Opening Up Entrepreneurship Style
715 Flame: Eau Claire’s Hottest New Vintage Shop
from streetwear to vintage pieces, Owen Kircher is redefining vintage wear with 715 Flame
Samantha Schloskey, photos by Andrea Paulseth |
Searching for a new vintage shopping experience? Owen Kircher is ready to hit the refresh button on vintage resale with his brand-new store, 715 Flame.
715 Flame is one of the first vintage stores of its kind to open in the Chippewa Valley, with styles centered around streetwear, sneakers, and vintage wear for men and boys. Some major brands 715 Flame frequently stocks include Carhartt, Harley-Davidson, Supreme, and Babe.
Kircher, the entrepreneur and owner behind 715 Flame, got his start online, first reselling sneakers and streetwear back in 2018. He mainly sold his pieces through Instagram and Facebook Marketplace, and hosted pop-up sales on Water Street in 2018 and Banbury Place in 2021. Between the success of his pop-up shops and online sales, Kircher realized there was a real market for his merchandise locally.
“In the last year or so, I noticed a major uptick in people being interested in vintage,” Kircher explained. This rising interest led him to search for a brick-and-mortar location of his own, and he ultimately found the perfect location on London Road in Eau Claire.
Kircher modeled his store after other popular vintage wear shops like Round Two in Chicago and Urban Jungle in Minneapolis, using those successful business models to tap into the men’s vintage market here.
After four months of renovating the store and procuring merchandise, 715 Flame opened its doors on April 1. “It was a busy day,” Kircher recalled. “We’re really excited to keep things going.”
Kircher has dedicated years of hard work to get 715 Flame where it is today, from the online space to a physical shop right here in the Valley, and hopes to keep that momentum going: He is currently working on a website where customers can purchase vintage wear online, so keep up with 715 Flame to see what’s next for the shop.
Check out their Instagram and Facebook pages for more details, or visit in person at 3192 London Road, Eau Claire. The store is open Wednesday-Saturday from 11am to 7pm.
