Dandy, at 5020 W Vliet St in Milwaukee’s Washington Heights neighborhood, is probably the only business in the city that operates as both a vintage furniture shop and a working wedding and event venue, a claim the founders themselves make with a hedge, Milwaukee’s only vintage store and event venue, probably. The dual identity is baked into the name, which combines the surnames of its co-founders, Jess Day and Ryan Anderson, into a single brand covering both sides of the business.
Jess brings a background in hospitality and styling from her time managing a cafe at Valentine Coffee, along with a longstanding love of thrifting, into the retail side of Dandy, where the sales floor is stocked with curated vintage furniture and decorative pieces, including offbeat finds like vintage clown figurines alongside more conventional vintage seating, case goods, and home decor. Ryan left a 12-year career in advertising to co-found the business, and that creative and organizational background carries over into the styling and event side of the operation, where the shop also offers interior styling services for clients looking to bring the same vintage-eclectic, industrial-modern sensibility seen in the store into their own homes.
The event side of Dandy takes advantage of the space’s industrial character, converting the retail floor into a venue for weddings and private events, a use case that lets the vintage inventory double as event decor rather than sitting static on a showroom floor. That flexibility, retail by day and event space by booking, is part of what distinguishes Dandy from a standard vintage furniture store: the same space that sells a mid-century credenza on a Saturday afternoon might host a wedding reception building around that same aesthetic a few weeks later.
Public retail hours run Friday from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., with Monday through Thursday reserved for appointments, private styling consultations, and event bookings rather than walk-in browsing. That schedule reflects the reality of running a business with two distinct customer bases, weekend browsers looking for a specific vintage piece, and couples or event planners who need dedicated time to walk the space and talk through a booking.
Washington Heights, on Milwaukee’s near west side, gives Dandy a residential, neighborhood feel that differs from the industrial-loft district antique markets found elsewhere in the city, and the shop has leaned into that setting rather than trying to compete directly with larger downtown vintage retailers. What started as Jess and Ryan combining a shared interest in styling and thrifting with complementary professional backgrounds in hospitality and advertising has grown into a business that treats vintage furniture retail and event hosting as two halves of the same idea rather than separate ventures bolted together.
For shoppers hunting genuinely eclectic vintage furniture and decor, homeowners wanting help styling a space, or couples looking for a wedding venue with built-in character instead of a blank rental hall, Dandy in Washington Heights offers all three under one roof. In short, Dandy is Milwaukee’s vintage furniture shop and event venue combined, a Washington Heights business built by Jess Day and Ryan Anderson around curated vintage finds, interior styling, and industrial-modern event space for weddings and private gatherings.
