Everything Old is New Again: Fabulous finds in Pawtucket

A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles VHS tape. A jacket worn by USPS letter carriers in the 1950s. A mirrored end table with Levi Strauss & Co.’s elaborate vintage logo embossed in the center. 

These are just three of the many eye-catching things you can purchase at Pawtucket’s Top Shelf Vintage Co. 

Owner Annie Schisler, a South Florida native, started selling vintage items to her friends when she was in high school. For a decade, she transacted her business from solely an online platform; eventually, she told Motif, “You run out of room in your apartment.”

“I was stoked to put roots down,” Schisler said. “I love Pawtucket, it’s got such a cool vibe.” 

Schisler sources most of her offerings from local estate sales, yard sales and “helping old grannies do cleanouts when they can’t do it themselves.” One need only take a single step into Top Shelf Vintage Co. to be transported back to colorful days gone by. 

“I love taking a piece and giving it new life,” Schisler told Motif. “The world is nice and bleak, and this is an escape.” It’s clear that Schisler is a huge proponent of nostalgia, right down to the @aol.com email she gave us for follow ups. 

Top Shelf Vintage Co. is located at 35 Exchange Street, Pawtucket. topshelfvintageco.com.