When we are looking for vintage that is a little bit street style mixed with an 80s and 90s flare, we know exactly where to go: Mesa Home at 2619 Cherokee St. This little shop we love is owned by St. Louis native Anni Jones: a friend, #maysmuse, and fashion icon at May’s Place. You may know her as the excited, goofy person sporting a bob haircut and funky colors behind the counter when you walk into Mesa.

Anni, 44, has been working with vintage pieces for more than half her life, reworking and revamping garments to give them new life. Sustainable, slow fashion is her motto, much like it is ours.

Mesa Home began in 2015, shortly after Anni’s father passed. It’s named after where her father is buried in Mesa County, Colorado. She opened the shop as a nod to him and to take a leap for herself. It became a “I’m just gonna try it out” moment that ended up changing her life. Now, Mesa Home thrives even in the hard times of the pandemic, open 12-4 Saturdays and Sundays, hosting pop-ups with DJs, and supporting local Black-owned fashion projects just about every weekend like Appletree Chic, Body Heat, and NOIR USA.

Anni has an art and sewing educational background, taking sewing classes all over U City and taking all the art classes she can. At Mesa, you can find all second hand and handmade magic, mostly upcycled and reworked by Anni. A lot of vintage t-shirts and cotton shorts that are self-hemmed, and vintage denim that is hand-painted and dyed. Anni finds inspiration from her youth in the 80s and 90s, pushing that aesthetic in every piece.

“My main goal is to provide for my child, while pushing myself creatively,” Anni says. “I definitely search for pieces that won't have the appeal to someone who doesn't sew. If i can give the fabric new life and keep it out of the landfill - it's a win win. I want folks to really enjoy vintage and pre-loved clothing. I personally love knowing that my t-shirts and denim lived it up in a previous life!”

She incorporates this in her personal style too. She draws inspiration from 80s and 90s hip-hop and streetwear, always sporting a bold print with vintage denim and a sick sneaker like Adidas or Nike, switching to a heel for a nightlife vibe. Much like her business Mesa, she’s always striving for secondhand and reworked fashion.

“Occasionally, I will google ‘Tokyo Streetstyle’ when I need sewing inspiration,” she said.

Slow Moves is a passion project of Anni’s that represents this part of her brand. Its focus is slow, sustainable fashion and quality vintage collections. It’s a group of local vintage lovers and creators like Stephanie with Ruby Francis, Brandin Vaughn, Anni and more. When Slow Moves was created, they were bouncing ideas around to generate buzz for businesses on Cherokee. Also, to raise awareness for the other slow fashion movements on the block at the time that Slow Moves began like Thrift Gold, Mesa, Ruby, Retro 101/Cherry Bomb Vintage, Cherokee Antics, Ace of Hearts, and RedHead Vintage.

“We were all pushing vintage, thrift, handmade and upcycled styles,” Anni said. “We wanted folks to know about all of our slow shops.”

This project is working on their first event coming up on May 30 at Verde. Wearable art is the focus, meaning painted and reworked vintage garments by Anni and another line-up of artists such as Louis Bicycle, Lily Kiti, Rusty Bolt, Punky Weed, and so many more.

Follow @slowmoves on Instagram for the latest updates on slow fashion. The flyer for the event is below for more deets.