When people walk into Flint native David Aguilar Hall’s soon-to-open store, The Stash Spot, downtown, if it feels like each item has a personal connection to him, it’s because they probably do.
“They’re gonna be able to find unique stuff that’s been hand-selected by me, like this Vibe Magazine right here featuring 2pac, Suge Knight, Dre, that’s from the ’90s in the prime of the West Coast-East Coast battle,” Hall said as he pulled the vintage magazine from a display case. “That’s iconic. You’re just gonna find some stuff you aren’t gonna see in other places. It’s secondhand stuff, but it’s not just a thrift store. I’ve got sci-fi books, I’ve got Black literature, some cool DVDs, VHS tapes, CDs, records. We’re gonna have shoes, hats, art.”
The store, which he plans to open during the November Art Walk on November 13, is located at 134 W. First Street at the corner of First and Beach. It occupies a space that was most recently Jack’s Record Stache, which closed and moved to Linden in 2024. The store will have vintage and thrift items, but they’ll be specifically curated. Aguilar Hall has long collected and sold vintage items online, with specific nostalgic niches that are nods to the era he grew up in.
“Growing up in that era (the 1990s), that’s my era,” he said. “I was listening to this stuff when it came out, wearing this stuff when it came out. I guess I just look for the unique, the creative, the cool stuff, you know?”
He comes across his finds through a wide range of methods, including buying storage units and finding things to re-sell in there, and going to yard sales, thrift stores, and flea markets.
“I’m always looking,” Aguilar Hall said. “I see and I recognize immediately when I find something that’s worth hanging on to.”
Aguilar Hall grew up on Flint’s eastside, in the Amos Park area. He lived there until he was 22 and then joined the U.S. Air Force. He was stationed at places all over, including Alaska and North Carolina. He was in the military for six years, then worked as an auditor with the Defense Contract Audit Agency, evaluating government contractors, for 13 years. He moved to San Antonio after he was out of the military because his mom was living there, and raised his children there before moving back to Flint around 2016.
When he came back, he wanted to get involved with the community and did so through the Latinx Technology and Community Center. He’s been a board member there since 2017, including serving as chair and treasurer. In addition to community work he’s also built his online vintage business and real estate ventures.
He said he’s been thinking about an actual store for a while, and Tony Vu, founder of Flint Social Club and The Kickback, alerted him to the availability of his new spot. He sees a lot of possibilities for the space and wants to add to positive energy downtown Flint.
“It’s just about doing something that’s cool and unique and in a cool area,” Aguilar Hall said. “Flint has a lot of possibilities. Downtown has a lot of possibilities. You just gotta have the people out here doing the work to bring people down. People gotta see that there’s cool things going on here, fun things, safe things.”
He also envisions the space as more than a store. He plans to have a record player hooked up to have a listening area for records, TVs to be able to watch VHS tapes, and artists and musicians perform or do events. He plans to have a DJ there for their opening during Art Walk and sees a lot of opportunities for future collaborators because of the creativity and energy downtown.
“My friend Joe, he was DJing for Comma for a lot of years, and he’s been my friend since the ’90s, so he’s gonna be DJing opening night,” Aguilar Hall said. “And then we’re also gonna be doing collaborations with other creatives in the area, like The Local. I’ve already talked with Dark Room Productions about possible collaborations with them. I’m talking with Seth Stolz over at Audacity Gallery. I’m sure he’s gonna perform here, and his art will probably be up in here. And then Kelly over at BugPin, I’m just trying to work with other creatives and collaborate. Pauly Everett, that’s a real good friend of mine. I already got some of his artwork here. We’re just gonna be doing a bunch of cool stuff, live music, DJs.”
And Vu’s influence as a chef and food entrepreneur is also there. Aguilar Hall will have a kitchen and food service area that he said Vu is planning to activate and use in the future.
The store itself doesn’t have a social media presence yet, but Aguilar Hall has Facebook and Instagram pages where he’ll share information about the store as it gets close to opening. He’s also looking to increase his inventory, including clothes, records, CDs, tapes, and collectibles. He also would like to add more women’s vintage clothing to what he has available in the store.
“I’m just excited to be a part of it (downtown),” Aguilar Hall said. “It’s gonna be a fun time, come through, check out The Stash Spot, and see all the cool stuff we got.”
