comma, vintage / hartford, ct

June 18, 2018

I don’t know if anyone has noticed, but I have something of an affinity for old things.

I’m not sure what it is that I love so much about them, but—I just do. There’s something about an object that’s been around for a while that just calls to me.

Something about all of the people who have handled it, used it, held it. Something about how it was made, who it was made for, how it came to be passed on and not discarded or lost. Something about a small piece of history, no matter how tiny or insignificant, that transcends its first life and takes on another, and sometimes another and another still. Something about how the same thing can take on a new meaning in another life.

Something about all that.


detail shot of items at comma, vintage menswear subscription service, taken for a brand shoot by jamie bannon photography.
detail of venetian shoe cream at comma, vintage menswear subscription service, taken for a brand shoot by jamie bannon photography.


But the real reason I was drawn to Comma, Vintage wasn’t even so much the merchandise. It was more the uniqueness, and, frankly, the art of the operation.

Comma, Vintage is a vintage menswear subscription service, and Mike is the guy behind the box.


michael pontacoloni, the owner of comma, vintage menswear subscription service, prepares a box for delivery, photographed by jamie bannon photography

He’s not what you’d expect, and perhaps the comma should suggest that. A direct dig at the hipster business name formula of Blank & Blank, Mike is the anti-hipster. He doesn’t peddle vintage menswear to be cool and interesting and don jaunty outfits to play dress-up.

No, there’s nothing contrived about Mike.

He’s a regular guy with a good eye for vintage menswear—and he knows his product and his customers to a T.


black and white portrait of a man in a leather jacket, photographed by jamie bannon photography.

He showed me around his place, and walked me through his process. You tell him a bit about your style, size, etc., and he sends you a box of very cool surprises—anywhere in the world.


michael pontacoloni, the owner of comma, vintage menswear subscription service, prepares a box for delivery, photographed by jamie bannon photography

It’s fascinating to watch him work—he sifts through bins of t-shirts and racks of hanging clothes, in search of the perfect pieces for each client.


michael pontacoloni, the owner of comma, vintage menswear subscription service, prepares a box for delivery, photographed by jamie bannon photography
michael pontacoloni, the owner of comma, vintage menswear subscription service, prepares a box for delivery, photographed by jamie bannon photography
michael pontacoloni, the owner of comma, vintage menswear subscription service, prepares a box for delivery, photographed by jamie bannon photography

He might make a funky pin from an old milk bottle cap, or throw in some vintage baseball cards or a bottle opener.


michael pontacoloni, the owner of comma, vintage menswear subscription service, makes buttons out of old milk caps, photographed by jamie bannon photography
michael pontacoloni, the owner of comma, vintage menswear subscription service, makes buttons out of old milk caps, photographed by jamie bannon photography

He personally writes a letter to each customer to be included in their box. Then he puts on the finishing touches—a spray painted comma on the top of each package.


michael pontacoloni, the owner of comma, vintage menswear subscription service, prepares a box for delivery, photographed by jamie bannon photography
michael pontacoloni, the owner of comma, vintage menswear subscription service, prepares a box for delivery, photographed by jamie bannon photography
michael pontacoloni, the owner of comma, vintage menswear subscription service, prepares a box for delivery, photographed by jamie bannon photography
michael pontacoloni, the owner of comma, vintage menswear subscription service, prepares a box for delivery, photographed by jamie bannon photography
michael pontacoloni, the owner of comma, vintage menswear subscription service, prepares a box for delivery, photographed by jamie bannon photography

He’s a master of his craft. It’s like watching an artist make a sketch—he starts with a little information, and builds upon it until he’s got it just right, adding and subtracting and revising as he goes until he’s got just the right box put together for you.


box with dickies button-down shirt and white and red striped tube socks as part of a comma, vintage menswear subscription box, taken for a brand shoot by jamie bannon photography.
michael pontacoloni, the owner of comma, vintage menswear subscription service, inspects the tag on a t-shirt, photographed by jamie bannon photography
detail of a tailor's sewing kit at comma, vintage menswear subscription service, taken for a brand shoot by jamie bannon photography.

And he’s into it.

He pulled out some of his favorite pieces to show me—a Palm Beaches, Florida T-shirt, a perfectly worn pair of Levi’s, some gorgeous brown leather shoes. A few times I watched him get excited about a piece, but—it wasn’t quite right. It’d have to wait for a different box.


detail of a pair of levi jeans at comma, vintage menswear subscription service, taken for a brand shoot by jamie bannon photography.
michael pontacoloni, the owner of comma, vintage menswear subscription service, holds up a blue palm beaches, florida t-shirt, photographed by jamie bannon photography
michael pontacoloni, the owner of comma, vintage menswear subscription service, inspects a pair of brown leather shoes, taken as part of a brand shoot by jamie bannon photography

Like I said—there’s nothing contrived about Mike. And there’s nothing artificial about his work. The pieces he chooses are special. You aren’t going to find them just any old place, and not just because you wouldn’t know to look for them.


rack of shirts hanging at comma, vintage menswear subscription service, taken for a brand shoot by jamie bannon photography.
detail of a red patterned button-down shirt at comma, vintage menswear subscription service, taken for a brand shoot by jamie bannon photography.
detail of a dickies button-down shirt at comma, vintage menswear subscription service, taken for a brand shoot by jamie bannon photography.

It was so much fun to get to watch him in action, to ogle all of the awesome pieces he has, and to hang out with him for a while. He’s doing something that—to my knowledge—nobody else is doing. And there’s a reason for that.

To learn more about Comma, Vintage check out commavintage.com


lifestyle portrait of a young entrepreneur working in his shop, photographed as part of a brand shoot by jamie bannon photography.
error: all images © jamie bannon photography.