AJ Cadaret
eSomethin Staff
House of Dow is a trans-owned vintage clothing store located in downtown Toledo, selling vintage clothes in all sizes and aesthetics.
Alan Dow, owner of House of Dow, said, “During the pandemic, people started buying more online and online clothing is usually very disappointing. It’s often made with a cheaper quality, the fabrics aren’t great, and it can lead to a lot of disappointment.”
The cheaper quality of fast-fashion clothing also leads to the higher likelihood of it being damaged. The online world of clothing also allows for clothing to look monotonous, with more unique items selling for much more.

“A lot of people, if they can afford, will spend slightly more to have something that’s of good quality and going to last and be unique. Vintage isn’t always accessible for everybody but we really try to thrive on sustainability and affordability here. I don’t price stuff any higher than I would be willing to pay myself for it,” said Dow.
Dow also recommended that the best way to buy fast fashion is to buy it second-hand. He mentioned that buying fast-fashion from Plato’s Closet or Goodwill, for example, will ultimately save it from going to a landfill. He also suggested upworking and upcycling clothing into something new that would be more likely to be worn as a way to recycle fast-fashion clothing.
Dow added, “Even the high end brands, like I’ll see stuff on the Nordstrom Rack website and they’ll be like, this shirt’s on sale for eight dollars. I scroll down and this is made of viscose and rayon. That’s literally the same fabric all the SHEIN shirts are made out of. But if you don’t know to look for that, you’ll pay a higher amount thinking you’re gonna get a good quality product and feel deceived.”

Eight years ago, House of Dow was started from weekend shopping at estate sales, thrift shops, antique stores, and auctions. Now, Dow continues these practices both out-of-town and in Toledo to collect inventory of better quality, vintage clothing.
“So I would buy and resell it to my friends, sell it out of my house, or sell it on Instagram, and I do pop up shops and stuff like that. We started having meetings in my living room and gathering up inventory, and that’s literally how we figured out how to open a store,” said Dow.
For all inventory, Dow checks for stains and any other damage like worn out elastic, fading, and corroding material before laundering the clothing and putting it out on the store floor.
“We’re very meticulous and our reputation stands on it,” Dow said.
Dow also noted, “The realities of running a business hit you. You basically have to operate on a shoe-string budget for a long time to try and see any profit because everything you make, you have to put right back into the business.”
House of Dow currently is making plans for the upcoming year, as well, including trans-focused clothing swaps and giving out free makeup and supplies to trans people in the community, both of which they have done before.
“The worse it feels like things are getting in the world, the more it feels like we have a space in the community that we want to do things with. So it’s my intent this year going forward to focus more on that and bring more to our community because the community is the reason we’re here,” expressed Dow.
House of Dow is located at 1501 Adams St, Toledo and you can access their website at houseofdow.com to find their curated selection of vintage goods for sale or for more information.
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