The Dry Clean Interview

The Store that the Bay Area Needed: An Interview with Dry Clean.

By Rene Ramirez

Growing up in the Bay Area, You are surrounded by people bragging about having the new Jordan’s or the hat that they got from their local lids. It was almost extinct for me to hear or find something that was vintage or just old. It was as if there was this stigma that meant having something new was better which isn’t always true. That wasn’t until I found out about the flea markets where either once a month or once a week, Sellers from all around the bay would come and sell the vintage that they had. I was addicted, The fact of spending less than retail for a shirt that meant so much more captivated me. I was going every week looking for the Vintage DragonBall tees, or the Vintage Oakland Athletics tees. But as time went on I started to see less of the vendors I have come to know or have become friends with. Leaving less and less for me to check out at the Flea Markets, Which left me wondering, Why isn’t there a store out here that sells this type of stuff? And that’s where Dry Clean comes in.

Dry Clean is a unique clothing store started by 4 friends named : Marco Verdin, Matthew Fong, Khyree Zaid, and Tai Caparas. They all grew up in the Bay Area and have all found a passion and love for fashion and clothing, Which brought all 4 of them together. Walking in you can already tell this isn’t your typical store. U see the very long rack of vintage clothing to the wall full of denim that's older than you and seeing dunks that you have never seen before. You can see each of their personalities being displayed here in the store and it's something I wish other stores did more often. As Stores just have overpriced shoes on the wall and just sit behind the counter. These 4 make sure you get an experience you will get nowhere else. And that's why Dry Clean is in FIRSTPLACE.

I was able to speak with two of the owners Marco and Tai and ask them some questions about the store.

So to start off, Where did this idea of opening “DryClean” start or come into fruition? Was it an idea that you guys have had for a long time?

Tai : Well, in the summer going into highschool, I did a little popup at this store I used to intern at. Where I sold a lot of similar stuff just at a much smaller scale, And then one of the first dudes who came in was this fool Marco and then he was like “I have this supreme and bape stuff if you want to buy it” And I was like “Sure” so he kept coming to the pop ups selling stuff to the pop up just chillin, and then we became friends off of that because he would always come through. So we just kept in touch through the years and the idea came because we're just making money flipping clothes selling on ebay and grailed and we were like “Why don’t we open a storefront?”.  The perfect time came when corona happened because rents were super cheap and neither of us were doing shit, So we started looking for a spot and found the spot and stocked up on inventory and got the crew together, And just like fuck it lets open a store.

Marco: Yea so it was not as well planned as it seems, Which is kinda a fun and cool part about it. But somehow everything worked out which I'm mad grateful for. Yes we both kinda have the same passion for garments and fashion even though we might be in two completely different lanes. We both see the market for curated vintage and sneakers, So we're just trying to fill that void especially in Oakland and the bay area in general where stuff kinda comes a little too simplified when it comes to fashion out here. Like its mainly sticking to the lane of supreme and bape and just sneakers, That's why we kinda opened the lane for vintage levis as well as curated vintage just so it kinda has that full fit u know you can get a whole outfit out of the shop and then have different ways of expressing yourself instead of being boxed in to just having a box logo tee with some jordan 1’s. 

As many people can see, You guys have a wide variety of pieces to choose from. Even some people may be surprised that all of the pieces came from only 4 people, So how long was the process of collecting clothes for the store? And what was that process like?

Tai: So we had some of the pieces in here came straight out of our closet that we had for years but as far as the vintage we would just hunt and curate it and we gathered enough stock in about 2-3 months, 

Marco: We kept on brainstorming ideas for the shop like a year ago, But it just never came into fruition because we both had school, we were both kinda focused on that, Like tai said with the whole covid situation it gave us the ability to both attend school while managing our own store, so with that being said like right when covid kinda hit were we just bucking down trying to grab as much vintage and supreme and other products to really fill up the shop. 

I can see that nostalgia plays a very big part here, From the voltron figures, to the Playstation 2 on the shelf, and the vintage clothes themselves, So How important is nostalgia to not only you guys but for the store.

Tai: Well, actually when we were brainstorming names “Nostalgia” was one of the names we came up with because like the store is kinda nostalgic to us, like the style, but we didn’t go through with it. Like you said the voltrons and the chronic albums. It’s all stuff from like our childhood and the 90’s stuff, the golden era of hip-hop and the sneaker game, Jordan all that. So nostalgia plays a big part in our stores, Retro vibes all that from the past generations.

As technology advances and as more people join social media, What are some ways that you guys have advertised the store, to not only gain attention but to drive people and customers through the door? And how important is it for you guys to advertise through social media as a platform especially in the times we're in?

