Richmond Shop Offers Discounts to Women With Pinup Tattoos

Ever gotten a 10-percent discount just for wearing red lipstick?

If the answer is no, then clearly you haven’t been to Pinup-ish, a funky shop in Shockoe Bottom that specializes in quintessential 1950s-style vintage dresses.

As owner Jammie Jones puts it: “Think Marilyn Monroe every day, but not geared for a specific kind of person. Classic lines.”

The nearly one-year-old shop was a natural outgrowth of Jones’ original business, Pinup-ish Organizing Cleaners, because de-cluttering yields customers’ castoffs.

With a discerning eye, she assembled racks of dresses that once would have taken a woman from a garden luncheon — a pink- and white-paneled cotton shirtwaist — to a Grace Kelly-worthy afternoon dress of white netting over tiny blue flowers with the tiniest of waists.

Mixed in with vintage dresses are a few contemporary interpretations of the era. Prices average $35, but for those with commitment issues, dresses can be rented for an occasion.

“Every woman who has a female genome in her body will walk in and find a dress that works for her,” she says. “I’m the only retail shop in the Bottom right now. I love this area and I believe it has the potential for growth.”

A large bookshelf in the shop is designated a book exchange — along the lines of Richmond’s expanding little library scene. She put it there because she couldn’t find one in Shockoe Bottom. At the front of the shop hangs a box of fliers about Pinup-ish’s monthly events, which include things as varied as talks, food sampling, dance sessions and adult coloring.

“I want to engage people,” she says, noting that she curates the shop’s music, serves Carytown Tea and offers late-night appointments for customers who want her assistance as a personal shopper for the extended inventory that doesn’t make it into the shop.

“If you’re not in the market for a dress, this can be your tea stop,” she says. “I’m creating a sense of community where women can get together and connect.”

And because this is Richmond, women with a pinup tattoo get a 15 percent discount.

Pinup-ish, 10 N. 18th St., is open Thursday and Saturdays from 11 a.m. -7 p.m., and Sunday from 1-7 p.m.

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