It’s been 20 years since besties Angie Gavin and Kate Schultz started slinging vintage together, buying and selling for antique shops, auction houses, and estate liquidators. That ultimately led to their own Hampden shop, Milk and Ice Vintage.

When the store closed in 2020, vintage fans were dismayed. But good news! The Great Pause of 2020 allowed the pair to reevaluate their small business and, this summer, Gavin and Schultz opened a new shop in Lauraville, with a new look and a new sense of purpose.

“We both live here and felt it would streamline our business to find a location with a studio for processing, photographing, and prepping vintage, plus a retail space—it’d give us that much-needed work-life balance,” Gavin says.

Gavin and Schultz have spent over a year designing the new store from the ground up. Painted with black ceilings, black walls, and custom industrial rolling racks full of curated vintage, the space has lots of flexibility.

“Our business is [now] organized in a way that allows us more freedom to explore the creative side of vintage,” says Gavin. “We felt the best way for us to grow was to pivot,” adds Schultz.

The store can also function as a community space for what they hope might be themed dinner parties and lectures on art or fashion.

So what should vintage customers expect?

“We want folks to be able to shop for more approachable vintage, staple pieces you pull out every season and have stood the test of time,” says Schultz. Think pre-war cocktail dresses, soft T-shirts of the 1970s, and 1990s must-haves. But fear not, since Gavin and Schultz’s personal styles lean toward historical pieces, their trove also includes collectibles from the Edwardian and Victorian eras.

“Life is just too short not to wear that crazy garment that speaks to you in a surprisingly loud way,” Gavin says. “Let’s push for the trend of throwing fast fashion in the trash can and splurging on something that really makes us feel seen and heard.”

In keeping with that sentiment, the ladies from Milk and Ice are Halloween connoisseurs—and if you’re ready to ditch Party City once and for all, they’re your girls. Stumped on ideas? Here are a few straight from the source:

Icon: Odd Nerdrum, classical painter
You’ll Need: White antique smocked nightgown, a heavy jacket or cloak hung loosely over shoulders, a floppy hat, 1920s wire-framed circle glasses, and a paintbrush.

Icon: Olivia Newton-John
You’ll Need: A ’90s tube top, ’80s peg-leg high-waisted jeans or leggings, clasp belt, a cropped leather jacket, high heels, cigarette (for effect).

For even more inspo, look no further than the Milk & Ice Instagram feed: