Ben Hyle of Highland Throwbacks – Profile – Hustle and Clothes
words and photos by Floco Torres
02/05/2018
Ben Hyle enjoys fashion, but he loves vintage clothing and the lifestyle attached to it even more. For some peering into the vintage world, it’s just hand-me-down-clothes, right? To Ben and others like him, it’s about experience and emotion. It’s this love that led him to open his own vintage shop, Highland Throwbacks in Highland Square.
“There’s a lot of really fashionable people around here,” Ben says. “The whole scene isn’t quite hip to it yet but the idea is bubbling.”
Ben is a 27 year old native of Kent, but he’s always liked Akron and admired Highland Square. Back in Kent, he hosted pop-up shops (short-term sale spaces) out of his art studio where friends would skate a mini pipe, bands would play and Ben would bring out a small rack of rare items he’s collected. The pop-ups continued to succeed and occasionally, he’d hit up the Cleveland area and set up a rack at other events. The opportunity to own a store in Highland Square aligned with the desire to sell vintage clothes on a larger scale, so Ben leaped at the chance.
Highland Throwbacks is a cozy boutique. The walls are filled with posters from the 80s and 90s, a Dennis Rodman action figure leaning on an old boombox, a Sega Genesis AND Nintendo 64 that you’re welcome to play and, of course, vintage clothes. He fills the racks by constantly sourcing to find new items at flea markets, estate sales and shopping online. Within his selections, brands are important (his favorite is Ralph Lauren and you can find plenty sprinkled throughout the store) but the focus is more on an aesthetic that appeals to customers. You won’t find anything that Ben didn’t think you would possibly like.
Of course making money and staying in business is important, but Ben’s largest goal is building Akron’s “scene,” the type of scene that people run to Los Angeles to find. Venues, house parties and stores like Highland Throwbacks are imperative blocks that link us together.
Ben just wants to do his part for that to become a reality and to “see everyone wearing vintage and everyone dressing fly.”
Floco Torres got a sweet Goodyear jacket from Highland Throwbacks and it was a friggin’ steal.