This August, my husband and I were flown to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to give a presentation at the Iowa State Preservation Conference. We left on a Thursday and returned on a Sunday, so we had a bit of time to explore the city. One of our best friends, Jenny, drove 5 hours from Minneapolis, MN to spend the last two days with us. After a bit of aimless wandering, we got a recommendation to head to Czech Village, also called New Bohemia, or Newbo. My only regret is that we didn't find out about it sooner. Newbo is an arts district filled with restaurants, bars, and tons of cool antique shopping. We discovered a darling little vintage shop called, The Copper Alligator. Unfortunately the shop isn't listed under vintage clothing, but rather "costumes" so I almost missed out. There are tons of affordable treasures packed in this shop and it's totally worth checking out. I left with a sundress, THE BEST kitten themed apron, and some 40s ties and tie clips for my husband. I'm sure there the dress and apron will make an appearance here eventually.
The shop is next door to a little Czech bakery, and across the street are a couple of really good antique stores including Treasure Chest Collectibles and Czech Village Antiques. Wade bought a WWII Czech military jacket that fits like a dream, and some Czech civilian patriotic pins from the same era. Next we headed down to Mad Modern, a vintage furniture shop specializing in mid-century modern. I have to admit, walking into Mad Modern made me sad....in a really good way. I was sad that we were flying home, and couldn't take any furniture with us. Luckily, there was a small section of clothing, ties, purses, etc and I found a fantastic navy dress.
Outfit details:
Navy 50s dress: Mad Modern
WWII Czech pin: Czech Village Antiques
red bow belt: Ebay
assorted Bakelite bangles: thrifted & Ebay
vintage leather lace-up boots: Ebay
1940s telephone cord purse: Ebay
