Two years ago, shoppers at American Vintage had to sort through racks of clothing to find items that fit their styles. Now, sales associates Stephany Torrejon and Melissa Ramos can lead customers to specific pieces tailored to their tastes, like vintage corsets, Mexican dresses and cutoff shorts.
About a year and a half ago, Torrejon started working at American Vintage, a boutique clothing store next to the Regency Village Theatre with several locations in Los Angeles.
Ramos and Torrejon first met on their high school volleyball team and later became friends while working together at an American Eagle outlet store. Torrejon said her uncle, former manager at American Vintage, encouraged her to get a job at the chain’s Westwood location. She later encouraged Ramos to join her when the store was looking to hire another associate last Halloween.
On Torrejon’s first day at American Vintage, the store was disorganized and had few customers. Torrejon, who had two years of retail experience, said she reorganized the store’s merchandise in hopes of attracting more customers.
Torrejon and Ramos paired popular pieces together, grouped some items by color and displayed complementary outfits around the store. They also decorated the building’s windows with strands of Christmas lights, hoping to catch the attention of passersby at night.
A couple weeks ago, Torrejon and Ramos dressed the mannequins in the store’s windows in red and pink for Valentine’s Day, but will soon outfit them in crop tops and shawls in anticipation of the The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
Torrejon said she thinks her age helps her anticipate what types of pieces will sell and connect with her clientele, which mainly consists of students.
Torrejon, Ramos and another associate, Hector Lomeli, make up the staff of the chain’s Westwood location. Torrejon said she and Ramos have more creative control over the store because they don’t have a manager.
“It feels great to know that I’m still young, but I’ve earned the trust of my bosses to take control of the store,” she said. “I feel that my knowledge is expanding, and as the store grows, I get to grow with it.”
Although American Vintage has been in Westwood for four years, Torrejon said customers often think the store is new because it has changed so much in the past 18 months.
Ramos said the chain’s owners send her and Torrejon to other American Vintage locations to create displays and organize inventory because they think their style draws more customers into the stores.
Ramos added some regulars, including homeless individuals in Westwood Village, come in to chat and relax on the wide purple couch that faces Broxton Avenue.
Greta Altmeyer, a first-year business economics student, said she appreciated that the sales associates can discount some items below the listed price at the register.
“I work at Urban Outfitters, so it’s a lot more corporate and we could never do anything like that without permission from a manager,” Altmeyer said.
Torrejon and Ramos both live east of downtown Los Angeles in Montebello. Ramos studies administration of justice at East Los Angeles College and hopes to become a social worker or work in criminal justice.
Ramos said the store sees a lot of tourists, so she sometimes has the opportunity to practice French, which she studies in college. She added Torrejon assists with the store’s Spanish-speaking clientele.
Torrejon said she first became interested in fashion while folding jeans at American Eagle, but the large chain had strict guidelines for its displays.
“Here, you get to dress the mannequins up and have fun with what you want,” she said.
Ramos created an Instagram account for the store two weeks ago, which features customers wearing pieces from the store and mannequins’ outfits.
Ramos said she outfitted the winter displays in a “school meets business” style, but Torrejon favors more casual pieces, which she thinks balances out Ramos’ formal influence on the store.
“You really get to bring your own personality into the store,” Ramos said.