Yon Bureau brings bold vintage fashion to island
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Even steadfast minimalists may undergo a crisis of faith visiting Oak Harbor’s newest vintage clothing store.
Yon Bureau, tucked inside the Harborside Village Mall downtown, opened on May 8. Owner Sara Dean and vendor Kim Leuthe, armed with outrageously patterned dresses, purses shaped like picnic baskets and other one-of-a-kind treasures, are determined to tempt everyone out of their fashion comfort zones.
“You’re not coming in here to buy something that you’re gonna blend in with,” Dean said. “No, you’re coming in here because you’re like, ‘I will be the main character.’”
Just under a month in, Dean and Leuthe find their best pieces tend not to stick around the shop long. Things are going well, Dean said, and both women have observed plenty of the city’s most fashionable browse Yon Bureau’s packed clothing racks. Vintage wedding dresses — think long, flowing Gunne Sax gowns — have been surprisingly popular among the store’s clientele.
New offerings usually hit the sales floor weekly. Dean wants customers to be able to drop in routinely and always have new pieces to peruse.
Most everything for sale is made from natural fibers, save for the occasional “heirloom pieces” of polyester that the duo is unable to resist. Silk, leather and cotton are long lasting, biodegradable and feel good on the skin, compared to their synthetic counterparts.
Partnering with a local seamstress allows Yon Bureau to mend some of its intake for resale, too, extending pieces’ lifespan.
“We’re just trying to keep stuff out of landfills,” Dean said. “Especially the coolest pieces. And sometimes those are at the bottom of a bin going into a landfill, and it gives me nightmares thinking about our collection being in a landfill.”
Most noticeably, Yon Bureau’s inventory is colorful and extravagant, a spectacle to any passerby.
“People are also kind of exploring their creativity with their clothes when they come here,” Dean said. “You’re kind of forced to, you know?”
Shoppers “constantly” ask the women for fashion advice, according to Dean, especially when it comes to gradually incorporating “more boldness” into their outfits. Dean and Leuthe are happy to help; during an interview with the News-Times in March, they encouraged people to dress wildly, without care for what others think.
That shared philosophy is foundational to their friendship, which began when Dean inquired about Leuthe’s willingness to model clothes for her via Facebook. A direct message like that would normally go unanswered, Leuthe said, but she felt a “pull” towards Dean, and the rest is history.
Sourcing and selling vintage is Leuthe’s bread and butter — she sells clothes at Yon Bureau under the brand Neon Kimo — but booking world tours is Dean’s main gig. Over her nearly 20-year career, she has worked with artists like Billie Eilish, Benson Boone and Joji.
Balancing two completely different jobs is a little bit like playing “Hannah Montana,” Dean explained; sometimes, she must briefly close the shop to take confidential work calls. But life is short, she said, too short not to do everything you want. Running Yon Bureau and working with musicians fulfill two passions of Dean’s, the former a necessary creative outlet.
Now that she knows she can open a business, Dean is already exploring future endeavors which might scratch that same itch. Not much can be said, but she alluded to the possibility of owning a music venue and a bar.
“We’re scheming,” Dean said. “There’s a few things missing from this town.”
But for now, Dean and Leuthe are focused on spicing up Whidbey’s wardrobes.
“We’ve got big dreams, and this is just the little closet to start it all,” Dean said.
