“It’s like a New York City experience in Falls Church,” says Amanda Vega, owner of the women’s clothing and accessories boutique Kaleidos. “You enter this strange building, take the elevator up to the third floor, and the doors open onto this magical showroom you never knew was there.”
What started as a hobby for Vega—who grew up in Fairfax, was a regular singer-songwriter at Jammin Java and IOTA (may it rest in peace) and currently lives in the Mosaic District—has now become a full-time gig. Kaleidos is her gift to the fashion-forward and mall-averse. It’s a light-filled jewel box of a boutique, hidden inside a brick building on West Broad Street, with a tightly curated selection of sustainable women’s apparel, accessories and housewares by independent designers.
Here you can shop for jewelry by local creators Sophie Blake and Rachel Pfeffer; clothing from under-the-radar names like 7115 by Szeki and NYC-based designer Ilana Kohn (who grew up in Arlington); and eco-conscious sneakers from French brand Veja.
Vega collaborates with makers to create exclusive items that are available only through her shop, including a sculptural necklace from Richmond jewelry designer Surface Handmade and a convertible leather clutch she designed with handbag fabricator Tree Fairfax in Roanoke. She also carries versatile vintage items that can be mixed seamlessly with modern ensembles. “I gravitate toward neutral colors and simple silhouettes from the ’80s and ’90s,” she says. “I try to carry things that aren’t too style-specific but that can be styled in different ways.”
The name of the boutique is a reference to kaleidoscope, to “shining a light on all the different facets of who we are,” says the folk-and-synth-pop-musician-turned-entrepreneur. Until this spring, Kaleidos was only available online and by appointment in her showroom, but as of May, Vega keeps regular store hours on Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. She plans to use the space to host events and musical acts.