Haystack

You never know when a couple of strangers will change your life. Take 29-year-old Phil Tadros, for instance. He was working in a mobile-phone storefront, helping Geri and Rosalie, a set of 70ish-year-old twins, pick out new cell phones. It took them three days to choose, so Tadros developed a friendship with them, during which he learned about their massive collection of vintage clothes and antiques. When the twins decided it was time to part with their goods, they turned to Tadros. Voila, Haystack was born. In addition to old-school clothes, the Lakeview shop also features new graphic T-shirts by Isotope (two for $30) and a growing collection of Schwinn bikes with banana seats. “It’s like Anthropologie meets the Brown Elephant,” Tadros says.