Their business suits them to a faded T By Jim Woodard July 20, 2003 Old T-shirts never die. Some may just fade away, but many others, though a bit faded, enjoy a recycled life with college-age kids who particularly are fond of vintage clothing. A 24-year-old Ventura entrepreneur, John Keddie, has proven that point, turning the trend into a highly successful business. The company sells vintage T-shirts and other stylish clothing items via the Internet on eBay, on the company's own site, and through the retail clothing chain Urban Outfitters, which has 50 stores nationwide. The business was launched by Keddie two years ago when he was living in San Diego. While he was attending a trade show in Colorado, he met his bride-to-be, Heather. At the time, she was a lawyer in North Carolina.

Dana R. Bowler / Star staff John Keddie, 24, of Ventura, runs a successful T-shirt and vintage clothing business out of his home, marketing the items through eBay and his own Web site.

After they married in April, Heather joined John in his Vintage Vantage operation. They moved to Ventura, set up shop in their residence and their business has been growing every week. They recently hired John's younger brother, James.

In recent weeks, the Keddies have been selling 200 to 250 T-shirts and other items through eBay, 150 to 200 from their own Web site and about 150 shirts per week at Urban Outfitters stores, John said.

Most of the firm's T-shirts are reminiscent of those popular in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s. Some shirts are a special line, designed and produced by Vintage Vantage, but all are inspired by vintage images. They are now widening the scope of private product lines to include such items as women's handbags. 

"A key to growing this business is to drive more traffic to our Web site. We're already getting about 3,000 hits per day, but we could do better. Our future plans do not include the opening of retail stores. I definitely do not want to run a store.''

A key to the firm's marketing success is Keddie's humorous descriptions of offered items, and creative photos of clothes being modeled by real people.

"At this point, I've developed a loyal following of people who access my Web listings just to read all the funny stuff I write and see the goofy models that are displayed.''

"While making money is important to us, we get much more from our business than that. We enjoy and identify with our customers and really love the products we sell. I dress in vintage T-shirts every day. Our customers feel this commitment and seem to appreciate our style and sense of humor. They reward us with their business.''

The Keddies don't have children yet, but they do have Holden, a lovable dog who sometimes serves as a model.