BAY MINETTE — Nestled in the country roads of Bay Minette lies a vintage haven.

“Looks like you went back in time doesn’t it?” says Sydney Nichols as she walks into her “photo studio” located in a custom-built storage house behind her house.

In this relatively small space, she estimates there are about 1,000 items waiting to be processed to join the other 2,000 items already in stock on her online store, Sydney’s Vintage Clothing.

Storage units hold another 2,500 pieces, she said.

Glance around, and there’s something from every decade: a men’s plaid sports coat from the ’60s, a prom tuxedo set from the late-1970s, a blouse made in Paris in the early-1920s, a ’50s lace Jackie O-style evening dress, and an ’80s Tide NASCAR racing jacket.

Since its establishment in 2003, the store has attracted customers from all over the world: Japan, United Kingdom, Israel, Singapore. And as for the U.S. clientele, the majority of them come from fashion-savvy states like California, New York, and Chicago.

“Vintage clothing is getting harder to find,” she said. “Because I’m not a brick and mortar store, and I’ve put up my collection online, I’m able to reach a worldwide buyers market, instead of just those right here in Bay Minette, Alabama.”

Sydney’s Vintage Clothing sells clothing dating back anywhere from the 1800s all the way through the ’80s. It has dresses, coats, suits, shoes, purses, hats, accessories, collectables, sweaters, intimates, jewelry, and more to please treasure seekers.

Nichols said when pricing an article of clothing she looks at the age, condition, size, and rarebility of the item. Some items are as low as $10 and others as pricey as $500. But with the average price ranging from $30 to $40, it is hardly a challenge to find something affordable.

With stores like the Buckle and Urban Outfitters trying to mimic the vintage look at the mall, Nichols said it is important to realize the difference between something that is fashioned after the old, and something that was actually made decades and centuries ago.

“There’s a lot of reproduction clothing out there, but it is just not of the same quality,” she said

“With the older, let’s face, it it’s lasted all these years and it will continue to last years and years from now. With the newer, it’s not man made, it’s not hand made, and therefore chances are it probably will not last. ”

Not only does history repeat itself in the fashion industry and the malls, but also in family career choices. Although Nichols started her store several years ago, she is no stranger to vintage and antique.

Before selling clothing, she sold Blue Ridge China, hand painted pottery, made from the early-1920s until the late-1950s. As for how she got into that, her parents sold antique furniture, pottery and glassware.

“My mom and dad dealt with antiques for probably 30 years, and when they used to drag me to places, I used to say I’d never do that. And now look at me,” she said.

Robin Fallentine of Atlanta, one of her many repeat customers, said she first came across the Web site when she was searching for vintage hats.

Formerly an avid thrift store shopper, she had turned to the online shopping arena after undergoing back and neck surgery. Browsing the Internet, she found it difficult to find items that suited her, but when she stumbled on Sydney’s Vintage Clothing, she said she struck gold.

Fallentine, a lover of ’30s and ’40s hats, recalls saying “woah, this is great” and buying more than one hat her first order, which she said is unusual for her. Since then she has bought a dozen other hats, ties, evening gowns, and jackets.

“I go over budget when I go there, because I really love her stuff,” she said. “I’m kind of funky, eccentric in my clothes, and she has some very unusual, cool pieces. Some of the stuff I just drool over.”

Nichols said a portion of her customers do wear vintage regularly. The college-aged customers tend to wear the disco/boho trends of the ’60s and ’70s, and the baby boomers go after the rockabilly styled ’50s clothing.

But others visit Sydney’s Vintage Clothing in a desperate search for a particular item. Many of her customers buy vintage strictly for Halloween, fraternity/sorority parties, or other special occasions. She said people e-mail her with specific requests ranging from a red evening gown in a size 8 to ’80s Ocean Pacific britches.

She said she is happiest when she can accommodate those requests.

“I like fulfilling their (my customers) needs,” she said. “I like it when a person comes to my store looking for a special item of clothing and they’ve been searching and searching, and they’ve finally found it. They’re like, ‘I’ve got to have this now? Can you overnight ship it’? And yes, I can.”

A lot of work goes into pricing items and getting them up online properly. Nichols said her workdays are about 10 to 12 hours long, and include the “never-ending process” of taking photos, doing exhaustive research, measurements, and descriptions on each item to upload onto the site.

Looking at the feedback on her site, it’s obvious not only have customers been impressed with the pieces, but also appreciate the friendly service, and all the time she puts into her online store.

“She goes into great detail with her descriptions, even if there is the tiniest spec of discoloration, she is very honest about it,” Fallentine said. “The sizes are accurate, she has a scale that she goes by with the measurements because certain eras clothing sizes are marked differently. And as for quality, you can tell her items have stood up well to time.”

“If you are going to do online shopping, her site is really the best that I’ve found. I’ve been really impressed. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone back as much as I have.”

To unlock the vintage vault, visit sydneysvintageclothing.com.