This April will mark the 20-year anniversary for the eclectic vintage collectibles shop Park Place. It originally opened on Park Avenue in San Jose, and when storeowner Linda Waltrip relocated to Lincoln Avenue, she kept the store's name.

"It was a great move," Waltrip said.

Lincoln Avenue was a dilapidated strip at the time but was on the verge of a rebirth. The Downtown Willow Glen Advisory Team was formed in 1982 and was given $50,000 in city money to revitalize the business district.

Waltrip spent the store's early years at 1389 Lincoln Ave., near Minnesota Avenue. But soon her inventory of vintage clothing, vinyl albums, toys, furniture, collectibles and appliances began to clutter the space.

When Mr. C's Willow Glen Tattler—a coffee and gift shop—at 1318 Lincoln Ave. closed in the early 1990s she "begged" to have the space. She now enjoys the larger space and larger display window, which she redecorates with costumed mannequins and props almost monthly.

But before dressing mannequins in zoot suits, she relied on her sewing skills to make money.

"I learned to sew from my aunt, and even then I'd sew vintage-style skirts and sell them to local boutiques," said Waltrip, who had no formal business training. She married right after high school and became a stay-at-home mother.

And although she grew up in the 1960s she feels a special affinity for the 1950s.

"I love the 1950s," she said. "I just missed it by a few years, but I try to stock anything from that era."

One frequent customer is glad she does. After perusing the store, which Rebecca Block does at least twice a month, she goes to the register to pay for some clothing and asks: "Can you look into getting more gas station shirts?"

Waltrip assures her she'll try to find some.

"I'm not a shopper," Block says. "I like to just go to a store, pick up what I need and pay for it. But this is a fun place to shop; it's more of a museum than a store."

Waltrip said that stocking merchandise from the 1950s, such as Lone Ranger lunch pails or folk music eight-track tapes, doesn't just appeal to patrons old enough to remember them from the first time around. "I get high schoolers coming in all the time trying on clothes and looking through the music collections," she said. "It's always fun when parents bring their kids in and they become fascinated with the turntables."

Park Place is also more than just retail. Waltrip occasionally rents her merchandise for theater productions or parties. She also occasionally buys items that patrons bring in. Mostly they offer old but functional clothes, framed art or vinyl albums—some without their jackets, some in rows of mixed 45s—to go with the functional turntable.

"It needs to work," she demands of anything brought in.

She says she even once carried a vintage refrigerator.

"I can't afford to carry things that need to be fixed up. But the important thing is that it needs to be cool."

What makes early appliances cool, she said, is that they were made to last.

"Today everything's made to be thrown away," Waltrip said. "I feel sorry for vintage antique store owners in the future because they're going to have a real hard time finding anything."

Waltrip said that as an antiques dealer, staying in business hasn't been too difficult.

"When it comes to antiques, the more the better," Waltrip said of Willow Glen's affinity for anything historic.

Her appreciation for authenticity has prevailed for years, and she shunned carrying replicas until she decided to stock certain select items, like coffee mugs, costumes and tin containers with pictures of Lucille Ball or cast members from The Honeymooners.

"I tried to stay away from those things but thought differently when the whole retro craze was in full swing," she said.

Patrons would go to other places looking for vintage-style items and get frustrated but would soon discover Waltrip carried what they needed, she said.

A cocktail party and fashion show will be held on April 26 to celebrate the store's anniversary. Live music will be part of the festivities.

Park Place is located at 1318 Lincoln Ave. Store hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. For more information, call 408.294.9893 or visit www.parkplacevintage.com.