A passion for fashion
New Eagle woman opens vintage clothing shop
Ever since Olivia Vizzuett was a little girl, she’s had a passion for fashion.
The Monongahela resident has turned that passion into a profession with her women’s clothing store, Cheetah Lounge Vintage, which opened earlier this year at 207 Main St., New Eagle.
“I just appreciate it,” Vizzuett said of fashion. “It’s been a hobby of mine. In high school, just on a whim, I started selling clothes on this app called Depop. The whole time I was in high school and during my life after high school, one of the most prevalent things to me was starting my own business.”
The shop is in a building bought by her grandfather, Lawrence Kumpf, who initially rented the property to sell Christmas trees. Eventually, he bought the building that housed an ice cream parlor, Tasty Freeze, changing its name to The Twist, which served food along with ice cream. The family ran The Twist until 2018.
“He was the hustler of the family,” Vizzuett said. “That’s where we get it. It wouldn’t be possible without him. Thanks to my grandfather we have the space that we have. That’s why he jumped on this corner, because there were so many opportunities to be had. He would be so proud of us.”
Cheetah Lounge Vintage is a stone’s throw from another family business, the Whistle Stop Antique Mall, owned by her sister Isabella, which opened in February at 205 Main.
“It’s really nice for the both of us, having two businesses right alongside each other,” Vizzuett said. “The customers that come into our stores, we send them over to each other and vice versa. Me, my sister and my mom work as a team. We plan everything together. I think we have the perfect space here. We are really lucky with what we have.”
Vizzuett said the inventory at Cheetah Lounge Vintage includes clothing in sizes from extra small to extra-large, and from assorted eras and styles, mostly 90s and Y2K fashion, but there are also pieces from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.
“When customers come in, I always tell them to look through everything,” she said. “I organize my store by style. It’s kind of like a treasure hunt.”
Vizzuett said the store’s vibe is reminiscent of Studio 54, the former Manhattan nightclub.
“I wanted it to be real flashy and crazy,” she said. “That was the inspiration for all of the decor I picked out. There’s animal print everywhere. There’s pinup girls.”
When they’re not working in their Main Street shops, Vizzuett, her sister and mother, Sherri, are at farmers’ markets selling Mexican food products.
“We have a variety of salsas,” she said. “My sister makes tamales, empanadas. We have had that business for close to 35 years.”
Those products also are available after 2 p.m. on Fridays at the Cheetah Lounge.
“Our commercial kitchen is there, and we still have a take-out window,” Vizzuett said. “It is a goal of ours whenever we get more time, we would like to expand to offer our Mexican food for take-out.”
Vizzuett, 23, continues to study online at Southern New Hampshire University, majoring in human services. However, her plan is to stick with her current career.
“I knew I always wanted to get my degree so I’d have something to fall back on, but I’ve always struggled with this anxiety about any corporate job,” she said. “I don’t think I could see myself handling professional phone calls or working in an office. It just scared me. Outsiders probably think running your own business would be scary, but I grew up with a family background in the business. I think that’s why I just gravitated toward it.”
Cheetah Lounge Vintage is open noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, noon to 7 p.m. Thursday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.