Next Vintage US vintage clothing and original T-shirts
The Euglena Mall is bustling with tourists again, just like usual. Among the rows of souvenir shops, right next to the Ishigakijima Community Shop, there is a staircase leading up to the second floor.
Climbing the concrete stairs that remind me of the school on the island, I arrived at the entrance to a second-hand clothing store that also gave me a nostalgic feeling. The contrast between the "fashionable" souvenir shop on the first floor and the "nostalgic" second-hand clothing store is interesting.
Falconiya, a second-hand clothing store that was renovated and reopened this year, sells what are considered regular second-hand clothing, from the 1980s to next vintage clothing.
There are over 1,000 items in total, including not only clothing, but also Levi's denim, game shirts that resemble uniforms from sports scenes, accessories, stickers, and more.
They also have original clothing made with silk screen printing on old clothes. Of course, all the old clothes they sell are one-of-a-kind. You won't be wearing the same clothes as anyone else on the island.
"I want today's young people to experience secondhand clothing culture. That's why we offer extremely low prices for students, a 20% student discount, and a 10% discount for islanders living in Yaeyama."
Twenty years ago, when the owner, Keisuke Kinjo, was a high school student, enjoying fashion on the island was still limited. The fashion sense of today's elementary, junior high, and high school students, who are centered around smartphones, is surely different. Even so, he said, "I want to leave a place on the island where people can encounter secondhand clothing," as the owner of the secondhand clothing store said. It's very impressive how they pour out their relaxed enthusiasm.
"We reuse clothes, so it's an SDG," he says with a laugh, and while I somewhat agree with what he says, I'm especially happy that there is a second-hand clothing store on the island and that there are people who enjoy it.
SHOP INFO
Falconiya
214 Okawa, Ishigaki City, 2nd floor, Nishi-en: 15:00-20:00 (subject to change, announced on Instagram)
Closed: Irregular holidays
