By Michelle Edgar
For some people, shopping begins with a list. For Michael Fitch, owner of Eclectica, it starts with curiosity. Tucked along Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood’s growing vintage corridor, Eclectica has spent the last 15 years building a reputation as a destination for the unusual; a place filled with vintage clothing, jewelry, furniture, collectibles, props and objects that stop visitors in their tracks.
Fitch never set out simply to open a store. “I wanted to be my own boss. I had strong opinions,” he said.
Those opinions evolved into something more than a business. Fitch describes himself less as an entrepreneur and more as a collector; someone who instinctively knows what he likes and what he does not. “I’m someone who knows what I like and doesn’t like. There are no set fast rules to anything,” Fitch said.
That philosophy can be felt throughout Eclectica, where vintage clothing sits beside obscure objects, old furniture and unexpected pieces that appear to have traveled through entirely different worlds before arriving under one roof.
Fitch deliberately chose his location next to other established vintage stores in North Hollywood. Rather than compete directly, he saw an opportunity to create something complementary. “They carry different things and I carry different things: clothes, jewelry and accessories. We complement each other really well,” he said.
What separates Eclectica, however, may be Fitch’s fascination with objects that raise more questions than answers. “I like oddities. Anything old and weird stuff where you look at it and think; what is that? What did they use it for? How did they use it? What does it say about the people who used it?” he questioned.
For Fitch, collecting has become less about the objects themselves and more about what they reveal. “It’s almost like a natural history museum to me,” he said. “Like a history store through objects.”
That curiosity has attracted a customer base that stretches far beyond casual shoppers. Designers, decorators, collectors and film industry professionals often come searching for something they cannot find elsewhere. “People come for weird obscure stuff,” Fitch said. “Set designers and decorators come in because they do not want something that looks like IKEA rejects. Here is an old French commode, or an early American chair, or dinnerware you will not see everywhere.”
The store also reflects a philosophy that feels increasingly rare in an age of algorithm driven shopping. Rather than arriving with rigid rules, Fitch encourages customers to trust instinct. “Shop for the weird stuff, whatever appeals to your heart, somehow your cohesiveness goes together,” he said.
He points to unlikely pairings as proof, the 1850s lamp and the 1950s coffee table: “If you like them both, somehow cohesiveness will happen.”
For Fitch, the best spaces never look overly designed. “I always want to buy from different places. I want it to look picked,” said Fitch.
Fifteen years after opening Eclectica, his vision remains simple. “I always want it to be a place you can go and have fun at,” he said. “Curiosity is almost the job.”
Perhaps that is why people continue walking through the doors. They may arrive looking for furniture, clothing or décor, but often leave with something else entirely: a story, a question, or an object they never expected to find.