S10 Ep18 VICE and GRAFT: Megan Olson's curated vintage shop in the heart of New Orleans' French Quarter - on holy grails, generational estate sales, and the Louisiana Vintage Festival.
Today we're chatting with Megan Olson — co-owner and shopkeep of Vice & Graft, a curated vintage shop in the heart of New Orleans' French Quarter specializing in pieces from the Victorian era through the 1970s, with a deep focus on local New Orleans history. Megan's path into vintage was anything but conventional — she spent 15 years as a nurse before COVID prompted her to walk away from a corporate healthcare career and follow her lifelong love of antiques and vintage instead.
It all started when she and her husband had the opportunity to buy 5,000 rare band t-shirts, launching them into their first vintage business – Swamp Rags, an 80s-90s-Y2K spot with a focus on tees. Not long after, Megan opened Vice & Graft, now in its fifth year as a brick-and-mortar on Royal Street, where she's built a reputation for sourcing directly from generational New Orleans families — uncovering everything from Victorian day coats to a Mardi Gras queen's entire 1930s wardrobe.
Megan is also the owner of Second Line Estate Sales, and together with her husband, she hosts the Louisiana Vintage Festival, which grew into a two-day event this year at the House of Blues French Quarter, featuring over 50 Louisiana vintage dealers.
We're getting into it all — her rarest finds and holy grails, the pieces she can't bring herself to sell, and why she believes New Orleans might just be the most singular city in the country for vintage.
Let's dive right in!
DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:
[05:39] The 1997 MTV Music Awards were Mergan's personal style wake-up call.
[06:57] Megan's first big vintage buy of 20 Victorian petticoats.
[10:53] Pivoting from 15 years in healthcare into antiques and vintage instead.
[17:00] Dividing sourcing and aesthetic between Swamp Rags and Vice & Graft.
[21:11] Vice and Graft's vintage has a deep focus on local New Orleans history.
[26:03] How the French Quarter vintage scene has grown since Vice & Graft opened.
[30:27] Opening a new estate sale business called Second Line Estate Sale.
[36:36] Launching the Louisiana Vintage Festival.
[40:42] Megan's holy grail vintage finds
[49:29] Shoutouts to the vintage community she loves.
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