The Slow Era started out as an online and travel gig for owner Malena Magnolia, and slowly turned into a dream of opening her own store.
The Slow Era opened a new location at 130 Main Street, Suite 101, Ames, IA. During Magnolia’s traveling days, she made connections with people from the Ames and Boone communities and built up a clientele for her business.
“I also did a lot of markets around the Midwest, but specifically Ames and Des Moines, and I also built a clientele here just from doing those markets,” Magnolia said. “And then I also rebranded during that time from an old name to a new name, and just really rethought my brand strategy and what I wanted my brand to represent.”
The store aims to bring handmade, vintage clothing and vibrant colors back into society. Bursts of colors cover the walls and desks inside of the building.
This new store has handmade clothes, jewelry and home decor. They also sell all types of styles from classics to groovy outfits to western wear.
“Because I have an art degree and a fine art background, I wanted to support artists because The Slow Era is about slow fashion, but it’s also about slow-made things and utilizing things that already exist,” Magnolia said in an interview with the Daily.
The Slow Era collaborates with local and national companies and artists to make exclusive finds and support their goal of using sustainable and slow practices. These practices became a problem when the company was making products that were fragile or breakable, and what better way to fix that problem than to open up your own place.
“I realized that these really need to live in a store with a broader audience, and some of them are breakable so they’re not ideal to travel with for markets and pop-ups,” Magnolia said.
Magnolia has 20 years of retail experience, with 16 years being in vintage style specifically.
“I had managed other stores like this, so I knew I could do it,” Magnolia said “I just thought it was the right time, just everything aligned.”
Magnolia also commented multiple times on the “energy” and “vibes” of her store and how there are always customers who will be lifting each other up while she is working.
The Slow Era now sells vintage products online and in the new location on the historical Main Street in downtown Ames.
Check out The Slow Era online at their website, or at their store at 130 Main Street, Suite 101, Ames, IA.
