Set to open in mid- to late August, Atomic Number Ten is the brainchild of owner Katie Garber, who graduated from the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) in June with a major in industrial design. As for the name, Garber wanted something unique and interesting. "I was brainstorming names for a long time, and I've had this kind of love for neon clothing and accessories for a while," Garber says. "Then I got inspiration from the periodic table, so on the periodic table the element neon is the atomic number 10."

Before graduating, Garber created the actual concept for Atomic Number Ten from her experiences on her cooperative work experience in San Francisco and her visits to New York. Both cities provided vintage stores that were more for everyday use instead of more costume-like merchandise. "Being from Cincinnati, I knew there was nothing like that here," Garber says. So she took the bull by its horns; added her marketing, branding and design touch; and set out to start Atomic Number Ten.

As mentioned, the store will carry vintage items from the decades from the 1950s to the '80s, and Garber will offer customers an opportunity to trade or sell their own vintage items for in-store credit or cash. A trade will give a better return than cash with customers receiving around 45 percent of the sale value for in-store credit and around 35 percent in cash.

Atomic Number Ten will cater to both men and women. Generally, the target market falls between the ages of 16 and 35. "I'm hoping to satisfy people with a wide range of styles and be able to help them find what's best for them in the store.… It'd be hard to find something too crazy to put in the store. I want to have a mild to wild range," Garber says.

Her merchandise price averages range from $10 to $30. "I want to keep things as affordable as I can," she says. Also, every item has been handpicked at thrift stores, flea markets and antique markets. After buying all of the items, Garber has cleaned each piece before it goes on the Atomic Number Ten shelves.

While Garber fist imagined her store in Northside, Atomic Number Ten will be located at the corners of 13th and Main streets in Over the Rhine, with an official address of 1306 Main Street. "I guess I just took it as an opportunity to try to bring some life back to Main Street and bring people down to see how great Over the Rhine is," Garber says. For example, the buildings in Over the Rhine make up the largest square mileage of Italianate architecture anywhere in the world, according to the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC), with whom Garber worked to find the location for her store.

For more information about Atomic Number Ten, visit the Web site or check out the brand new store once it opens its doors

PHOTO CREDITS

Photo courtesty of: Katie Garber

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