Eye on Style: Current Vintage
by Suzanne Daub
Color is everywhere in Current Vintage: entering this unique boutique on Easy Street is like walking into a celebration! Fine wines and craft beer, artisanal cheeses and provisions, home goods and party decor, and vintage clothing and accessories: Current Vintage is the place to shop for all your summer fun.
Elisabeth English opened Current Vintage 15 years ago, after spending time on Nantucket in a variety of roles. This North Carolinian explained that when she came to the island in the 1980s,“it was a perfect fit: so many of the people I met that first year are still my best friends.” When Beth opened her shop in 2007, she featured a unique mix of fine wines and vintage clothing that turned out to be inspired, “they really do go hand-in-hand: the mix is what makes it interesting.” Beth made sure from the very start that “the wine collection was really, really good and very fairly priced: it wasn’t just a gimmick.” As island residents and visitors began to embrace her concept, they started requesting other products: “in our second year, people started to ask us for cheese, and we now have a very good edited cheese selection.”
Current Vintage continued to evolve over the years, adding vintage accessories and jewelry, vintage menswear including some classic jackets, modern and vintage party goods and supplies, sweets and other provisions, sassy party napkins, uncommon gifts and fun cards. Anything you need to host or attend a celebration, you can find here. They even offer a DIY Cheese Board, with all the provisions you need for entertaining, cheese, charcuterie, dried fruit and other bites: the “DIY” is because you arrange the tasty elements as you desire.
The core of Current Vintage is still vintage clothing and wine, presented in a fun and approachable fashion, with staff that is happy to help.
Beth travels widely, searching for just the right clothing to fit life on Nantucket. “It’s a labor of love,” explained Beth, “our selection is very summer centric: we reflect current trends in vintage styles.” She describes her hand-chosen clothing selection as preppy, resortwear, and bohemian: “we have something to wear out to dinner or to a wedding or to a Nantucket event—easy and breezy, chic and comfortable.” And there is a variety of sizes available. Standout pieces, some quite rare, include vintage Pucci and classic Lilly. “We have some pieces from the early 1960s that are timeless and perfect for the Nantucket season… everything we have here is one-of-a-kind…we like to show what we love.”
This labor of love extends to their wine selection: 400 carefully curated bottles. Beth’s sophisticated tastes developed as she worked in fine dining establishments on Nantucket, and she has been involved in Nantucket’s Wine Festival for 20 years (for 2022 Current Vintage sponsored the Grand Tasting).
This season Beth was joined by a new partner, Sommelier Savannah Johnson, who earned the Advanced Award in Wines from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust and is currently completing her Diploma with WSET. “When Savannah first came in, she already knew of half the wines in Current Vintage… we were very in sync,” Beth commented. “And Beth has taught me everything she knows about vintage clothing,” Savannah added.
Both Beth and Savannah make sure that shopping in Current Vintage is fun for all: customers who are novice wine drinkers will find themselves as welcome as the experts who come in to find just the right bottle. Savannah loves to help customers with wine pairings for formal dinner parties or for casual gatherings. “We have everything from fun to fine, and we make sure all our wine drinks above its price range,” explained Savannah.
Current Vintage truly is a fun and festive onestop shop. As Beth said: “Summer is busy, so here you can get your party supplies, wine and beer, apparel, and gifts for the party you’re going to tomorrow… and we deliver! Just last week we delivered to Quidnet a case of wine along with a Pucci skirt the client found on our website.”
Current Vintage is located in the heart of Nantucket Town on Easy Street. They have several dedicated parking spots next to the shop. Their summer hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 am to 9 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 9 pm. Sign up for their newsletter at CurrentVintage.com to stay up-to-date on their events and announcements.
Current Vintage • open daily at 4 Easy Street • 508-228-5073 • currentvintage.com