Larry Lindberg has found the path to least resistance to be his main philosophy, which has meant feeling like he’s rarely worked a day in his life.
Lindberg once worked as an archeologist and double majored in history and anthropology at Virginia Commonwealth University between 1975 and 1980. When former President Ronald Reagan was elected, he says, the funding for his team’s regional preservation office was cut and everyone dispersed.
Back then, Lindberg used to go around to thrift stores and buy gold and silver to sell at a profit for scrappers, while also putting clothes on consignment at a local Richmond store. When that store cut back on consignment, he says he was advised to open his own shop, which is when he founded Luxor Vintage Clothing in Carytown in 1983.
The store became a reflection of Lindberg and his personal interests in archeology and history. He finds the vintage items he sells at estate sales, thrift stores and flea markets. “I’d always liked the finding-things part of archeology more than the writing-about-it part of archeology,” he says. “So going out and finding stuff is a big part of the store.”
Lindberg grew up in various cities with his parents working government jobs. He was born in Washington D.C. and has lived in Puerto Rico, Maryland, and along the Potomac River next to an old amusement park. Lindberg moved to Richmond to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. He always had a lovely time at school, he says, and must have accrued 200 credits but got too involved with the store and never finished his degree.
Luxor always has an array of merchandise, but Lindberg often takes his favorites home. He collects antique American silver, made by silversmiths rather than companies. The vast majority of the store’s items are handmade; Lindberg likes carvings, on gold or ivory for example, and antique weapons such as swords and spears.
Some of his general rules: It’s easier to be pleasant with people than anything otherwise; it’s easier to sell interesting items at a moderate price than to deal with high-priced items; it’s easier to deal in things that interest him, rather than what might interest other people; and finally, it’s easier to deal with people whose brains are at least a bit like his own.
The store became a family business with the support of his wife and three kids, he says. Recently, Luxor Vintage Clothing turned 40 on Oct. 22.
“The shop is just me doing exactly what I feel like doing. I really hardly ever worked a day in my life,” Lindberg says. “When you go into the shop, it’s a bit like being inside my brain — it’s chaotic, and it all makes sense to me.”
Luxor Vintage Clothing is located at 3001 W. Cary St. Visit luxor-vintage-clothing.business.site for more information.
The writer Gabriela de Camargo Gonçalves was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil. She is a senior at Virginia Commonwealth University graduating in December and a current intern at Style Weekly, while also leading VCU’s independent student newspaper The Commonwealth Times.
