Gettysburg is well-known as a town full of history. While many history lovers focus their attention on the battlefield, the National Cemetery, or the Visitor Center, 22(9) Vintage Wares offers still another unique way to experience the past.
The boutique shop, located at 49 Chambersburg St. in Gettysburg, stocks men and women’s vintage clothing and accessories dating back as early as the 1920s, and as recently as the early 2000s.
The store is frequented by locals and visitors alike, along with many students from Gettysburg College.
Shop owner Lynn Chronister opened up the shop in 2015. “I’ve always been an avid vintage lover,” she said.
Chronister said she saw the need for the shop because, although there were many local stores selling apparel from the time of the Civil War, there were no opportunities for vintage fashion from outside the Civil War era.
“It’s been a whirlwind ever since,” said Chronister. “Gettysburg is a tourist town, a college town, and with a large high school population as well, it’s very fitting.”
The store is home to a vibrant collection of one-of-a-kind pieces for fans of any era. On display this week were a variety of vintage t-shirts, skirts, dresses, jeans, hats, shoes, bags, and any other accessory imaginable.
“I like to lean towards the eccentric – the wild, the bold, the crazy, things you’re definitely not going to be able to find anywhere else,” said Chronister, “but we also want to stay true to vintage and go with those timeless, era-specific pieces.”
This is especially important because, according to Chronister, “the trends in vintage are always evolving.”
Along with vintage reselling, 22(9) has seen its share of changes throughout the years. “When we first opened up there weren’t a lot of resellers,” says Chronister.
Despite the rise in popularity of independent vintage reselling, the store continues to thrive as a Gettysburg staple.
“There are people still shopping with us – not only locals, but people that come yearly on vacation. Being downtown, especially the first block off the square where it’s highly walkable, we get tons of foot traffic,” said Chronister. “We’re open seven days a week, and we do buy, sell, and trade.”
Sophia Dotterweich, intern, is in her second year at Gettysburg College, where she studies History and Public Policy and is involved with Amnesty International, Student Senate, and WZBT College Radio. She aspires to attend law school and hopes to become a youth advocacy attorney.