Feel-good Fashion

Rhonda Hamilton's Nick & Pin Nostalgia sells merchandise pictured above.

Rhonda Hamilton has a vision: She sees a world in which people can look good without spending a fortune on fashion.

Hamilton runs Nick & Pin Nostalgia, a business offering women’s clothing and accessories at a deep discount. She specializes in dresses, pencil skirts, high heels, hats, gloves and jewelry. Most of her inventory is vintage, but her standards for acquisition are high: “I don’t sell nothing I don’t love,” she says.

An eye for value is the key to selling quality goods at low prices. For Hamilton, it’s become sixth sense. She can scan a sea of bargain basement apparel, spot something special, and place it in a stunning ensemble. “It’s how you put it together that counts,” she says.

This line of work has long been a calling for Hamilton, who recalls dressing up in her mother’s clothes as a little girl. Her passion soon became a career: she ran a women’s clothing shop in St. Louis before moving east five years ago.

She now sells clothing at outdoor markets in central Jersey while taking orders over the phone and via e-mail. Mid-Westerners still comprise much of her client base: She offers them East Coast styles they have yet to see in their local stores.

Hamilton likes to point out that her business is about more than clothes, that it’s about confidence, too. By putting together a great outfit, she says, “I can keep that smile on my face regardless of whatever problems I may have.” She wants to offer this same type of relief to her customers.

“If you feel good on the inside, you should look good on the outside,” she says. “And I love to see people look good.”

Customers can reach Hamilton by e-mail, at rubyred7707@yahoo.com.