Your bag of gently used clothing left lovingly at Goodwill doesnt always end up on the local racks, destined to be bought and worn by someone youll run into on the 99 B-Line. Due to the massive volume of clothing they receive, consignment stores often just bale the clothes into cubes and sell them to factories to be sorted and harvested by pickers, people who look for hidden treasures amidst the seas of faded Gap crew necks and Canucks jerseys abandoned every spring.
Picking is an art, one that can be learned, but must be loved. Brothers Drew and Jesse Heifetz were taught the old-fashioned way. If this were Old England, their last name would be Vintagesmith, in honour of the craft pioneered by their father.
A vintage buyer and wholesaler since the 60s, the elder Heifetz always gave the boys run of his warehouse in Toronto. They spread their wings as teens, Drew moving to Whistler to snowboard, and Jesse staying in TO as an electronic music producer. But eventually, Jesse came back into the fold and started working for Rag Machine, managing their fathers picking operation. With both brothers in their mid-twenties and interested in the business, Heifetz Sr. turned over his small client list to his sons in 2001, saying only Take care of it.
First they learned what items had value. There is a huge difference between a denim piece from the 30s, and a denim piece from Abercrombie and Fitch. Namely profit. Collectible, marquee pieces get collectors from Japan and international design houses drooling.
Thats where industry knowledge and trend forecasting came in. Ever heard of Rocky Mountain Feather Bed? Theyre a defunct outerwear company from Wyoming, but their 1970s Gor-tex jackets with leather yokes now sell for six or seven hundred dollars. Who knew?
Finally, the brothers had to make a move. Drew had been selling piecemeal to Vancouver thrift stores from the back of a van, clearing a few hundred bucks a day. They had also been wholesaling to dealers in other markets, people who had a bigger presence at places such as the Rose Bowl Flea Market, a vend-fest in the famous LA football stadium.
They shipped some clothes down to the dance and soon had Polo, Ralph Lauren and J Crew at their booth, picking up their vintage to add to archives or mimic.
In 2007, they open a store in Whistler called, well... lets go back to that whole family connection.
Spell it with me: Heifetz. H-E-I-F as in Frank E-T-Z. A simple spelling trick their parents use when giving their surname to strangers was the perfect name for their burgeoning business. F as in Frank.
Drew sat down to talk shop with WE at their three-year-old SoMa storefront. If Vincent van Gogh fronted the Beastie Boys, you would have a very close likeness of Drew Heifetz. But I dont think van Gogh shared his affable sense of humour.
I like the name. Its kind of random and people dont know whats going on, he explains. But we run into problems, because every time I say F as in Frank, they just write down F. It's a daily thing
A glance around the store reveals a lot about the path the brothers have chosen. You wont see any boxy, dated cuts hangered alongside items from their own lines: FAIF and SNAP. All the pieces are hand-picked, in style at the moment and reworked if necessary.
And the deadstock snapback collectible ball caps from the 80s and 90s that line the left wall are a mere fraction of the 1,500 they stock in their Marine Drive warehouse, and on their world-famous website (FasinFrankVintage.com).
If a celebrity is so much as spotted wearing one, a feeding frenzy is unleashed, meaning they are always combing their extensive network to maintain consistency.
Fresh off their most profitable season ever, Jesse is currently in Europe sourcing military gear from Poland and the Czech Republic. Look for their East German pant with a tailored skinny leg to be patrolling Main Street.
As for their father? Hes pretty proud. Nearing retirement, he wants to come help us out and just be around the business. His favourite thing is buying, so he wants us to send him around the world to buy clothes, Drew laughs.
One thing he probably wont go out of his way to find for Drew?
I always joke that, one day, No Fear will come back in. No one really seems to agree with me...
F as in Frank is holding its outrageous Fill-a-Bag Sale this Saturday, Sept. 29 (or 30th if it rains), starting at 10am (2425 Main Street). Fill a medium-sized bag for $10, cash only. FYI, they usually run out by 1pm.
