Neighborsgrid brings on nostalgia in Geneva

There’s a feeling of nostalgia that hits like a wave when one enters Neighborsgrid, one of the newest retailers in downtown Geneva. Surrounded by classic sports jerseys, college sweatshirts and framed photos of Chicago sports legends, customers will feel they’ve been transported back in time. Back to the ‘90s.

“Customers will come in and get to touch the clothing. They are feeling the nostalgia,” said Neighborsgrid owner Patrick Nerja.

He took the business from online to a retail incubator space and last fall he moved into a retail location at 207 S. Third St. in downtown Geneva, a town he and his wife have long loved to visit, even getting married in the community.

“We’ve always loved downtown Geneva,” Nerja said.

It’s hard to believe the styles from the late 1980s and 1990s are vintage and part of today’s youth fashion trends. At Neighborsgrid there are shoppers looking for a piece of their youth, but one of the most common requests is someone seeking something unique to wear to events, especially if they’re heading to a Chicago sports event, Nerja said.

“We’ve done the shopping for them. They have an affair or specific event in mind and they are looking for unique attire but they don’t want to break the bank and they want the nostalgia feeling,” Nerja said.

He and his team are very selective as they seek second-hand items, hand picked and curated for the ’90s kid from a ’90s kid. Their mission is to help customers shop sustainably while keeping affordable pricing in mind.

Nerja and his wife, Anyssa Volarath-Nerja, launched the online shop four years ago to earn additional income that would help them pay down student loans. The high school sweethearts named the shop after their fashion blog, a nod to growing up in the same neighborhood and the “grid” they created with their fashion posts on Instagram.

They soon narrowed in sports and vintage pieces that shoppers craved, selling vintage college sweatshirts and sports items alongside lifestyle brands, including Carhartt and Harley-Davidson, which are in stock at the boutique.

Last year the couple secured a spot in the Batavia Boardwalk Shops, a retail incubator site off Wilson Street.

“The Boardwalk Shop really solidified our customer niche and offering world-class experience,” Nerja said.

Customer experience and fashion inventory evoking nostalgia, the couple saw their sales take off.

“We have items not only for the people who grew up in the ’90s but for your children who love sport jerseys, and you don’t have to pay full price for them,” Nerja said.

Customers are male and female, but Nerja said he notices the fashion hits a cord with middle-aged customers dressing their children in the clothes they remember from their own childhood.

Customers know to check out the Weekly Drops each Thursday, catching the latest additions to the inventory. Unlike a shop that brings in an inventory in an array of sizes, Nerja’s curated inventory, using personal shoppers and a network of buyers across the state, means when shoppers find something they love in their size, they need to grab it before it’s gone.

“We have that cool scarcity,” Nerja said.

Another feature of the items from the 1990s and 2000, Nerja said, adding there is a quality of clothing, from the durability of the fabric to the embroidery and details. They do not make it like this anymore.

One of the customer service options is a personal service appointment, whether a customer is looking for something for a single event or looking to change up their wardrobe.

The shop is truly a passion project for Nerja, who also juggles his full-time role as a math teacher at Jacobs High School in Algonquin. He credits his wife for her retail experience in luxury fashion, business and marketing savvy, and the service manager Precious Aquino, who manages the daily operations.

“We are really happy to have our own store and we cannot wait for people to experience it,” Nerja said.