About

About

Horsefeathers has always been a family-owned and operated business. While our primary founder, Kathie Vaglienty, is no longer with us, her spirit lives on in Horsefeathers, and the business continues to be run by her daughter. We proudly conduct business every day in a manner that Kathie would be proud of.

Kathie’s StoryHorsefeathers Inc - Kathie

“At nineteen, I had the dream of traveling the world, seeing exotic places, meeting people who were different from me … but I didn’t have the means to fulfill that dream at that time. However, I never lost sight of that dream.

In 1984, I opened a store which I called ‘Horsefeathers’. At first it was a junk store, selling items I literally found on the street. I slowly moved into selling antiques, and then discovered the world of vintage clothing. We sold to anyone and everyone, and our reputation spread … we sold clothing to Columbia Pictures for ‘A League of Their Own’ (Madonna wore ‘my’ underwear!) and to theater groups around Illinois.

In June of 1987, a friend invited me to a Grateful Dead concert at Alpine Valley. I was blown away by what I saw! All these young people wearing the most beautiful colors and clothing! That concert changed my life and the direction of Horsefeathers. I started selling imported clothing, jewelry, and anything else I could find — all inspired by that concert. And that led me back to my dream of traveling the world. That is what I do now … I travel the world so I can bring the very best I find on my adventures back to my store for my customers to enjoy.”

Jennifer started working in Horsefeathers as a child, and has been involved in the day-to-day operations of the business since 2005. She proudly continues the Horsefeathers tradition after more than three decades.