Creighton Bowman and Ryan Newcomb weren’t necessarily planning on opening a vintage resale shop in Phoenix, but, as it has for so many others, the pandemic changed everything for them.

In 2020, when the entertainment industry came to a near screeching halt, Bowman, a freelance hair artist for three decades, and Newcomb, who had worked in TV production for 15 years, found themselves in L.A. and asking some serious questions.

When the entertainment industry came to a screeching halt in 2020, Creighton Bowman and Ryan Newcomb moved to Phoenix and landed in the Melrose District, where they opened Rewind Vintage & Antiques in December 2021 (photo by Kathryn M. Miller).

When the entertainment industry came to a screeching halt in 2020, Creighton Bowman and Ryan Newcomb moved to Phoenix and landed in the Melrose District, where they opened Rewind Vintage & Antiques in December 2021 (photo by Kathryn M. Miller).

“When you’re kind of instantly removed from everything, you’re instantly aware of the stressors in your life and so that was, you know, a big catalyst for moving here,” Newcomb shared.

The industry that had brought them together on the set of “Project Runway” in 2011 was at a standstill, the city that they were living in had become too chaotic, and the pull of spending time with family and the opportunity to push “pause” on their careers while they figured out what came next led them to Phoenix.

The couple said that Michigan, where Newcomb hails from, was off the table.

Bowman, who is from Phoenix originally, shared with a laugh, “We have better weather. So, I won that argument quickly.”

While they had kicked around the idea of launching a record label with a store and one-chair hair salon since around the time of their marriage in 2014, things just hadn’t clicked. Until January 2021, which saw the realization of In the Q Records, and the return to Phoenix brought Bowman into the realm of vintage and antique resale — a perfect combination that led to the opening of Rewind Vintage & Antiques in Phoenix’s Melrose District in December 2021.

“My mom has an antique store,” Creighton shared. “She has a booth in a place called Antique Gatherings, just down on Indian School here, and, honestly, just to keep me busy, I’ve been helping her decorate it. We go to a lot of estate sales together, garage saling. So, it all just kind of fell into our lap.”

Rewind Vintage and Antiques, located in the Melrose District, offers vintage and antique resale items in an eclectic and welcoming atmosphere (photo by Kathyn M. Miller).

Rewind Vintage and Antiques, located in the Melrose District, offers vintage and antique resale items in an eclectic and welcoming atmosphere (photo by Kathyn M. Miller).

The couple also came to set up shop in Melrose quite by luck. While they had been casually searching for a space, and loved the Melrose neighborhood, they were having doubts that they would find something affordable. Until Newcomb was driving by the former Rebel Salon building on 7th Avenue and a “For Lease” sign in the window caught his eye. Fast forward to Dec. 7 when Rewind opened its doors.

The shop can best be described as eclectic and welcoming, much like the neighborhood.

“I’ve always been drawn to eclectic,” Bowman shared. “It’s how I’ve done my house. I always feel like an eclectic home tells a story.”

He creates beautiful vignettes to artfully display his estate and garage sale finds. His goal is to create a comfortable atmosphere of discovery, where browsers can take a walk down memory lane and find unique items that will spark conversation. His only rule: he has to like the piece. If he wouldn’t put it in his own home, it won’t find a place in the shop.

In the Q Records has its own nook at Rewind, where Newcomb personally curates the small but growing vinyl section. Passionate about music and an avid collector, he brings in items from his own collection, and music lovers will also find titles recorded by the label, including Destroy Boys and Honey Child. Coming in February, a 7-inch from Jessie Payo, and in March, a four-song EP from Modern Original, with more titles in the works. And while all of the artists are currently those he brought from L.A., Newcomb says that he is excited about getting involved in the Phoenix music scene.

“There’s a lot of cool things that are going on,” he added.

With the synergy of Melrose working in their favor, the couple has created their own cool thing at Rewind — and it’s on long play.

Rewind Vintage & Antiques is located at 4150 N. 7th Ave. in Phoenix. Call 602-612-3840 or visit www.rewindon7th.com. Learn more about In the Q Records at www.intheqrecords.com.

 

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