BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 When Aaron Stutz was 7 years old, he sent a letter to his parents from sleepaway camp asking if they could send him a Grateful Dead T-shirt.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the counselors had Grateful Dead T-shirts,\u201d Stutz said. \u201cIt was the early 90s and everybody who was of college age liked to wear that kind of stuff. So that\u2019s when I got my first Grateful Dead shirt.\u201d<\/p>\n
As he grew older, Stutz\u2019s love for the Grateful Dead\u2019s music grew alongside his love of vintage clothing.<\/p>\n
Stutz is now the owner of Yung Esau\u2019s Vintage Shop, which sells vintage apparel from the \u201880s to the early 2000s. Stutz opened his second location on Nov. 21 at 97 E. Broad St. in Bethlehem.<\/p>\n
![\"yung](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/essau-1-e1769984826313.jpg\")
Vintage apparel hangs on display inside Yung Esau\u2019s Vintage Shop at 97 E. Broad St. in Bethlehem, Pa. The store specializes in clothing from the 1980s through early 2000s, with an emphasis on Lehigh Valley-themed merchandise from local colleges and businesses.<\/p>\n
The name \u201cYung Esau,\u201d which Stutz used as his first Instagram username, is a nod to the Grateful Dead song: \u201cMy Brother Esau.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to Grateful Dead T-shirts and tapes, which Stutz collected and sold even before Yung Esau\u2019s first location opened at Easton\u2019s Belleville Market, his Bethlehem store has a plethora of vintage Lehigh Valley shirts and sweaters.<\/p>\n
Stutz said he adds 30-40 new items each week, a mix of tees, flannels, retro jackets, jeans and pants.<\/p>\n
Lehigh University sweaters hang beside Moravian apparel and merchandise from various local establishments.<\/p>\n
Even Stutz\u2019s alma mater, Allentown\u2019s Parkland High School, is featured prominently on shirts and jackets.<\/p>\n
![\"yung](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/essau-2-e1769984864261.jpg\")
A rack of vintage clothing fills Yung Esau\u2019s Vintage Shop at 97 E. Broad St. in Bethlehem, Pa. Owner Aaron Stutz adds dozens of new pieces weekly, including T-shirts, flannels, retro jackets and jeans, drawing on a lifelong passion for thrifting that began during his childhood in Allentown.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a concerted effort to sort of bring things in that are local,\u201d Stutz said. \u201cThat way, the people who go to college here or went to high school here could find some cool items that connect them to their past.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stutz said he never expected his long-time hobby would turn into a viable business venture.<\/p>\n
As a kid, Stutz said he would frequent a Goodwill store in Allentown in search of vintage clothing. He noted not only the quality of these older items, but also the way they remind people of their childhood or the experiences their parents shared with them.<\/p>\n
\u201cNostalgia is a pretty heavy drug,\u201d Stutz said. \u201cPeople could be like, \u2018Oh, I had this shirt when I was a kid,\u2019 or, \u2018This reminded me of something when I was a kid.\u2019 Whether it\u2019s from the \u201870s, \u201880s or 2000s, each era has its own staying power. There\u2019s always going to be people \u2014 if they\u2019re not from that era, their parents were, and that reminds them of their parents.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yung Esau\u2019s Bethlehem location is open from 12-6 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturdays and 12-5 p.m. on Sundays.<\/p>\n
Stutz said his new location in Bethlehem affords him the opportunity to chat with customers about why they bought a particular item.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey might just think it looks cool (or) they might have a deeper story or meaning for buying that,\u201d Stutz said. \u201cHaving that face-to-face with customers has been really gratifying.\u201d<\/p>\n
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