By Mary Goldmeer
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Ivory House, a West Valley vintage clothing business started by two brothers with a passion for one-of-a-kind fashion, celebrated the ribbon cutting for its new Avondale location this week.

As the ceremony began, last-minute touches were still coming together inside and outside the shop. The city-approved sign was finished and installed just minutes before the ribbon cutting, chairs were rearranged, and a chrome bike was rolled into the front window to complete the display.

Owners, and brothers Isaiah and Noah Barajas said the store’s expansion reflects both a growing customer base and their commitment to small businesses across the region.

“We’ve been open for about two weeks now, and today we are doing our ribbon cutting, which would be our grand opening,” said Isaiah Barajas.

Ivory House specializes in vintage clothing from the '70s, '80s and '90s, but its new location is more than just a retail shop. The storefront also features inventory from other small vendors, who sell their goods through Ivory House.

“It’s all secondhand,” said Barajas. “All of the stuff in the store is from small businesses around the Valley. They sell their stuff here, and then we take a little commission.”

Inside, the store features hand-painted lettering on the walls and carefully curated display and racks. Barajas said Ivory House’s growth started from humble beginnings.

“My brother and I started as small business vendors,” he said. “I always thought of clothing as a form of self-expression. Having something that’s one of a kind is really cool to me, so I would go out and look for things that are one of a kind, and then I just started finding stuff that didn’t necessarily fit me, but I think someone else might love, and then it just kind of built from there.”

The brothers said they wanted the new location to feel clean and organized, avoiding the overwhelming feeling Barajas  says is sometimes found in vintage shops.

“Everything’s super well maintained, nicely organized,” said Isaiah Barajas. “We just wanted to make it the easiest way to shop. Everything’s color coordinated, and genre coordinated.”

Ivory House has been in business for six years and founded the West Valley Flea, a vendor market featuring about 40 local businesses at the Avondale Sports Center, where shoppers can browse clothing, shoes, candy, jewelry, custom art and more

The move to Avondale represents not just growth but also consolidation. The business recently closed its Goodyear location ahead of its lease ending and is exclusively operating from the new Avondale space.

“This is the expansion. This is where we’re staying,” Barajas said. “We’re always out here with the sports center, so it makes sense to bring it all to one spot.”

Last weekend, Barajas said about 1,000 shoppers visited both the storefront and the market.

City and county officials attended the event, including Avondale Vice Mayor Curtis Nielson, who celebrated with the brothers and thanked them for supporting other entrepreneurs.

“What a great story to see brothers and a family business take off,” said Jim Bull, speaking on behalf of Debbie Lesko and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. “Every time a business expands, every time a business starts, you are affecting positively the entire community here.”

Ivory House is taking vendor applications for coming markets. Visit shopivoryhouse.com or its new Avondale location at 745 N 114th Ave. for more information.