Sabrina Heise describes herself as a “failed archaeologist.” While the math and science of the profession didn’t suit her, “I really love the idea of pulling things from the past and getting a peek into another era.” Heise’s vintage clothing shop, Inherited, addresses that passion and honors her family’s immigrant roots.
“When my grandparents came to America, they had maybe one suitcase of the most basic things. No fun party dresses,” she says. “My idea for Inherited was the kind of pieces … that you would absolutely love to have inherited from the most stylish ladies of your family tree.”
The shop, previously online only, recently opened as not only a brick-and-mortar store in downtown Tryon, but also as a collaboration with Heise’s husband, the singer-songwriter and recording artist Steven Fiore (aka Young Mister), who runs Reunion Tour, a recording studio and skate and music shop in the same space.
Before, “Even if you just wanted strings for your guitar, you had to go to Hendersonville or Spartanburg,” Heise says. Fiore’s section of the shared space is “a 17-year-old kid’s dream,” the musician says with a laugh.
While both Heise and Fiore are originally from the Carolinas, they bounced around for a while. After Fiore tired of his time in Los Angeles, where he worked as a writer for Universal Music Publishing Group (his career also includes “a strange yet unforgettable co-writing experience with Art Garfunkel,” according to a press release, and “occasional guest appearances with Jeff Goldblum’s jazz band” as well as 7.5 million streams on Spotify), the two were ready to settle in North Carolina. “I hope that our space encourages other young people to explore small towns,” Heise says. Tryon “changed our sense of what a community could mean.”
The couple are bringing something to their new hometown, too. “I’ve also always wanted to open a venue,” says Fiore. In his experience, performing solo was a challenge “because there aren’t many spaces that are built for that. You’re playing in a bar with 30 people listening and 40 people talking behind them.”
The Reunion Tour section of the creative space offers a place for listeners to take in “original music from artists who might not come to Tryon normally,” Fiore says. So far, the listening room has hosted Eric Anderson of the pop band Cataldo and the Chattanooga, Tenn.-based folk duo Edward and Jane. Artists perform around a vintage 1970s Sony microphone set in the center of the room.
The shows, promoted largely by word of mouth, have sold out.
The recording studio also came from Fiore’s personal experiences. The musician says he’s recorded in “very expensive studios my entire life and always felt really stifled in them.” His most recent Young Mister album, Sudden Swoon, was tracked in the office of his home before he and Heise had their retail location. The Reunion Tour studio will be geared toward to the projects of other artists: “I just wanted to create [a place where] you feel like you’re in a cool basement with a lot of really neat stuff and it just feels comfortable to be in there — while still being able to turn out a quality product.”
Though neither Heise nor Fiore had previously encountered a shop similar to what they’ve created, both agree that the Inherited and Reunion Tour hybrid has come together better than expected. “The space has so much natural light. It lets the pieces do the talking,” says Heise, who recently “impulse-bought an entire rack of clothing from the granddaughter of a woman who was a socialite in Texas.” That apparel, from vintage designer pieces to beaded party dresses, will likely add to the conversation.
Inherited’s offerings are geared exclusively to “people who are interested in women’s clothing,” says Heise. But Reunion Tour, with its skate and rock aesthetic, includes “classic, vintage ’70s, ’80s and ’90s skater tees … a little collection that will definitely grow.”
Even as the future will likely bring new ideas and possible expansion, the new store’s current iteration feels fully realized. “The space has defined our shop for us — everything went where it needed to go,” says Heise.
“It does feel a lot like luck,” Fiore adds. “And we’ll keep taking it.”
Learn more and find listening room events at reuniontourcreative.com, facebook.com/realyoungmister and inheritedvintage.com
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