Press

Out of Vogue satisfies the appetite for funky furniture, kooky
collectibles and cool clothing from the 1940s, '50s and '60s.

By Felix Sanchez
The Orange County Register

One joy of walking around the warmly lit aisles of Out of Vogue is that everything looks so, well, inviting. Never mind that the objects of your affection in this downtown Fullerton store are, for the most part, around half a century old.

These were cutting-edge household technologies and fashion statements of their time - if their time was the 1940s, '50s or '60s. And as fate would have it, now.

Chrome G.E. toasters. Pastel-colored Danish modern furniture, and classically designed Herman Miller chairs or funky elegant George Nelson lamps. A reissued Gibson Flying V ivory guitar. A Fabian throw pillow.

Out of Vogue is definitely the groovy place for anyone wanting to take a sentimental journey. For three years, owners Mike and Pam Atta have lovingly catered to the growing thirst for retro art, clothing, jewelry and housewares. During that time, the hunger for all things retro - vintage, not reproductions - has grown by vinyl-covered leaps and bounds.

"These things are timeless," Mike Atta said. "Good design is good design. So they have a lot of style and character."

Criss-crossing the United States, the Attas hunt down and purchase vintage items from estate sales and the inventory of closed stores. More often than they care to admit, the Attas will pull an item from their sales floor and display it in their Fullerton home. Everything they find and sell is an original. No reproductions. Most items are modern and contemporary.

So respected is the Atta reputation for getting high- quality vintage wares that shoppers come from across Southern California, indeed the world, to shop. One of their biggest markets is in Japan, where at least two dozen stores have signed Out of Vogue and the Attas as their purchasing agent for retro items. The couple also take orders from customers looking for specific items - such as the Philadelphia man who loves everything tiki.

Pam and Mike Atta's goal is to create an inviting atmosphere. With warm lighting from overhead lamps and "touch me" display shelves, it begs you to slowly browse and enjoy. Vintage Rolling Stones, punk, alternative music, Bowie and Brasil 66 provide an eclectic backdrop.

The Attas have sold to people from France, Sweden and Great Britain. Then there's an Emmy-winning daytime actress who shopped for a dress to wear to the show but came up empty. Add young couples looking for retro clothes for a party, and a high-rolling movie producer, on Forbes mucho wealth list, who drops in, wanders through, and, Atta says, "points at this, at that, and buys a lot." All of which brings a smile to the Attas. While this is a commercial venture, it is, most of all, a passion. An odd one, perhaps, especially considering Mike Atta's roots as one of Orange County's original punk rockers, part of the group Middle Class.

"We're kind of like a department store for vintage," Mike Atta says. Regular customers visit several times a month. Inventory turns over just about every 45 days, the couple say, with new items arriving almost continuously. The Attas want to appeal to the recent college graduate who's now able to afford a piece of retro furniture as well as the serious collector. Chairs might range from $50- $3,000. An $8 shirt might hang next to a $500 vintage Hawaiian shirt.

You can find the Fabian throw pillow near the Charlie Tuna glasses.

"You do look around and you recall an era," Pam Atta says of the items that fill the store. "There's a feeling you get from them. You learn to love it."