He was a top personal shopper for J.Crew. Now Charles Moschos has opened his own shop in Ridgefield.

RIDGEFIELD — After nearly a decade of helping customers find their styles in New York City stores, Charles Moschos is now prepared to offer classic clothing options within his own shop, Ridgefield Vintage. While a large part of the store is dedicated to menswear, Ridgefield Vintage also offers womenswear, children’s clothing, accessories and other gifts bearing designer names at a fraction of the price. “We have every price point – we want it to feel approachable for people,” said his wife, Joanna James Moschos. Local customers searching for Gucci, Coach or Louis Vuitton bags can find them closer to home. Ridgefield Vintage also has a selection of holiday gifts, ornaments, cards, candlesticks, jewelry and records for customers to peruse. Many of the items available for purchase at Ridgefield Vintage are from Charles Moschos’ own collection, which he has been building for about 15 years. It includes a mix of vintage, new and used clothing, including formal wear, casual shirts, jackets, pants, ties and bow ties as well as shoes, boots and sneakers. Ridgefield Vintage opened its doors on Black Friday weekend. Charles Moschos said the shop had a good debut weekend, with shoppers who had either moved from or were visiting from New York City among their best customers over the holiday weekend. Though Charles Moschos believes the city people are his main clientele, he said he plans to attract customers from the local region with the clothing on display at his store. “It’s giving people the opportunity to recognize what great style is here,” Joanna James Moschos said. There’s a definite need for a menswear shop in the local area and “there’s definitely a younger men’s clientele that we can serve,” Charles Moschos added. Emphasizing the “sustainability of vintage,” he said the store can offer people “a classic option, timeless style, but also reusable wear.” “They can make an appointment with someone who was the No. 1 shopper in the city and curate their own style,” Joanna James Moschos said. “And you can get that here whether you’re in Danbury, Ridgefield or wherever.” Before opening Ridgefield Vintage, Charles Moschos was involved in menswear for nearly 10 years, working for J.Crew, Woolrich and Ralph Lauren at Bloomingdale’s. By working his way up with sales and building his clientele, he was recognized as J.Crew’s top personal shopper at its store on Madison Avenue. Moschos said he loves the aesthetics of menswear shops. On top of his own retail experience, he said he grew up watching his uncle run his menswear store in Faneuil Hall in Boston. His experience of watching celebrities and “the well-to-do people of Boston” going into his uncle’s store inspired him to start working in menswear shops. Moschos and his wife lived in Manhattan for 11 years before moving to Ridgefield and opening their store. As far as how he plans to grow his business, Charles Moschos said, “We’ve seen that people are really happy that there’s this offering in town, so just making connections the same way I did in New York … offering value to them and things seem to grow organically this way.” Located at 346 Ethan Allen Highway, Route 7, Ridgefield Vintage is open Sundays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment. Appointments can be made by calling or texting 305-915-3010 or by messaging Moschos through the Ridgefield Vintage Facebook page or ridgefieldvintage.com. CORRECTION: An original version of this story incorrectly reported where the Moschos live. The couple lives in Ridgefield.

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