Marshall Vintage, co-created by a Marshall alumni couple, launched their website this fall semester after a high demand from Marshall fans for vintage university gear.

Former Marshall football player, Joey Fields, and Melissa Cieslewski, science graduate, continue to work daily for Marshall Vintage, even when they are 569 miles apart, as Joey visits home in New Jersey and Melissa stays in Huntington. The Marshall Vintage team has about 12 different sources to collect pieces for the website. 

“Just hitting the racks at Goodwill was not going to be enough,” Fields said. “We started getting in contact with people around the area and even out of state.”

The couple said Marshall Vintage needed a new platform when they noticed their Instagram messages and notifications were over-flowing after each post. Fields said he realized this project was bigger than he thought when he had over 45 messages in less than a minute after posting three vintage crewnecks. 

Both Fields and Cieslewski started their thrifted journey on their own separate accounts before the couple created a Marshall Vintage account on Instagram and later launched the website. Fields sold a mix of vintage graphic tees and Marshall gear that he would collect. Cieslewski currently sells redesigned vintage pieces as an owner of Body Thrifted. 

Cieslewski said they both contact a lot of older fans that let them in their homes to look at vintage gear and to tell stories of their Marshall experience. Marshall Vintage relies on the dates of their merchandise and the memories that come with it. 

“People do not realize that thrifting is really not just going to goodwill and stuff,” Fields said. “It is also going to thrift markets, houses and making that connection.”

Fields and Cieslewski said they both take the time to do research on the tags and the stitching of the merchandise to identify the time range for their customers. 

“We just enjoy finding these cool pieces because when you find something from the early ‘90s, you probably won’t find many others like it,” Cieslewski said. “You aren’t getting something from the bookstore that you see on everyone walking around campus or to a game.”

Fields said that right now is the best time for Marshall fans to buy some of the handpicked pieces to reminisce during the football season. 

“The nostalgic feel of the ‘90s at Marshall is like nothing else and we want to bring back that feel,” Fields said. “Now that we are winning right now, it kinda fits perfectly.”

The couple said they plan to sell vintage wear for a long time and may open a store in Huntington if their company continues to grow.  

Xena Bunton can be contacted at [email protected].