“They’re gonna be able to find unique stuff that’s been hand-selected by me, like this Vibe Magazine right here featuring Tupac, Suge Knight, Dre, that’s from the ’90s in the prime of the West Coast-East Coast battle,” Hall said as he pulled the vintage magazine from a display case. “That’s iconic. You’re just gonna find some stuff you aren’t gonna see in other places. It’s secondhand stuff, but it’s not just like a thrift store. I’ve got sci-fi books, I’ve got Black literature, some cool DVDs, VHS tapes, CDs, records. We’re gonna have shoes, hats, art.”
The store, which he plans to open during the November Art Walk on November 13, is located at 134 W. First Street at the corner of First and Beach. It occupies a space that was most recently Jack’s Record Stache, which closed and moved to Linden in 2024. The store will have vintage and thrift items, but they’ll be specifically curated. Aguilar Hall has long collected and sold vintage items online, with specific nostalgic niches that are nods to the era he grew up in.
“Growing up in that era (the 1990s), that’s my era,” he said. “I was listening to this stuff when it came out, wearing this stuff when it came out. I guess just look for the unique, the creative, the cool stuff, you know?”
He comes across his finds through a wide range of methods, including buying storage units and finding things to re-sell in there, and going to yard sales, thrift stores, and flea markets.
“I’m always looking,” Aguilar Hall said. “I see and I recognize immediately when I find something that’s something that’s worth hanging on to.”
Aguilar Hall grew up on Flint’s eastside, in the Amos Park area. He lived there until he was 22 and then joined the U.S. Air Force. He was stationed at places all over, including Alaska and North Carolina. He was in the military for six years, then worked as an auditor with the Defense Contract Audit Agency, evaluating government contractors, for 13 years. He moved to San Antonio after he was out of the military because his mom was living there, and raised his children there before moving back to Flint around 2016.
When he came back, he wanted to get involved with the community and did so through the Latinx Technology and Community Center. He’s been a board member there since 2017, including serving as chair and treasurer. In addition to community work he’s also built his online vintage business and real estate ventures.
He said he’s been thinking about an actual store for a while, and Tony Vu, founder of Flint Social Club and The Kickback, alerted him to the availability of his new spot. He’s excited for the space and also to add to positive energy downtown Flint.
“It’s just about doing something that’s cool and unique and in a cool area,” Aguilar Hall said. “Flint has a lot of possibilities. Downtown has a lot of possibilities. You just gotta have the people out here doing the work to bring people down. People gotta see that there’s cool things going on here, fun things, safe things.”
He also envisions the space as more than a store. He plans to have a record player hooked up to have a listening area for records, TVs to be able to watch VHS tapes, and artists and musicians perform or do events. He plans to have a DJ there for their opening during Art Walk and sees a lot of opportunities for future collaborators because of the creativity and energy downtown.
“My friend Joe, he was DJing for Comma for a lot of years, and he’s been my friend since the ’90s, so he’s gonna be DJing opening night,” Aguilar Hall said. “And then we’re also gonna be doing collaborations with other creatives in the area, like The Local. I’ve already talked with Dark Room Productions about possible collaborations with them. I’m talking with Seth Stolz over at Audacity Gallery. I’m sure he’s gonna perform here, and his art will probably be up in here. And then Kelly over at BugPin, I’m just trying to work with other creatives and collaborate. Pauly Everett, that’s a real good friend of mine. I already got some of his artwork here. We’re just gonna be doing a bunch of cool stuff, music, live music, DJs.”
And Vu’s influence as a chef and food entrepreneur is also there. Aguilar Hall will have a kitchen and food service area that he said Vu is planning to activate and use.
The store itself doesn’t have a social media presence yet, but Aguilar Hall has Facebook and Instagram pages where he’ll share information about the store as it gets close to opening. He’s also looking to increase his inventory, including clothes, records, CDs, tapes, and collectibles. He also would like to add more women’s vintage clothing to what he has available in the store.
“I’m just excited to be a part of it (downtown),” Aguilar Hall said. “It’s gonna be a fun time, come through, check out The Stash Spot, and see all the cool stuff we got.”
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to catch up on all of our headlines every Wednesday.
