.Melanie Garbo-Byrnes opened her boutique in the fall of 2001 in a 10'x10' booth in an antique mall in Boca Raton, Florida.
She always wanted to work with fashion as she had a flair for coordinating outfits for herself and her family and friends and while growing up in the 60's and 70's, loved to decorate her room to look like a model home.
As she got older, she loved going around to thrift shops, flea markets and such "picking" for the unusual, bringing home vintage clothing or collectibles, restoring and displaying them in her booth which was decorated to look like a funky boutique and thus creatively named "Vintage Diversity"..
After six months her tiny space became an attractive source for large, established vintage shops in Miami, NYC, Chicago and LA.
Vintage Diversity relocated to a 500 square foot shop on Wilton Manors Island in the center of Fort Lauderdale.
The interest in her flair for the funky & unusual became too great for the small space so in a few months Vintage Diversity moved to a 1000 square foot shop on the same block. In a very short time her business took a turn and she began providing era costume rentals.
The rest is history!
In 2004, Melanie purchased a building on Prospect Road in Oakland Park, Florida where her vintage clothing, costume, collectible & prop rentals have grown her business by leaps and bounds in the 2600 square foot showroom.
The now 10 year old business is providing the best quality vintage pieces and props to the film, television and photography industries.
As well as, individuals and groups for era theme parties, conventions, bar/bas mitzvas, mile-stone birthdays, class reunions, family reunions, and charity events and of course Halloween!
It's been quite a journey and the growth is exciting!
But, the demand for what Vintage Diversity has to offer has reached a point where the showroom is not enough. Melanie has decided to add online buying to the mix with some select pieces she wants to share with a global audience. So if you're looking for quality? Revival of the Fittest is the spot for you! Our beautiful vintage pieces have been hand picked by Melanie, cleaned and restored to the best they could be after 30 years or more in existence. Periodically, you will see Melanie's "Pupa Doll" redesigns for sale on on this site. Many times a print or fabric from the past is fabulous but lacks in it's original design. Therefore, here and there, Melanie will remove sleeves, shorten hems, add trim and recreates a one of a kind masterpiece that you won't see on anyone or anywhere else. The name "Pupa Doll" was given to Melanie by her late Mom when she was born because she thought Melanie looked so much like a doll and not a real baby, she gave her the Italian name for doll which is Pupa", but her Mom called her "Pupa Doll" until she passed in 1994. Every "Pupa Doll" original is designed with a flair for the unusual and made from the best original vintage clothing and fabrics.....thus the logo for her online store depicts Melanie's actual baby picture and has been appropriately named "Revival of the Fittest".!
