Thrift Witch moves into planned forever home

The solid foundation, huge arched windows and thick metal vault door of the former Bank of Lansing building in Old Town lends it a sense of permanence.

It’s fitting, then, that Thrift Witch owner Tiesha King intends to make the bank her gothic thrift shop’s final location.

“Things just lined up for us, and it really is a miracle,” King said. She moved into the new location after her lease ended on the former one on Cesar Chavez Ave., west of the bridge.

Thrift Witch opened in the new space on Nov. 14 with plans for a grand opening Saturday, Dec. 20. There’s a larger space for King to sell vintage and other resale clothes, and it includes items from 45 artists, everything from jewelry to books to pride flag-themed blankets.

The new location also includes wares from Rosalarian, Re.Vamp.Fashion and The Mythos, the three independent shops that formerly occupied Thrift Witch’s sister store, The Dark Art Market. While the new space cannot reasonably accommodate those shops as separate entities, King said, she will be selling their wares at no additional markup.

King’s partner, Eclectic Art Tattoo Gallery owner Sean Peters, plans to relocate his business to the building in the coming months.

The opportunity to move into the old bank came as King worried she would have to move outside of Old Town.

She will lease the space, for six months, from former owners Swanson Design Studios while gathering funds to purchase the building, whose owners would like it to go to her, she said.

“I really will sit here at some points during the day and just be like, ‘How did I get here?’” she said. “I get a little teary-eyed.”

By staying in Old Town, Thrift Witch can continue connecting with customers, who King said inspire the store’s offerings.

“My selection is curated by every single person that walks in the door,” she said. “You’ll leave, and I will have a memory of what you’re wearing, what you like, if I could tell any patches or anything — and that goes into the brain database.”

King sources her clothes everywhere, from private sellers to estate sales to other thrift stores. She said customers have at times remarked that an item is perfect for them, only to learn it was purchased with them in mind.

That community spirit also helped secure the new location, King said.

King said the Old Town community “really came together” to help keep Thrift Witch local. Former Old Town Commercial Association president Jamie Schriner organized a meeting between King and Swanson Design Studios.

“I’m in no position to buy a building right now, so they have been really helpful and are giving me time to get my finances together,” King said. “And they want specifically to sell to me.

“It was five minutes away from us calling it quits, but at the last minute Old Town came through.”