'Nostalgic' apparel shop Prospect set to open this week in downtown Cape

Riley Gockel grew up as many younger brothers do, wanting to follow in his older siblings' footsteps. He grew accustomed to the soft hand-me-down jerseys and Chicago Bulls T-shirts his brothers outgrew, and when he started shopping for himself, he said those are the items he'd gravitate toward.

For the past three years, the 25-year-old has, in his words, "religiously" visited local consignment stores to scout out those nostalgic T-shirts, jackets and sneakers to collect himself or resell on his Instagram and the website Depop.

On Friday, Gockel will open his own resell shop, Prospect, which will feature his secondhand apparel finds in a brick-and-mortar shop at 208 Independence St. in Cape Girardeau.

Prospect will replace Kith and Kin at the location, which has moved entirely online. The store, where Gockel featured several of his items during an event in February, sold "ethically-made" apparel and vintage clothing.

Gockel said he wouldn't describe his style as vintage, however -- he said items have to be 20 years old for that qualification -- but he chooses the adjective "nostalgic," instead. When browsing secondhand shops, he said he chooses white T-shirts with bold graphics of 1990s to mid 2000s television shows, movies and brands. If it brings back memories to his age group, Gockel said he tries to "rock and stock it" in his online shop.

Gockel said he enjoys most is the experience of finding unique streetwear and nostalgic pieces in a sea of thrift-store items.

"I felt like I was a gold miner -- prospecting not for gold, but for T-shirts. My gold, I guess you could say," he said of the store's name.

The older-but-not-quite-vintage apparel shop will also feature a buy, sell and trade system for apparel after the first couple weeks, Gockel said, which he hopes will further build community in Cape Girardeau. Visitors can sell their own apparel or choose to trade it for items in the store, he said.

Apparel items will range in price from $10 to $20 and will rise in price for "grail pieces," which Gockel said are popular, hard-to-find items. These unique pieces may be several hundred to a thousand dollars, Gockel said.

Gockel said he hopes to build a relationship with the consumers in his store, similar to the friendships he's made with secondhand store employees in Cape Girardeau, so he can better help visitors walk away with something they love.

After a grand opening Friday, Prospect will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.