Adored Vintage Showroom in Long Beach

Name: Rodellee Bas for Adored Vintage
Location: Arts District, Long Beach, California
Size: 900 square feet
Years lived in: 3 months — rented

Rodellee is no stranger to Apartment Therapy. You may remember her House Call, House Tour or DTLA Workspace… which were all excellent representations of her love of vintage decor and styling. Having recently relocated to Long Beach, she’s opened up a showroom and salon for Adored Vintage (her vintage clothing company). Now, with 900 square feet of fresh space, she is able to open her doors to new customers and host clients who come to visit. Such a lovely place indeed!

What I love about Rodellee’s new showroom is its vintage feel, and how the passion she’s poured into every detail really shows. She explained that she really took her time to curate the space, and that everything in the showroom has its place and is something she truly loves. She told me little stories about different pieces and where she had picked them up — she even named her plants! I also love her collection of wedding dresses and how they are proudly hanging all together on one long rack. 

Rodellee always dreamed of having a showroom that welcomed people in and made them feel at home — which I feel she has accomplished! She and her boyfriend live in the apartment on the other side of the storefront, so her commute to work is a quick one. Based in the heart of the Arts District and just a few blocks from the beach, she enjoys good culture and the company of a diverse crowd of creatives. 

Welcome to the new Adored Vintage Showroom in Long Beach!

My Style: Flea market pretty with a slight nod to the West? I love feminine, pretty things (flowers, lace, blush pinks), but don’t like when things look too precious. I try to balance all the feminine vintage clothing with fixtures that are more masculine. 

Inspiration: I wanted to create a space that is both functional and inspirational to be in. I am constantly working, so it’s important that this is a space I want to spend 10-12 hours of my day in. 

Favorite Element: That I live right next door! I often go to work in my pajamas! 

Biggest Challenge: Design vs. Function. I want my studio to be functional and also a space that I am inspired to work in every day. I think I’ve moved the furniture around four times now since moving into the space in May! Sometimes you just have to move around furniture until a layout “settles” in with you. 

What Friends Say:  That it’s pretty, smells good, and they’re surprised it has a full kitchen and bathroom (it’s a live/work retail space!)

Area Where There Is Room For Improvement: The stock room eventually needs an organization rehaul. It’s kind of a hot mess back there. And eventually I’d like to get actual shop signage on the windows — for now I just draw on them.

Proudest DIY: The clothing racks the wedding dresses are on were made by my fella. I didn’t make them though, so I don’t know if that counts. But I did find the Pinterest photo for the DIY tutorial! 

Biggest Indulgence: All the wooden hangers! I think I have spent my entire life’s lunch money on these dang things! I give myself a little allowance every month to order more wooden hangers. It’s kind of sad how gleeful I get when I get a new box of hangers.

Best Advice:  Go wireless when you can! And if you must have lots of wires and cables, try to hide them behind things like a rack of pretty dresses or behind a large plant. I also use lots of bins and little containers to function as catch-alls for little things like pins, buttons, and sewing notions. Vintage bread molds and jelly molds are great to put into drawers for office supplies. 

Dream Sources: Flea market and antique shops. Most of my finds are from flea markets already, but it would be so grand to have an unlimited budget and really get the things my heart just skips a beat for the moment I fall in love (like the killer finds from Big Daddy’s Antiques at Rose Bowl). Also, I’d love to be able to source fixtures from the really amazing flea markets like Brimfield in Massachusetts and Round Top in Texas.

Thanks, Rodellee!

(Images: Bethany Nauert)

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