WICKER PARK — Dominique Darabi was a bridge in between the “wild” Wicker Park of years previous and the more pricey, sterilized one that exists today, his friend Teddy Varndell said.
A previous French chef, the long time vintage and antique picker ran U.S. # 1 Vintage Clothing in the community for almost thirty years. As a skilled collector, Darabi offered clothes and souvenirs that varied from tee shirts to unusual vintage discovers from the ’50s, Varndell and Darabi’s stepson Angelo Avina said.
Darabi was an area component who would drop in at shops all over Wicker Park and speak with anybody, good friends said, consisting of young classic pickers who were simply entering into the market.
Often by Darabi’s side was among his precious dogs, who he would handle long strolls every day and feed farmers-market grade meals, according to a 2018 Block Club obituary for Kohl, his German Shepherd.
U.S. # 1 Vintage closed in late 2020 after an illegal partial demolition of its Milwaukee Avenue building eventually required Darabi out. But he stayed a routine existence in Wicker Park, frequently establishing racks of clothing outside to offer while talking with next-door neighbors.
Darabi died earlier this month at the age of 75, Avina validated. Friends and family remember him as a curious, often gruff man who at his core was deeply generous and caring, particularly for his dogs.
“He would rescue dogs that really didn’t have a shot, big dogs that were raised in a crate, and spare no expense getting them to Chicago and giving them a loving, permanent home,” Varndell said. “It was just his kindness. His caring.”
Credit: ProvidedDarabi was born in Iran and raised in Marseille, France, Avina said. After transferring to the United States and living in numerous various cities, he transferred completely to Chicago in the early ’80s, according to a paper clipping Avina shown Block Club.
For numerous years, he ran a French restaurant and antique store, both on State Street, according to the short article.
Varndell fulfilled him in the ’80s when Darabi was running the restaurant while likewise purchasing and reselling antiques.
“We were like competitors, trying to vacuum stuff out of Michigan flea markets. He’d leave the restaurant after it closed, so he could be the first guy in the door at these things,” Vardell said. “We had a lot of mutual interest in vintage clothing and places to source vintage clothing and Native American jewelry.”
Over time, Varndell said he and Darabi was familiar with each other much better and started switching ideas on gathering and how to land the very best discovers. And he participated in numerous of the intimate supper celebrations Darabi would host every New Year’s Eve.
“When everybody else was on the internet, he was still reading the weekly copy of the Maine Antique Digest. So I suggested some books. And I believe he pursued them and his eye and his taste got better, which made it harder for me,” Varndell said.
Avina fulfilled Darabi in 1992 when he was simply 12 years of ages. Darabi took him and his bro under his wing, he said, basically raising them and teaching them about the antique and classic market.
In 1994, Darabi opened U.S. #1 as an antique shop in the 1500 block of North Milwaukee Avenue, Avina said. He later on moved simply south to the store’s longtime home at 1460 N. Milwaukee Ave. where he focused mainly on clothes.
Besides regional clients, Darabi regularly exported vintage denims and other products to Japan in the ’90s. His focus on products made in America motivated the U.S. #1 name, Avina said.
“He dealt in other stuff but that’s what he liked. He always liked ’50s, ’60s clothing for guys. And he always liked ’50s items like bicycles, chrome stuff, anything that was from the ’50s,” Avina said. “He was picking stuff before people knew what to pick.”
For years, Darabi was hardly ever seen without a dog. His love for animals was widely known, a lot so that Block Club ran a 2018 obituary for his German Shepherd, Kohl.
After Darabi needed to have Kohl put down, word spread around the community and flowers, candle lights and acknowledgement cards flooded into U.S. #1.
“I am heartbroken. I cannot keep straight,” Darabi said at the time. “‘Where is your buddy?’ People are asking me, everyone is asking.”
In 2020, U.S. #1 Vintage suddenly closed after the building’s owner illegally demolished part of the historic building, which sat within the Milwaukee Avenue Historic District.
“The landlord was not supposed to do that to the building,” Avina said. “And [Darabi] lost his business due to that. It was just a big mess.”
But absence of a physical space to offer his products didn’t slow him down. For the previous couple of years, Darabi would frequently establish racks of clothing and other products on Milwaukee Avenue.
“He had to turn into a street vendor because he didn’t have the business anymore,” Avina said.
As Wicker Park gentrified and business chains relocated, Varndell said Darabi stayed among the last links to a previous wave of resellers and pickers who started a business in the community, the majority of whom are now gone.
“I mean, think of all the antique and vintage clothing shops that were on Milwaukee. And there’re just not there. People can’t afford to pay the rent,” he said.
Credit: Provided‘The New Generation’
Darabi was “a mentor to the new generation of vintage pickers,” throughout his life, Avina said.
In recent years, that consisted of Alex Gruezo and Kevin Vilchez, who fulfilled Darabi when they began searching Wicker Park’s pre-owned purchase their own recently established resale businesses.
The 2 good friends struck it off with Darabi, who took some time to inform them about private pieces and their history, they said.
“I think what makes a store is the person running it. And I feel like his personality was really easygoing. I mean at first, he was kind of a hardball but once you shop with him and get to know him, he could be such a sweetheart,” Gruezo said. “A sweetheart you won’t forget.”
Darabi would stocks tee shirts from the ’80s and ’90s however likewise a swath of “true vintage” products from the ’60s or earlier, Gruezo said.
“He literally had everything. I like to say he was a one-stop shop for all things vintage,” Gruezo said.
Soon their relationship with Darabi became something more like a mentorship, Vilchez and Gruezo said, which partly motivated the opening of their own brick-and-mortar vintage store with Gruezo’s bro Adam and friend Jake Fernandez.
Layers Vintage opened this winter on North Avenue in Wicker Park, where they offer tee shirts, hats, posters and a lot more.
In their transactions with clients, business partners or truly anybody, the Layers people said they attempt to simulate Darabi’s spirit by highlighting personal relationships and education.
“You don’t know Wicker Park if you don’t know Dom,” Vilchez said. “He was more so like the fortitude of that community. Everyone knew Dom. Dom said hi to everyone. I guess that’s what’s kind of missing 1690813686.”
Credit: ProvidedWhen Layers initially opened, the store had a line down the block of excited clients. Gruezo said Darabi walked up, ideal past the crowd, to state hey there and provide them an arrangement of flowers and well dreams.
“He handed us the flowers and said ‘good luck, I’m proud of you guys.’ And then he just walked away,” Gruezo said. “That was just a tearjerker moment.”
At a funeral this month, Avina offered Vilchez and Gruezo a copy of a short article on Darabi from a Japanese publication that they’ve considering that hung up in their store.
And 6 months considering that Darabi dropped off the arrangement of flowers, it’s still on display screen.
“I still have it here in the shop. I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it,” Gruezo said. “It’s dead, but it still brings us life.”
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