AVONDALE — Streetwear shop selling everything from ’90s Bulls T-shirts to starter jackets is the newest addition to Avondale’s Milwaukee Avenue.
Prèmos Chicago opened at 2883 N. Milwaukee Ave. earlier this month with racks of vintage and upcycled apparel. The shop is open from 12:00 to 5:00 PM Monday through Thursday and from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM Friday and Saturday.
The Avondale Shop is owner Carlos Niz’s first physical store.
A 90’s fashion fanatic, Niz has been running showrooms and booking private shopping out of Startwork Studios for two and a half years. He was forced out of his studio at Logan’s Square in late 2022 after his landlord, M. Fishman, closed his hub for low-cost artists at 3323 W. Diversey Avenue. He was one of several tenants.
Niz jumped at the opportunity to move to Avondale’s storefront, which is twice the size of the Startwork showroom and open to the public during business hours, he said.
“When I first heard the news, [about Startwork Studios], I was annoyed. But I’ve already talked about building my store in a bigger location, an actual storefront.
Prèmos offers a curated selection of vintage fashion and sneakers that combine sports and pop culture apparel from the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s. Niz says he sources all his pieces from garage sales, thrift shops, flea markets and vintage dealers.
“These are one-of-a-kind pieces. You’re not going to find them every day,” he said.
It also sells hand-painted jackets and jeans, as well as Prèmos-branded apparel designed by graphic designer Niz.
Niz started collecting vintage clothes and sneakers as a hobby about eight years ago, and the business grew from there, he said.
Now, Niz has established a loyal following that includes Chicago Bulls players, he said. We would like to partner with local artists at our events.
Niz, who is Puerto Rican and Cuban, said he received a lot of support from neighbors and passers-by. This is especially meaningful since Logan grew up near Square and Belmont her Kuragin.
“As open Latinos in a big Latino neighborhood, we love being here,” he said. We want to treat everyone like family when we walk through those doors, and that’s how we grew up treating everyone like family.”
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