Walking into Jennifer Coito’s light-filled new shop, Frankie’s Revival, is a delight. Attractive clothes in many appealing styles are beautifully displayed in this thrift shop with a twist. Coito’s mission is to keep affordable clothing in the Island community.
The front room features photographs lining a brick wall, a large decorative framed mirror, and a comfortable stuffed chair for those accompanying a shopper. Coito’s inventory is a mixture of new items with tags that she buys from local stores, those she has upcycled with hand embroidery and painted stencils, and clothing that people donate. Donating 10 times gets you 40 percent off. And about 80 percent of her items sell for $40 or less.
In the backroom with its Indonesian-like wallpaper, you will find knit and crocheted items fashioned by her aunt, Islander Stefanie Pothier. “I also want to do pop-ups for people who might not have the platform to do it otherwise,” Coito explains, thinking toward the future.
Having learned how to sew from her grandmother, Coito’s passion for clothing originated in her youth. She relates, “The store has been a dream since I was about 12 years old. I absolutely love fashion. My mom jokes that I used to change my outfits throughout the day so much that she would be doing laundry constantly. My sister was nine years older than I, and I would take her clothes and repurpose them so they would fit me.” Coito’s first entrepreneurial endeavor was selling her friendship bracelets in her grandmother’s shop, Breezeway Crafts, in Oak Bluffs. “That was my little side gig,” she laughs.
The stars were aligned for Coito to open Frankie’s Revival. She and her dad had been looking around for a retail space. Then, one day, they pulled into the parking lot at the Tisbury Marketplace so Coito could get a coffee at Catboat Coffee Co. There was a “For Sale” sign in the empty storefront of what is now Frankie’s Revival. Coito recalls, “My dad said, ‘I love you, but how are you going to make that happen?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know, but I’m getting a [good] feeling.’” The owner agreed to rent to Coito. “In the meantime, I’ve been applying for grants and telling people, the more you shop here, the more it goes into the store, and my possibly buying the building.”
When asked about the store’s name, Coito explains, “Frankie was my grandfather, and he named me Jennifer Lyn before I was born, but he passed away three months before. He was a very good person. He ran the highway department in Oak Bluffs in the 1970s.”
Looking forward, Coito says, “In my dream world, I’ll also have a whole free section. The Dumptique is up-Island. And even if five more thrift shops opened, we’d still need more. Shopping has gotten so very expensive over the last decade here, and that breaks my heart, so creating a welcoming space for the community makes me so happy.”
Frankie’s Revival, 79 Beach Road, Unit 9. Follow Frankie’s Revival on Instagram at instagram.com/frankies.revival.
So sad! Gray Barn’s bluebird was the best blue cheese I’ve ever tasted — anywhere in Europe or this country.