By Morgan M. Hurley
If you’ve driven down University lately, you’ve noticed that something on the otherwise stale four corners of University and Vermont avenues has pushed some of the mattresses aside and made room for what appears to be a fun and bustling new thrift shop: Darrell’s Modern Trends.
Outside, there is a mannequin always poised to greet you. Inside, owner Darrell Erwin has a massive stock of furniture and clothing and sublets to two other businesses, one owned by his son Trevor – Insufficient Fun (see our story here) – and the other to his wife of 35 years, Debbra; her store is called Cent Street Wear.
The Erwin family moved their original store to Hillcrest one year ago this past October, from its previous location in Point Loma. He said business has grown steadily, about 20% each month since their arrival.
Erwin said he buys Costco overstock and other vintage and refurbished furniture items and they get about 10 or 12 couches every month.
He also has about 5,000 pieces of clothing inside the store. Much of that is vintage, he said, but they have lots of new clothing and they specialize in vintage concert gear – shirts, jackets, etc. – which he buys at auction. If the merchandise doesn’t sell at a concert, it gets auctioned off and Erwin said he buys a lot of items this way.
“Customers can browse, we have fitting rooms and really great customer service,” he said. “That’s what people really like.” They even offer free delivery anywhere in San Diego for the furniture items.
The conversation shifted to his youngest son Trevor, profiled above.
“He’s always wanted to have his own clothing line, so we just supported him,” Erwin said. “We are really proud of him. He spends probably 10 hours a day making clothes, designing clothes, 7 days a week. He’s really ambitious.”
Erwin said they gave Trevor about 250 square feet of space in the store, which is raised up and closed in, just dedicated to letting him do his thing.
Darrell’s Modern Trends will be participating in Taste ‘N’ Tinis and SHOP Hillcrest promotions and are looking forward to meeting new potential customers.
Erwin said they have a big Instagram following and offer 15% off for their followers who come in. Check them out at @DarrellsModernTrends.
To learn more about what Darrell’s Modern Trends has to offer and the services they also provide, visit darrellsmoderntrendsca.com.
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