2525 Vintage & Modern, a local thrift store, closed on March 31. Store owner Paige Christodoulou said she closed the store for personal reasons rather than financial.

The store itself was located on 22600 Foothill Way in Hayward. It was beautifully decorated with bright pastel colors by a variety of different clothes from shirts, pants, dresses, hats, earrings and even luggage.

Everything was properly arranged by style and decade, depending on the article of clothing. The only thing more charming than the store itself was the people who work there. But now, they have to move on and leave it all behind.

“Paige has a lot going for her,” said Sky Guisa, store manager. “As of right now she has a one-year-old baby, she’s going back to school, the store is kind of a hobby. So she’s just putting out one hobby and putting in more new things in her life.”

On Feb. 7, the store announced on their Instagram account that they would be closing officially on March 31, which caused an uproar of sadness in the comments section.

Followers on the store’s Instagram page commented saying that 2525 Vintage & Modern was the only reason they came to Hayward and was the reason they got into vintage in the first place.

The vintage shop began as a pop-up shop in a warehouse in Alameda. Christodoulou decided to make the switch to move the store to Hayward seven years ago. However, the making of 2525 Vintage & Modern began before it was even a store. Christodoulou had always been into thrifting and collecting.

“I did a lot of thrifting as a kid and if I knew I saw something that I knew was really cool, I would just kinda save it even if it didn’t fit me,” Christodoulou told The Pioneer. “I ended up with a lot of stuff and I figured I needed to open a store.”

The store did not only run on Paige’s collection, but also on what is called consignment.

“We’re a consignment shop so we get our clothes from people who open consignments with us,” Guisa said. “So what that means is that we have their clothing in our store and we sell it for them. They get a percentage of the money and we get a percentage of the money also.”

The store also received clothes from people who came in to sell old vintage clothing. Some of these people included CSUEB students.

“Not only did I love shopping there but I also sold a lot of my clothes there,” CSUEB communication major Danielle Torres said. “So if my clothes fit the vintage style they were looking for, they would take my clothes and put them on the rack. If it got sold, they would mail me a check for a 30 percent of the sold price.”

Employees are happy for Christodoulou, who is moving on to newer things but also can’t help feeling melancholic. Amanda Brawley, who has only been employed at 2525 for a month, was especially broken up by the news.

“I love working here,” Brawley said. “I used to go to work and hate and dread all of the long hours. But with this job I’ve never felt that. I love the people that come in mostly. They’re genuinely interested in vintage and I love my co-workers because we all have different styles.”

The farewell party on March 3 was full of customers. Christodoulou served snacks, wine and a variety of beers on tap. It was a vintage going away party for the ages that filled customers with a bittersweet feeling of goodbyes.

“I’ve shopped here for a while and it sucks that it’s closing down,” long-time customer Jesse Story said. “I will always pass by this store and think about it.”

Longtime customers are left with only the memories of what was once a downtown classic known as 2525 Vintage & Modern. It’s the end of an era for thrift shoppers and hipsters alike in Hayward.