Matt Kraus learned the thrill of the hunt as a boy when accompanying his grandpa to the Wentzville Flea Market. That love led the St. Louis native to begin collecting and selling vintage as a freshmen at the University of Denver. In his spare time, Kraus would scour vintage shops for treasure. “I’d find a Broncos’ tee for instance, wear it and someone in the dorm would offer 20 bucks for it. So this hobby of mine organically grew into a business.”
Following graduation, Kraus stayed in Denver and worked for three years as an investment banker, selling vintage on the side on Instagram and other social media sites. This summer he realized how much he missed St. Louis and headed home. After 7 years selling vintage, he was bullish on the idea that this was the perfect time to open a brick and mortar shop in his hometown. He looked at locations in several neighborhoods and settled on a small storefront in the CWE on Euclid between Forest Park Pkwy. and Laclede Ave. (The site was formerly Re-Voaked, a sandwich shop.)
“I think the CWE is the neighborhood that will embrace this concept. This space was the best of everything I looked at in terms of size and foot traffic. I know my merchandise will be appreciated here.” 
Kraus says his vintage clothing collection will appeal to any age. His cache includes 70s, 80s, & 90s rock band, movie and show promo tees, hats, jackets and jeans. He explained, “Right now, retro clothing is very popular with college kids, and most of my tee-shirts range in price from $20 to $40.”
But Kraus anticipates that his collection “will also appeal to those folks who may have attended some of those concerts that took place in the 80s or 90s.” The wall shown above features, from top, vintage tees including a Jerry Garcia, $180, Harley Davidson, $140, Elton John, $70; bottom row, a 1920’s Curlee baseball uniform, $180, a Picasso tee, $120, and a White Zombie tee is $160. The CLFX skateboard, right, is not for sale.
A vintage steamer trunk holds a selection of sports team hats including a Mark McGuire, $16.
A Par Four golf sweater is $38.
Kraus also has a great collection of vintage jackets, including a Corvette, $35, and a Kansas State University leather jacket, see below.
Kraus painted the storefront himself and decorated it, he said, “in a hodgepodge fashion. I put a motorcycle I found on Facebook Marketplace in the back, hung a screen where I’ll be projecting old movies from my collection of vintage VHS tapes. Actually, there’s no rhyme or reason to how Euclid Vintage looks, these are just things I thought were cool.”
A basket overflows with $5 tee shirts, above, and the display case contains favorite items that are not for sale, including a Wentzville Mercantile Co. sign, toys, and a collection of LPs.
While Kraus has been setting up shop, people from the neighborhood have frequently stopped in to inquire about selling their own “cool stuff.” He said he will eventually set up buying appointments, but for now he’s focused on getting open and selling his own large collection of treasures.
Euclid Vintage, 12 1/2 S. Euclid, opens Friday, October 13. Hours: Weds.-Sun. 11 to 7. To contact Matt Kraus, message him on his Instagram page or send him an email: euclid [email protected].