Vintage, Art and Treasures at Wicked Alley

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Photo by Alexandre Maxine

Wicked Alley "Glitter and Gold"

Wicked Alley "Glitter and Gold"

Wicked Alley is a boutique shop located in the heart of the Historic Third Ward that specializes in vintage, secondhand finds, handcrafted gifts and whimsical decor. Owned and operated by Alexandre Maxine AKA electronic musician LUXI, the store opened over the summer and features an eclectic mix of art, music, apparel and treasures appealing to a broad range of retro and modern aesthetics. Wicked Alley is located at 317 N. Broadway below The Pink Moon Bay and is open Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Maxine started Wicked Alley in 2017 as her personal creative outlet and often vended at popups, fairs and makers markets. “Originally I was making eco-friendly art under the name Northern Aura, which I started doing back in 2012,” she recalls. “After a few years I wanted to broaden my horizons into more visual art with some fun and edgier stuff, and that’s when I changed the name to Wicked Alley.”

Having a brick-and-mortar location had always been something in the back of Maxine’s mind; she continues, “I was always just waiting for the right location and the right time. Ultimately it all happened really fast once it finally did.”

Dopamine Dreams

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Photo by Alexandre Maxine

Wicked Alley

Wicked Alley

Wicked Alley officially opened on July 21 complete with an art installation by Maxine titled “Dopamine Dreams,” which is inspired by the notion of surrounding oneself with the friends, hobbies, art and clothes that make them happy. “It’s about just having fun with what brings you joy and not taking everything so seriously,” she describes it. “The paintings are all very colorful and silly at times.”

For her curation process, Maxine was inspired by vintage stores she had frequented while in college such as Yellow Jacket Vintage Clothing and Luv Unlimited, reminiscing, “I wanted to bring that same eclectic vibe into the Third Ward, where I also went to art school. Those gallery night hops were very personal to me; I have many good memories of finding niche galleries in random basements, so I wanted Wicked Alley to be like one of those basements and bring that weirdness back into the Third Ward.”

Along with secondhand clothing and Maxine’s artwork, Wicked Alley is adorned with records, bags, candles, sketchbooks, accessories and more. Maxine also makes video games; the first game she ever released, “Lost Letters,” is available for sale along with its accompanying zine and vinyl. 

Themed racks such as “Barbie” and “Glitter & Gold'' correspond apparel to different colors and styles with a sense of intentionality and imagination throughout the store. “I think we’re going to keep doing them and rotate them seasonally,” Maxine said about the collections. “It’s been fun to have another creative outlet with the clothes. Every item that I find has a place and it feels good to be giving it a second life.”

Mugs, Jewelry, Postcards

Wicked Alley sells crafts designed by several of Maxine’s friends as well; Rosie’s Rings and Things, for example, features gifts such as mugs, jewelry and postcards. “She’s been my friend since preschool,” Maxine mentions about Rosie. “I’ve had a great time working with her business and having a place for a few different friends’ collections. I hope to open it up to others once I get more in the swing of things.”

A recent endeavor of Maxine’s has been shirts split down the middle with two designs. “I had originally designed these shirts as LUXI merch to sell at shows,” she explains. “I did yellow and purple shirts with the digital print on them and wanted it to be like a 90’s/Y2K aesthetic. I put a collage together in Photoshop and got them made, but then I saw something that inspired me to do a duo tone T-shirt so I thought of cutting my merch in half to do that. I was scared for a while to cut it but I recently tried it and it worked out. It does cut off a tiny bit of the text which changes the meaning slightly—it says “aw love” instead of “raw love” (laughs).”

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Photo by Alexandre Maxine

Wicked Alley

Wicked Alley

Maxine is excited to house her handmade pieces at Wicked Alley, sharing, “I also do things like upcycled denim and hand-painted patches and embroidery, so I’m happy to finally have a physical place for everything and not have to cart it around every weekend.”

Wicked Alley has an art show coming up this Friday, Oct. 20 from 5-9 p.m. titled “Extraterrestrial Adventure.” The free event is part of the Third Ward’s Gallery Night and will feature a DJ set from The LOL along with themed art, clothes, gifts, snacks and non-alcoholic beverages.

Maxine hopes to continue incorporating more live music elements into Wicked Alley’s events in the future as well as involve more visual artists with the space. Potential ideas of hers to embellish the store’s unique shopping experience include Saturday vinyl sets, all-ages shows and workshops.

On the biggest things she has learned from opening Wicked Alley, Maxine reflects, “For a long time I think I was holding myself back from doing this because I thought it seemed too scary or too big of a thing to do, even though I was always thinking about it and talking about it. When I finally did it, I realized “oh, this is possible” and that I could totally handle this. I learned that I’m capable of way more than I thought I was, which was an important lesson. It’s good to ask for help too; I have help from other people now and that’s been a life saver.”

As previously mentioned, Maxine makes electronic music as LUXI. Her latest EP, Blooming After a Cold Dark Night, was released in September and accompanies a racing game she made, which can be purchased and downloaded here.

For updates or to shop online, follow Wicked Alley on Instagram @wicked_alley or visit their website at wickedalley.com.