For the last 15 years, Caren Bricker, better known as Ooollee, has sold vintage clothing and offered costume rentals for local theater companies, Halloween parties, and other themed events. Having recently announced her retirement, her last day in business will be Friday, June 30.
Ooollee owns Vintage Ooollee, located at 1121 Broad St. in downtown Augusta. She recently sold all her vintage clothing and is turning the costume business over to one of her former employees, Jessica Netzler, who plans to rebrand it as Ensemble Sewing & Costumes.
“I’ve had a great time,” Ooollee said. “The business is doing well, and I’m ready to pass the torch on to someone else.”
As a child, her father sang her the song, “Indian Love Call” and nicknamed her Ooollee, which means “I love you.”
While she looks forward to traveling and spending more time with family, she has also offered to help Netzler with the business.
When Ooollee founded it in 2008, it was a vintage clothing shop. But Ooollee later bought the entire costume inventory from the former Fat Man’s Forest, which for many years, was located on Laney Walker Boulevard.
“I’ve loved and worn vintage clothing my entire life,” she said.
Ooollee carries a wide variety of costumes dating from prehistoric times to the 1980’s, including international costumes.
“I love my theater people,” she said.
Besides offering costume rentals, Ooollee has hosted many fashion shows for local events, such as the Wet Paint Party, an annual celebration and fundraiser for the Greater Augusta Arts Council, and Beats on Broad, which is part of Augusta’s Pride Week. She maintains a spreadsheet for all the shows she hosted over the years.
“I dressed 660 models,” Ooollee said. “We have an incredible amount of talent in this town.”
Coordinating these shows required the work of many professionals, including costume designers, models, and dancers, some of whom had performed with Le Chat Noir and The Augusta Players, among other theater companies.
“Every person who worked for me played an integral part,” she said. “I picked the right people.”
Ooollee also enjoyed the creative control she had over these performances.
“You’re only limited to your imagination,” Ooollee said. “We pushed that envelope and made it fun.”
While retiring and selling a business are often emotional experiences, she doesn’t expect June 30 to be a sad day for her.
“I’ve been planning this for a while,” Ooollee said.
For more information, visit the business’s Facebook page or call 706-724-2591.
