Rock 'n' cheese, please
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Vintage T-shirts are made to order at Meow
by LORRAINE CARPENTER
While major chains and cute boutiques are making a little killing in the faux vintage department, a couple of hard-working Mont-Royal merchants are carrying the torch for retro credibility. Meow is the newest store on Mont-Royal and it's not the same old boiler suits, Hawaiian tees or Goth pirate blouses. These guys, namely Vancouver émigrés Matthew Folks and Ray Albert, specialize in rock 'n' cheese shirts. Yes, git yer Blondie, Knight Rider or "Million Dollar Baby" tees and baseball shirts here.
"A lot of people in their teens and early 20s have never seen this before," says co-founder Folks. "That's when we realized it was a really good thing 'cuz people like remembering things from their childhood, some cartoon, whatever. It's like a public service, man."
Folks began his crusade in Vancouver in the mid '90s, collecting classic T-shirt transfers from thrift shops and former merchants from the original '70s and '80s stores that Meow is based on. He soon got into business with Albert, who ran a vintage clothing store in Vancouver called Cherry Bomb. With the retro trend brewing to a boil, the shirts soon took precedence and when the pair heard of an opening on Mont-Royal, they packed up their gear and headed for la belle province.
So here's how to shop at Meow: 1) Select an image from the big binders at the cash. Along with a host of glam, punk and '80s bands, there's cheesy movie and TV images and random kitsch like "Rock Star," glittery lips, sports cars and airbrushed kitties. 2) Choose a blank Tee or baseball shirt, which come in a variety of colours. You can bring your own too. 3) Finally, the image and shirt are wed by in a process that usually takes about a minute. The cost of a typical Meow shirt is $25, but the handful of genuine '80s tour Tees (Duran Duran in Japan!) can set you back $40, which is still half the price of a similar shirt in New York City, according to Folks.
Vintage felt lettering and numbers are also available for shirt décor, along with a variety of retro products like band buttons and magnets, fur and leather coats, those cop sunglasses everyone's wearing, and panties. Yes ladies (and naughty boys), if you always wanted the Smiths on a thong, this is your chance.
"The panties are new, we just put the transfers on them," says Matthew. "People can bring in their own panties as long as they're clean." Yeah, no shit!
"The coolest thing about the store, what makes it work, is that people come in and create their own shirt," says Folks. "Except for the original ones, obviously, but even then it's kinda like an expression of themselves. You know, 'Look at my Planet of the Apes', or 'Look at my Sex Pistols shirt.' It's like a temporary tattoo."
Meow, 74 Mont-Royal E., 843-3055, Open every day noon to 7pm
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