Affordability and high-end vintage meet in this downtown décor shop

In the heart of downtown Kelowna lies a unique new home décor shop.

Owned by Carolina Valdes, Casa Modelo Studios is a showcase of high-end vintage wares that she has acquired from around the Okanagan.

Sarah Nick, from 104.7 The LIZARD, met up with the new business owner to talk all things vintage.

“I started my business, actually a couple of years ago in Summerland,” Valdes told Sarah. “I'm with the Carousel Collective, which is a co-operation with nine vendors within one shop. We all have different booths with different vintage and antique pieces. And I bring in the higher end modern twist to vintage.”

Though she still sells pieces at the Carousel Collective, Valdes wanted to open her own store, and the downtown Kelowna spot ended up being the perfect fit.

Everything in her store is unique, most being sourced from all over the valley.

She admits she used to be someone who always wanted the newest trendy piece of décor; but after a bit of work with vintage items, she came to a realization.

“I ended up finding out that things from the past or from before, were just made much better,” she explained. “[They were] constructed much better than things are now.”

But with vintage items being a hot commodity, she didn’t want her store to be relegated to serving only those with big budgets.

“You know, I always thought about having the high end look for less, making it affordable for people to have that.” she said.

Valdes’ store is located on 1492 St. Paul St in downtown Kelowna.