DULUTH — The Rainbow Room, a vintage clothing and home goods shop, is reopening downtown in the storefront previously occupied by Legacy Glassworks.
Because it was bursting at the seams in its previous location, the Rainbow Room closed March 1 and has since relocated to 32 W. First St.
The Rainbow Room first opened in March 2023 as an intentionally inclusive vintage thrift shop inside the Adeline Inc. hair salon, a queer, women-owned family business in the East Hillside neighborhood.
“Adeline Wright decided she wanted to pass it along to me as another entrepreneurial spirit who is really into fashion and holds a lot of the same values that Adeline Inc. Salon does — and just bring it to the next level in a bigger space with more inventory,” said Isabella Taylor, who took ownership of the Rainbow Room in April.
The new storefront was formerly home to Legacy Glassworks until the head shop relocated to Lincoln Park under the name Legacy Cannabis. The building is owned by Jason Taly. Taylor said they found the rent is more affordable downtown than in other areas of Duluth.
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The newly renovated shop received a fresh coat of paint and new flooring, ceiling tiles, lighting fixtures and shelving. At 1,450 square feet, the space allows for large retail displays and natural light with ample street-facing windows. There is also a stage for live music.
“Just anything that we can do to build community and make some connections within the downtown community with our shop. I’m really looking forward to doing that,” Taylor said.
Rainbow Room reopened Saturday, adding a splash of color to the downtown area.
“The Rainbow Room is all about celebrating self-expression,” Taylor said. “I am hoping that the shop will brighten up downtown a little bit more.”
The vintage clothing and home goods store offers a variety of sizes and price ranges to its degendered wares. Shoppers will find blazers, dresses, tops, coats, sweatshirts, skirts, pants, jumpsuits, lingerie and more, mostly from the 1930s to 2000s.
There are funky contemporary and modern pieces and accessories like hats, scarves, belts and jewelry.
“We do consignment, but we’re very selective about what we take in. We have a really curated selection of clothing and goods,” Taylor said. “I also purchase wholesale from private sales. I source from all over the place — estate sales and stuff like that.”
Over the years, Taylor has built up quite a unique selection of inventory. Taylor first moved to the city at 10 years old and got their start about four years later by handcrafting jewelry and artwork.
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For several years, Taylor sold items at various art fairs and markets throughout the Twin Ports under their business name, Intrepid Turtle, before transitioning their focus to clothing.
“As I grow older, I still really love to create with my hands and make things,” Taylor said. “I may even have a few little surprises of my creations in the shop to be sold.”
Taylor's passion for fashion began as a means to express oneself beyond what they found at the chain stores in the mall.
“I grew up as a little queer kid and I didn’t feel like I fit in with the rest of the crowd so much,” Taylor said. “Funky clothes and vintage fashion was a way to express that dissonance between myself and hetero-normative society.”
In their opinion, a good vintage piece depends on individual taste. Taylor leans toward 1990s grunge and floral prints from the ’60s and ’70s.
“A good vintage piece, to me, means something you can style with a variety of different things," Taylor said, "something that is kind of fun and out there a little bit. That’s my favorite.”
This story originally contained the incorrect preferred pronouns of Isabella Taylor. It was updated at 1:16 p.m. April 17 with the proper pronouns. The News Tribune regrets the error.
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