What began as a high school dream for Wheat Ridge local Diane Allison has evolved into a bustling vintage clothing shop on 38th Avenue. Anteak Booteek isn’t just a vintage clothing store – it’s a place where history hangs on every rack.
Allison’s passion for transforming clothing goes back to her junior high days at Everitt Middle School, where home economics classes taught her the fundamentals of hand and machine sewing. Her enthusiasm for fashion grew throughout high school, when she began collecting and customizing unique pieces, and eventually led to her launching an online vintage clothing business during college. Years later, this would evolve into Anteak Booteek, which opened in March of 2024. “I have a huge interest in fashion, its history, and its ability to transform the wearer,” Allison says.
At Anteak Booteek, you can find an eclectic selection of items, including blazers with fur collars, barkcloth back pieces, disassembled suits made into bolero jackets, and skirts with antique lace and vintage buttons.
“I have clothing from the 1890s all the way to current day,” says Allison, who sources items from estate sales, auctions, and buying trips to Los Angeles and New York. She describes the thrill of finding hidden gems as one of her favorite aspects of the job. “I love finding timeless pieces that people have held onto,” Allison says. “It’s always exciting to find something that you know is going to be a hit.”
The store’s opening is part of growing development along the 38th Avenue corridor in Wheat Ridge, where Allison has found a supportive community. “People are excited when they come in. It’s a younger crowd, very excited to shop for vintage stuff,” she says.
Allison says she has observed Gen Z as a driving force behind the vintage clothing resurgence. “It seems like the younger generations are very invested in recirculating vintage clothing,” she says, adding that she has seen a recent shift away from fast fashion and toward quality, sustainable pieces.
Despite being open for less than a year, Anteak Booteek has already built a loyal following. “I’ve got a lot of repeat customers, which is fantastic,” Allison says.
In March, the shop will double as an art gallery when Allison displays her work as part of Denver’s Month of Photography biennial event. “I think vintage clothing and photography are cohesive, so I’m excited to combine both in one setting,” she says. Her photography will also be featured at Rise & Shine from mid-February through mid-April.
Diane Allison’s Anteak Booteek offers an alternative to fast fashion: carefully curated vintage clothing that invites customers to appreciate its historical context. Based on the store’s successful first year, it looks like that offering is exactly what Wheat Ridge has been looking for.
Anteak Booteek is open Weds.-Sat. from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from noon-4 p.m. For more information, call 720-703-2135 or visit https://anteakbooteek.wixsite.com/anteakbooteek
