Bad Apple Vntg sells nostalgia. The midtown shop is ripe with vintage clothing, ’90s throwbacks and locally made goods. Where else can you find Looney Toons sweaters from 1993 alongside Matisse knits of the same era? And the best part is they aren’t repurposed and redesigned “vintage-looking” goods; they are authentic pieces of ’90s pop culture.
“Everything at Bad Apple Vntg has been curated by myself and/or by my right-hand goddess, JoLynn,” owner Francesca Martinez said. “Our vintage clothing is sourced from rag houses in Los Angeles where we frequently go and hand select what we want to have at the shop.”
This process makes the pieces unusual and hard to find elsewhere. The goods are also sized, repaired, steamed and altered to ensure they are in the best possible shape for resale, and Martinez affectionately calls her shoppers “baddies.”
The wistful items that represent a bygone era extend past clothing. There are also old video games and VHS tapes for sale. And for anything that isn’t vintage, the focus is on local and whimsical—crocheted tops, hand-made ceramics, screen-printed apparel, etc. “For other goods that aren’t vintage clothing or locally made, we have lots of independently made items. These include mystery boxes, patches, pins, candles—fun things, perfect for gifts or interesting statement pieces for your home or to personalize your own clothing,” Martinez said.
Bad Apple used to be a testament to all things 1990s but is moving toward an aesthetic best described as “edgy-Americana, dark fantasy and punk.” The cutesy items were moved to Martinez’s second store, Tooti Frooti, which opened in November on Vesta Street across from the Holland Project. “Tooti Frooti is more princesscore, pastels and ‘kawaii cute,’” Martinez said.
“Having this second space has allowed me to expand on goods that were clashing aesthetically in one space,” Martinez said. “Bad Apple’s look has always shifted due to its confused identity. Now that all of our ‘cute’ things live at Tooti, Bad Apple will have a new look once things are more settled in the new space.”
Tooti Frooti stocks items from popular brands like Sanrio, Charming Chan, Miffy, Calico Critters, Monchhichi, Rilakkuma, Kewpie Babies and many more kawaii goods. Six gashapon machines dispense small treats and surprises that meet the theme, much like the pizza parlor coin-operated options millennials grew up with. “It’s definitely much like Bad Apple’s baby sister,” Martinez said.
While Tooti is new, Bad Apple dates back to May 15, 2015. It was a long-realized dream for Martinez to open a vintage clothing store in Reno. “I stumbled upon the vacant spot while on a lunch break trying to pick up Thai Chili and made the call right then and there. I … was waiting for the right location, and here it was.” Martinez was 21 years old at the time.
A proud first-generation Filipino American, Martinez attended FIDM, the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, for Merchandise Marketing, so owning and managing two distinct stores fits into her wheelhouse.
“I originally went to school to become a buyer, but during my last quarter, I learned a lot of the companies I was interested in working for only looked at resumes that had bachelor’s degrees,” she said. “That sent me into a major deep slump and had to shift my goals, hence wanting to start my own business. Being young and naive, of course, all the things I wanted to do, which now included visual merchandising and making my own merch, starting my own business seemed like the only solution to satisfy my ambitions.”
While Los Angeles may have seemed a good fit for someone with her passions, Martinez wasn’t finding “her people” while living there. So, exhausted from living alone in LA, she decided to move to Reno, where she already had a built-in best friend. “The DIY scene here was like nothing I’ve ever seen in Vegas, and everything that was going on was so cool. Plus, there wasn’t anything here that was doing precisely what I envisioned my shop to be, so it was perfect.”
A big move followed by grabbing some temporary jobs allowed Martinez to save enough to open Bad Apple. With trust in the community and her vision, she took a risk despite being denied loans, and nine years later, she’s still here—and thriving.
“I’m currently waiting on a new design for Bad Apple’s new logo, and when I’m able to make more time, I’d really like to remodel Bad Apple for the last time,” Martinez explained, adding she used to change the aesthetic every year to keep the store fresh. Her other goals include expanding both stores’ online presence, making additional items to sell in the shop and offering benefits to employees. “I also want to work more on my personal art. I’ve really gotten caught up in managing the shops that I’ve neglected one of the reasons why I opened—an outlet to make my own goods to sell.”
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Bad Apple Vntg is at 1001 S. Virginia St. in Reno.
