COOL LOOTS VINTAGE:
Old Clothes, New Stories.
By: Chase Muro
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Walk into Cool Loots Vintage at Vancouver Mall, and you never quite know what you are going to find.
Maybe it is an old Harley-Davidson shirt. Maybe it is a piece of Stüssy that has suddenly become desirable again. Maybe it is something that sat forgotten in somebody’s attic for decades before finding its way onto a rack.
That unpredictability is part of what makes vintage shopping fun. But behind the racks at Cool Loots is another story, one about entrepreneurship, community, changing fashion and two owners trying to build something that can last.
Cool Loots Vintage is co-owned by Lawrence “Julz” Labrador and Franc Hofschneider. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Julz about the store, the vintage industry and what he and Frank have built together.
While Julz provided the perspective for this story, he was quick to point out that Cool Loots is a partnership. During our conversation, he made sure to mention Franc and emphasized that there are two people behind the ownership of the store.
From the Philippines to Vancouver, and From Culinary School to Clothing
Julz’s path to Cool Loots was anything but straightforward.
Born in Vancouver, Washington, Julz spent roughly nine years growing up in the Philippines before returning to the United States and finishing high school. From there, he attended culinary school.
At one point, he thought the restaurant world might be his future.
It wasn't.
Julz said the reality of working in the culinary industry was much different from what he had imagined. But culinary school wasn't wasted time. Along the way, he learned lessons about business that he would eventually apply somewhere completely different: clothing.
“From high school, I went to culinary school, and from culinary school, I started doing my entrepreneur stuff,” Julz said. “And here I am, have a shop now.”
That entrepreneurial path eventually helped lead to Cool Loots, the store he now co-owns with Frank.
Building Cool Loots One Piece at a Time
Today, vintage clothing has become mainstream.
But building a vintage store requires much more than finding an old shirt and putting a price tag on it.
Before Cool Loots reached its current point, Julz said they spent countless hours searching for inventory themselves. They worked flea markets and regularly went to the Goodwill bins, sometimes spending around seven hours digging for clothing.
Those long days did more than fill racks.
They built relationships.
“From there, we met a lot of people in the community,” Julz explained.
Those connections eventually changed the way Cool Loots operated. Instead of constantly having to search through bins themselves, people began bringing clothing directly to the store to sell.
That community network has become increasingly important as vintage reselling has grown.
Julz remembers when it was possible to leave the bins with two full carts. Now, with so many people searching for the same types of pieces, someone might spend seven hours looking and walk away with only three or four worthwhile items.
The hunt has changed, and Cool Loots has had to change with it.
More Than Another Vintage Store
Ask Julz what separates Cool Loots from other vintage shops, and his answer isn't necessarily a rare T-shirt or a particular brand.
It is the people.
Cool Loots tries to stay current with what is popular while also recognizing something fundamental about fashion: styles come back.
“If it goes out [of] style, few more years, it’s gonna come back again,” Julz said.
That philosophy influences what the store keeps and what its owners believe may become desirable down the road.
But Julz believes the bigger difference is the environment inside the store. He wants employees to communicate, be present and actually talk with the people who walk through the doors.
“We try to like communicate with people, try to be present, you know, and actually talk to our customers,” he said.
That human element matters.
Vintage clothing is ultimately filled with stories. A shirt can remind someone of a band, a city, a sports team, a motorcycle rally or a period of their life. Something one person no longer wants can become another person's favorite piece of clothing.
Sometimes, Cool Loots finds pieces that even the owners have trouble letting go.
Julz pointed to a pair of pants that had been with the store since its previous downstairs location.
Someone had discovered them in an attic and brought them in with stains on them. Cool Loots bought the pants anyway because they recognized what they had.
They cleaned them. They kept them. And despite running a business built around selling clothing, Julz said they don't really want to sell that particular pair.
Some pieces become part of the store's story too.
The Work Customers Don't See
There is also a less glamorous side to vintage.
When I asked Julz what a typical day behind the scenes looks like, his answer was immediate:
“Pretty dirty, actually.”
