Arts & Culture

Current Nostalgia Announces First Location at Camp North End

Current Nostalgia founder Dylan Foster-Smith stands in an empty warehouse.
Current Nostalgia founder Dylan Foster-Smith. (Photo by Cordrell Corbert)

Camp North End announced its newest tenant today, welcoming Charlotte-based streetwear brand and boutique Current Nostalgia to join its 52 other tenants.

Current Nostalgia will open its first retail location at 701 Keswick Ave., Suite 103 at Camp North End sometime this fall or in the upcoming winter, according to a release from developers at the sprawling campus.

Current Nostalgia founder Dylan Foster-Smith is a Charlotte native whose interests lie in streetwear and its roots in culture. Foster-Smith designed the brand and began selling it online alongside his personal collection of vintage and new streetwear. He then rented an office at Camp North End’s co-working tenant Hygge, which led to opportunities to host multiple pop-ups onsite in collaboration with fellow tenant MacFly Fresh.

Foster-Smith said he wanted his brand to encompass a feeling of culture and community, so he decided on Camp North End to fulfill that need.

“Streetwear is rooted in culture, and Camp North End represents the best of Charlotte culture,” he stated in Tuesday’s release. “After visiting for the first time I knew this was the community I wanted to call home permanently.”

A woman models Current Nostalgia streetwear
Emily McClain wearing Current Nostalgia. (Photo by Cordrell Colbert)

Current Nostalgia sells high-quality apparel basics like shirts, hoodies and beanies. The brand also specializes in curating sneakers and accessories from around the world.

Foster-Smith said that the brand embodies the “If you know you know” mindset.

“I created the Current Nostalgia line to give the Charlotte streetwear community something that represents our city without explicitly mentioning it,” said Foster-Smith.

Current Nostalgia apparel has been sold in more than 40 countries and every U.S. state. After doing some traveling abroad for inspiration, Foster-Smith is returning to his hometown to plant roots for himself and his brand in hopes of collaborating with local creatives.

The 950-square-foot shop will feature an industrial look with leather furniture, polished concrete flooring and exposed piping. The shop’s aesthetic follows a European minimalism mixed with American luxury that Foster-Smith’s described as, “edgy but welcoming in a way that elicits the experience of new possibilities.”

The Keswick area of Camp North End. (Photo courtesy of Camp North End)

The store will carry eight to 12 global niche brands as well as the Current Nostalgia line.

Current Nostalgia’s opening is part of phase II of the Camp North End development, which includes the adaptive reuse of 701 Keswick Avenue and 201 Camp Road into Class A office and retail as well as the addition of new multifamily residential and a parking garage.

Camp North End announced the first developments along Keswick Avenue — the opening of the Gama Goat Building and the adjoining food stalls — in June 2020. 

The shop will be open Tuesday-Sunday. For more information on Current Nostalgia, visit their website and Instagram.


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