Tai: Back then, You would post flyers on planks but now everything is on social media. So we didn’t promote the store at all until literally one day before the grand opening and we had a instagram video and had a crazy turnout. (Marco in the background, “Shoutout to matt”) So basically social media that's how we gained traction like the post almost had 150 shares of people sending it to their friends and their friends. There is also tiktok, on the grand opening a girl made a tik tok of the store and it got twenty thousand views and then we were just talking to people chopping it up and would ask how they found out about us and they would say “Oh yea I came from tiktok” so it's just dope to see how big of a role social media plays.

Marco: I think with social media or with technology in general like tai said it's pretty innovative if you really think about it cause like I'm twenty-one and he’s seventeen and just thinking about that is insane, and there's people like 5 years ago in their 30’s and they’re setting this up for a couple of years and for us to be able to get this done and knock it out quick in youthfulness you know? It's so dope and mad inspiring, I’m mad inspired by my business partner, mad inspired by the work I have done with my partners such as, “Rene, Matt, Richard, Lil Matt, Nate, Khyree” who else? (Tai: I don’t fucking know haha). Yea that's about it. Shoutout to all em. It’s just so dope seeing the youth take advantage of what we're given with technology and really run forward with it. 

As you know, More and more people from Silicon valley are moving into Oakland due to gentrification. Which is where we see new cafes or restaurants opening left and right, But how does it feel not only to be from the Bay Area but to also open and run a business here in a city where you grew up?

Marco: Its mad inspiration too, just heartwarming to think about it, Especially like you said with gentrification as a brown person you like walk around block by block and your seeing these white owned businesses that are almost playing like some culture vulture shit like (Marco using white person voice: Oh this is like our new mexican fusion spot or this our asian fusion spot) but in reality they kicking all the asian and brown people out of those spaces and just to be able to be a brown person and to have my own business working like this well is like mad invigorating and powerful.

Tai: Yea the same were both born and raised in Oakland, That's how we met so it’s important to give back to our community because they have shown so much love. U see all these skyscrapers and apartment buildings and all the local spots closing down so it's important to support local and small businesses.

Marco: Yea also it's crazy to think about how Oakland brought us together too, Like I never really thought of it until he said we were both born and raised here. If it wasn’t for the city and how diverse it was. Despite gentrification we would have never met and things wouldn’t have gone this far without that so I have mad pride for my city and mad love for Oakland to be able to make it this far.

To add on, With the skyrocketing prices of rent and owning here in the Bay Area or Oakland, What do you have to say to those who think you are crazy for opening a store especially during this time where so many businesses are closing?

Tai: Fuck Gavin Newsom, He tried to close all the small businesses and opened his winery.

Marco: His winery burned down too haha.

Tai: If McDonald’s, Walmart, and Target all the large monopoly corporations can be open so can small businesses and I just say go for it, Right now is the time to take a chance everyone is trying to shop, Everyone has been cooped up like you can call us crazy but we think it was ingenious in a way.

Marco: Not only that but looking at it in terms of how people let this be a deterrent you know, Like you said just run with it, You have all this time. Like a lot of people during Covid mastered a craft. I guess what me and tai did was master our craft when it comes to making something like this a business functional and profitable while making a very welcoming environment that's not very disconnected. That's why I know it's like you go to any retail shop. It's been pretty disconnected with Covid like you have plastic walls like separating the consumer and the workers. So what I think we're having here at Dry Clean, were just creating this very realistic environment where its just, People are so caught up in the virtual aspect of being home on their phones at home, That once their in the shop they just mad intrigued not only by the product but also the shop layout. Like it welcomes people to just sit down and chop it up about fashion, sneakers, history, 90’s like it's just like he said nostalgic and very welcoming with arms open.

Ok cool, As you guys grow and gain attention from people around, You guys may get compared to other stores in the Bay Area, I know that you guys are different already but for the readers, what makes you guys different from the other shops around the bay and around the world?

Tai: Well everyones unique in their own way. Like we love all the stores here.

Marco: Yea that's kinda what we grew up on too, Like as consumers becoming our own shop owners we seen and appreciated the other stores that created the community for us like “Prstg, SoleSupremacy, Premium, and like we give it up to them they were kinda the innovators if you really think about.