Clothing has to be purchased,
cleaned, organized and prepared before it ever reaches a customer. Inventory has to match what is physically inside the store. The point-of-sale system, internet and website all have to work together.
When something goes missing, the problems multiply.
Julz described the challenge of discovering that an item listed online may have already sold or potentially been stolen without anyone realizing it. Selling an item online that is no longer physically available means issuing a refund, losing money and potentially losing a customer's trust.
It has taught Julz one of his biggest lessons as a business owner:
Be present.
“I would say just always being present,” he said.
Running a store means constantly knowing what is happening, even when the doors are open and everything appears normal to the customer walking by.
Why Vintage Isn't Going Anywhere
Fashion moves in circles.
What was popular decades ago disappears, returns, gets recreated and eventually becomes desirable again.
That cycle is one reason Julz believes vintage has staying power.
He pointed to major brands looking back through their own histories for inspiration and buying older pieces for reference. He also sees modern retailers deliberately producing clothing designed to resemble older garments.
Then there is the influence of celebrities and culture.
One person wearing an obscure older piece can suddenly change its value. Something that once seemed ordinary can become highly sought after years later.
Julz has watched it happen firsthand.
He recalled buying certain older Stüssy pieces for around $50, only to see similar pieces later selling for $200 or $300 depending on the design and rarity.
Even inexpensive pieces can have staying power. Julz said Cool Loots still sells Hard Rock shirts for $10 or $15.
Who knows what they could be worth someday?
That is part of the appeal.
Yesterday's ordinary shirt can
become tomorrow's collectible.
A Bigger Vision for Cool Loots
For Julz and Franc, Cool Loots has room to become more than what customers see today.
Julz told me that within the next year or two, he personally hopes to return to the Philippines and open another Cool Loots store there while maintaining the Vancouver location.
“One over here, one in the Philippines,” he said. “And yeah, we're just gonna run it up from there.”
For Julz, it would also represent something of a homecoming.
He spent much of his childhood in the Philippines and still has family there. He described connections to Batangas and Manila and said he spent much of his childhood in Cavite, where his family has a house.
But bringing Cool Loots to another country isn't as simple as recreating the Vancouver store.
The market is different.
Julz said hats, sports apparel and certain jackets are particularly popular there. Opening another location means learning that community and its tastes rather than assuming what works in Vancouver will automatically work somewhere else.
“Just relearning everything again is like what we're trying to do right now,” he said.
The ambitions for Cool Loots don't necessarily stop there.
Julz explained that the name itself gives the business room to grow. They didn't simply call it a vintage store because the vision could eventually include modern clothing, recycled products or other ideas.
“We have a lot of plans,” Julz said. “But it's just gotta be the right timing.”
Keep Trying
Every Everyone Has a Story
conversation ends with essentially the same question:
If someone walked away remembering only one thing from your story, what would you want it to be?
Julz didn't hesitate.
“Keep trying.”
It is simple advice, but it fits the story behind Cool Loots.
The store didn't appear overnight. It came through hours at the bins, flea markets, relationships, mistakes,
changing inventory, learning business systems and continuing to adapt as the vintage market became more competitive.
Julz encouraged aspiring entrepreneurs to find solutions instead of stopping at an idea. He also emphasized reading, mentioning books by Dale Carnegie, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and Atomic Habits.
But perhaps the most important lesson he shared had nothing to do with clothing.
Find people who know more than you do. Stay humble enough to learn from them. And pay attention to the people you surround yourself with.
Julz recalled advice from his mother about how the people around you influence who you become.
His conclusion was simple:
“Find the right crowd.”
That mentality seems fitting for a business built around giving old things another opportunity to become valuable.
Cool Loots Vintage is the product of Julz Labrador and Franc Hofschneider's shared ownership, a community of people bringing pieces through the doors and a willingness to keep adapting as styles and tastes change.
The clothes might come from the past, but Cool Loots is still building its future.
And for Julz, the message behind that journey is as simple as the one he hopes people remember:
Keep trying.
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Thank you, friend! Next time you come across a nice Sturgis Rally shirt, let me know. I’d love to check it out.
All the best,
Muro