Celebrating PRIDE Month with The Good-Ish

Words & Photos by Hayley Abshear

Erica Hallman’s mom used to be one of the house models at Bergdorf Goodman New York in the early 70s. Her mom was passionate about the importance of fabric when shopping for fashion, and has since inspired Erica to pay close attention when sourcing for their small vintage business, Good-ish. 

“Sometimes I go down a rack at a thrift store just feeling everything down the row and I won’t stop until something feels good on my fingertips,”  E, who goes by any pronouns, said. “I’m not quite as much of a stickler as my mom is for natural fabrics – because if the 70s three piece bell bottom suit is polyester cut right, and the color is good I have to have her – but that way of looking for quality first definitely stuck.” 

Since they grew up with this careful attention to detail in clothing, Good-ish was a no-brainer. By the time Erica was grown up and living life in Cincinnati, her creative inspiration for clothing was at a point where she had no choice but to begin what started as a passion project, and is now in (long-distance) considerations for a brick and mortar spot. 

Good-ish now is co-owned by K Scott, who boarded ship when the two paired up as a couple and shared the same passion for secondhand styles. 

“I had always wanted to be my own boss and start my own business, I just never knew what my lane was, where my joy lived, ” K, who goes by any pronouns, said. “I had always loved fashion and putting my outfits together. As E and I became closer and started dating, my interest in The Good-ish grew. Our first May’s Night Market pop-up was actually the first pop-up I participated in. After that night, I was all in and now I can’t imagine a time when I wasn’t involved in The Good-ish.” 

Good-ish main focus as a business is inclusivity and representation. With every business move, clothing item, web drop, and market, they glide with one mission: 

“The Good-ish is for people usually forced to the margins of the fashion conversation to see themselves embodied and free to be any and all versions of themselves. Black people, queer people, trans people, gender non-conforming people, fat people exist. Always have and always will.” 

K and E have been working toward shaping Good-ish into a brand that is for Black, trans, masc, femme, bigger-bodied, and queer people. A brand that reflects what they want to see more of in the vintage community, included colorful pieces in bigger sizes, and masculine silhouettes that aren’t a boring shade. 

"We want to create a space where people can express every part of themselves however they feel like expressing today,” E said. “Everyone has a feeling or aesthetic they can embody that helps them move with more confidence and power and we want to be a space to help people access them.” 

Find Good-ish at the May’s Night Market happening on Friday June 16, 6-11 p.m. and check out their IG here.