Tai: But…… They are very similar in that sense and we wanted to differentiate ourselves from them. We're not about consigning Yeezys and all that, Like we just want it to be a cool place where you can get cool vintage gear for not two hundred dollars for some ripped jeans or buy or sell us some shoes, What differentiates us is that all 4 of us have very unique styles, Like Marco is more into upper Japanese wear, I like wearing my vintage gear, Khyree likes his skate stuff. Like the store is a reflection of our personalities like you see a unique curated selection, Like we carry brands like “KAPITAL, Supreme, Carhartt, Dickies, Like most stores don’t have the variety that we have so that's where we think we are unique.

Marco: Not only that , Just the environment is very different just because in a lot of stores there's a big disconnect from consumers to the shop owners and being from the other side of that we wanted to push forward with making people feel welcomed in the shop. Not only that, if you look at our prices too, We know what we would want to spend on something. Like when we're pricing something out like we don’t want to price it at what the market may be at, But like as a consumer what you feel comfortable with. I feel like that's what separates us from other shops.

Rene: I'm not even going to cap but whenever I walk into shops like that it is mad quiet.

Tai: Yea and it's just uncomfortable. We just want it to feel welcoming.

Marco: Were not trying to hide behind the counter.

Tai: Or like have you buy your shit and get out like we could chop it and have a conversation.

As more and more clothing brands pop up and follow the same marketing tactic that supreme uses for example of limited releases, Are there any brands that you guys won’t take when it comes to buying inventory for the store?

Marco: We're pretty welcoming to stuff like Tai said, There Are 4 of us that work at the shop so if something doesn’t partake to my taste it would to Matt or khyree and Tai. So we're pretty welcoming to taking stuff for the shop.

Tai: But there's certain brands where we don’t support the actions that the founders do. So like if you do bring in for example Gosha right now we wouldn’t be taking that it because we don’t support rape or sexual harassment or any of that.

How about fakes, I'm pretty sure you guys know but fakes are getting very very good, and it’s scary. So in this business, how important is it to know about the fake shoes from the stitching to the alignment of logos? As getting finessed can not only ruin reputation but can also cut into profits.

Marco: I mean I think it's everything like you really gotta know your shit when it comes to legit checking items just because like you said it's the reputation at line as well you gotta think about it too with the consumer like imagine your go to a shop right your paying an additional price putting an additional Fifty Dollars just so you have the trust and your able to sleep at night knowing that you bought product that's 100% authentic. Like we had fakes come into the shop on the second day of opening, Like you said Travis Scott 1’s dude came in with them and we said ok we did out thing and took our time because we wouldn't want to pass that off to our friends or put it on our feed if were not confident that it’s 100% authentic, So in this game it's everything, you need to know. If you're 95% sure that it's real like you wouldn’t want to risk that other 5% of it being inauthentic.

Tai: Since you mentioned Travis Scott 1’s, It's only been 1 week since we opened and we had two pairs of them tried to be sold to us. So just be careful and take your time. If you think it's sus then it's probably sus because some things are too good to be true.

Ok cool and as for the future, What's the dream, or what's the endgame for DryClean?

Tai: Right now we have our staple location in Oakland because that's where we from but eventually we would want to franchise out the store and open multiple locations in SF, Berkeley and even outside of Cali and keep growing from there. Also turn it into a brand and start our own merchandise and keep building from there.

Marco: I hope people take note of how we have the shop. Were leading by example for other stores. Hopefully even as new as the store is like that's where I want the store to go. People don’t even have to buy anything but to just have the experience. Like that right there doesn’t have a dollar amount is the experience of being welcomed and seeing an old vintage Nike book and even stuff that we have from our friends like Richards “SNKRS” book. Having them being able to experience that is priceless for me as one of the shop owners. As well as Tai said, hopefully franchising out and having multiple locations and seeing how successful we are to be able to give something to the community.

For those outside of the Bay Area, can we expect to see an online shop open up anytime soon and when? 

Tai: Website is in the works, Stay tuned by following us on Instagram. Online shopping will be available very shortly.

Marco: Not only that but we also have items featured on our instagram. Anyone is more than welcome to just dm us if they wanna purchase anything. We ship worldwide.

As we wrap up are there any last words that you would like to say?

Marco: Shoutout to Matt, Lil Matt, khyree, Rene and First Place, Richard, and Nate.

Tai: Shoutout to all of our supporters and everyone who came through who showed mad love and we appreciate all the support. Stay tuned for big things coming soon.

Marco: Follow the instagram @Dryclean510. Got mad love for the supporters and the future supporters so lets make this thing work.

There you guys have it. DryClean is here to stay and they are in FIRSTPLACE, For those in the Bay Area DryClean is open Tues-Thurs from 12-6 and open Fri-Sat from 12-7.

Located at 1500 Broadway, Oakland, CA.

They hope to see yall there!