Two-Thousand One-Hundred and Thirty-Seven Gold Stars

Originally Published April 1st 2026, in the April issue of Yours, Monthly.

The Spice Girls movie VHS tape is owner Alex Manson’s selected viewing of the day. Coming to life on the tube tv, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that it’s 2026. Tucked into the side of the black metal building at the corner of Tranquille Road and Mackenzie Avenue on the North Shore is 2137 Studios, your cool aunt’s house new favourite vintage store. Opened officially on March 16th and set for a Grand Opening on Wednesday April 8th, 2137 is our Local Star featured business of the month and described by Alex as a “1500 square foot community space.”

External view of 2137 Studios

2137 Studios carries a full range of thoughtfully curated apparel items and accessories for both men and women. Split into two sections of the “living room” and “green room” and with gallery walls, persian-style rugs, a couch, and vintage decor, it feels more like a home than a store. While currently filled with racks of clothing, Alex has big plans and hopes to introduce additional products into the store such as housewares, more accessories, and possibly furniture. On top of the already amazing collection of vintage items paired with eclectic decor and nostalgic vibes, Alex also offers services of Personal Styling and Personal Shopping; To have someone pick an item off the rack within minutes, that somehow feels like exactly yours already, is a thing of magic and a talent of Alex we’ve witnessed ourselves.

Born in Kamloops “on a blustery October day,” Alex was raised in and out of the city intermittently before returning as an adult where she plans to stay for the foreseeable future. Clothing and style is a crucial outlet for creative and personal expression, and it was much the same growing up for Alex, whose favourite style decade she proclaimed to be the 70’s with an additional great love of early-to-mid 90’s fashion. The shop doesn't cater to any one specific style or decade, but rather focuses on stocking quality fabrics such as cottons and linens before more "aged" pieces. With quality selected items at affordable price points, 2137 Studios is a must-visit for anyone interested in finding unique and beautiful clothing.

2137 Studios is also a part of a wider network of local businesses and organizations; Previous to opening the store at 405 Tranquille, Alex also hosted The Back Lot Market behind Logjam Coffee over the past summer as well as collaborating with Yew Street Food Hall for a live music event with local bands The SoundWriters,Dirty Lizard and Bushmen. She also participated as an entrant in The Big Pitch 2026 entrepreneurship event organized by Community Futures Thompson Country. Alex Manson's community involvement and collaboration doesn't end there, having partnered with United Way, making donations to The Mustard Seed and Old Friends Vintage and Thrift, and co-authored a book - titled Resilient AF Vol.3 - with local author Blair Kaplan Venables.  

As an entrepreneur, Alex explains that the business of starting a business will show you the ugliest parts of yourself along with the best; Entrepreneurship is jumping into a "sink or swim" environment, and Alex says that "the hardest part  [of starting a business] is just to overcome yourself, whether that be imposter syndrome, money management, or time management." She iterates that as an entrepreneur, you must often wear many hats and continuously push yourself to grow. Alex is a major advocate for community resources, and cites help from Community Futures and Venture Kamloops, business coach Stacey Owens, the North Shore Business Improvement Association, and various relationships spawned from local business networking events as great supports and aids in opening her Tranquille Rd location.

Looking forward, Alex will be launching a website and is considering a semi-digital storefront similar to Poshmark or Facebook Marketplace; The digital store is still in development with no set launch date, and may even venture to act as an intermediary including items fro

m other local designers, artists, and up-cycled fashion retailers. She indicates that a line of 2137 Studios merchandise is also an aspiration for the not-so-distant future. In addition, Alex says that big things are in the works, and as she wants to build her business as community-oriented as possible, that community members should stay tuned and keep an eye out for announcements regarding special events at the store as a community space. She encourages all those curious to stop in for a visit and a chat and hopes to build a space that everyone feels welcome in. 

Without a live website at the time of this article, those interested in supporting Alex or with questions about the store can email her at 2137studioskamloops@gmail.com or reach out on social media at @2137studios on Instagram and Facebook.