Though born in the early 2000s, when it comes to fashion, Surrey-based Kian Salvador looks back to the '90s.
The young entrepreneur recently opened a vintage store in New West that features a large collection of sports-inspired clothing and sneakers from the era that popularized flare pants and hoop earrings.
Classique Grails, located at Shops at New West at the New Westminster SkyTrain station, features Jordan 1 Low Golf sneakers, a 1999 Holyfield Vs Lewis shirt, Harley Davidson shirts, Carhartt pants and more.
A basketball fan, Salvador's curated collection also includes starter jackets of NBA teams Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia Sixers and Toronto Raptors — but one of his prized wares is a Vancouver Grizzlies jacket from 1994.
“These were distributed back in the day. It’s sad to say that the team had to relocate to Memphis (in the United States) because, as per history, they had one of the worst records in the NBA,” he explained.
“They don't make those jackets anymore. But it’s super nostalgic for me. I loved the team,” he said.
And for others who did too, Salvador’s store promises a chance to celebrate them again.
Yet another rare piece at the store is a $500 Allen Iverson T-shirt, he noted.
Iverson, a wildly popular former American professional basketball player, started his career in the late '90s and retired in 2013.
“He made an impact in the community of basketball in a short span of his career. For me, that piece is also super nostalgic,” said Salvador.
“I've only seen two of those, and I have one of them,” he added.
Given how rare the pieces are — be it the Iverson T-shirt or the Grizzlies starter jacket — Salvador refers to them as his “holy grails.”
While that explains the store’s name, the deep admiration for basketball champs was not the only reason that led Salvador to set up shop; a brief stint as a barber played a big part too.
From chopping hair to running a vintage shop
When Salvador moved from the Philippines to Canada in 2015, he had little interest in starting a business of his own.
He started working part-time as a barber when he was in high school. Every penny that he made styling hair, he poured into sneakers and vintage wear, he said.
One of his clients' dad was the owner of a warehouse in B.C. — this connection, he said, allowed him to think about turning his passion into something more.
Salvador started selling his curated sneakers and clothes through word of mouth and at local marketplaces.
He made enough money to launch a physical store in Surrey, at the beginning of COVID, before moving to his current New West spot in April this year.
"I never planned to one day open a physical store of my own," said Salvador.
He wanted to pursue engineering after high school, he said. But now at the helm of a business that people seem to be lapping up, his plans have pivoted.
“A lot of people, when they see my collection, are like, ‘Oh, I remember having this. I remember having that' … It reminds them of their childhood.”
And giving people that experience is reason enough for him to continue staying in business.
Classique Grails is located at Shops at New West, 800 Carnarvon St.
