me modeling Post Malone Tee (Photo by Sonny Oram)

Phil let me in on a vintage hunter’s trick for quickly separating the oldest shirts from the rest. “Something I love back from the 90s and 80s is the older you go back, the thicker the collars get. And that's actually a great way to, when you're thrifting, if you don't want to go shirt by shirt, you can literally go collar by collar and start looking, all right, that's a thick collar,” he showed me as he flipped through shirts on the rack with collars ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 inches.

Shirt collars of varying thickness (Photo by Sonny Oram)

Collector Tee-shirts (Photos by Sonny Oram)

(Photo by Sonny Oram)

(Photo by Sonny Oram)

Patches (Photo by Sonny Oram)

Vintage Gucci Sweatshirt (Photo by Sonny Oram)

Loading error zip case (Photo by Sonny Oram)

Jewelry display (Photo by Sonny Oram)

Nostalgia Vintage Cafe Clear red fanny back (Photo by Sonny Oram)

Ceiling mural (Photo by @0nyx.lens)

Casa jacket (Photo by @0nyx.lens)

Phil holding one of his favorite rare Italian Bart Simpson shirts (Photo by Sonny Oram)

Phil’s Simpsons leg sleeve (Photo by Sonny Oram)

Red and Blue Air Jordans (Photo by Sonny Oram)

Supreme Display (Photo by Sonny Oram)

Me modeling a denim Balenciaga button-up (Photo by Jenny Reddick)

Me modeling a warren lotas // phoenix suns flames long sleeve tee (Photo by Sonny Oram)

Earrings (Photo by Sonny Oram)

90s stickers, designed by Nostalgia Vintage Cafe (Photos by Sonny Oram)

Enjoying my delicious Fluffernutter Coffee from the Cafe! Behind the cafe are the owners, fiancés Phil Kahan and Jenny Reddick.

Selfie with the owners — thanks for an amazing interview!

Follow @nostalgiavintagecafe for new arrivals and shop updates. Just don’t blame me if you walk in for a coffee and leave with an ’80s leather jacket.

Cover photo by Zouk J. @0nyx.lens