First look at Hella Tuff, a vintage store on Fairmont

This past weekend I checked out Hella Tuff's grand opening. It's a little vintage clothing DIY spot in the basement of 1200 Fairmont, run by Jessica Louise Dye. In short: pretty cool.

It's not a large space, basically a basement studio apartment, but there's a lot of neat stuff. 

The way in

There was a men's rack with cool t-shirts, plaid cowboy-type shirts, jackets and coats, funky sweaters, and more. I bought a blue button-up with snaps and an Alamo t-shirt for $25. The women's section was bigger and a lot of folks seemed to find things they liked -- sweaters, tops, and so on. 

There's also a nice selection of shoes, from cool sneakers to crazy big high heels, plus other accessories like hats and purses. There's also a whole cabinet of vintage kitchenware and some funny crafts, like a scarf with a felt penis on it. Yup.

I liked the vibe of the place: there was a drum kit and guitars in the corner (Dye is also in the band Lightfoot), the fitting room is a sheet where an old sink is, and it's just a cool, homey space.

As for rules about having a shop, which a commenter asked about previously, Dye said she had her bases covered, she doesn't make enough money to get taxed, and she does track every receipt.

It'll be open Saturdays 11am-3pm and by appointment: hello@hellatuff.com. Dye mentioned she's often out shopping for vintage things, so if you were interested in a certain item, give her a buzz. They also buy vintage clothes by appointment. The Facebook page has more on the spot.

(Pardon my crummy cameraphone shots.)