Five Questions with Ali Acevedo, founder and owner of All Goods in West Allis

Ali Acevedo is a Milwaukee entrepreneur, vintage fashion curator, and community advocate best known as the founder and owner of All Goods, one of Wisconsin’s leading vintage and streetwear retailers. Born and raised on Milwaukee’s South Side, Acevedo began buying and reselling collectibles and apparel as a teenager, building an online business through eBay long before vintage fashion became mainstream.

After spending several years working in the banking industry, he left his corporate career to pursue entrepreneurship full-time, transforming his passion for secondhand clothing into a thriving business. In 2019, he opened the first All Goods storefront in West Allis, creating a destination for curated vintage apparel, sneakers, collectibles, and Milwaukee-inspired merchandise.  Under Acevedo’s leadership, All Goods has grown into a regional brand known for promoting sustainable fashion, supporting local creatives, and celebrating Milwaukee culture. His business has recycled and recirculated thousands of pounds of clothing while collaborating with organizations such as Marquette University, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Admirals, and the Milwaukee Brewers on special merchandise and community initiatives. 
 

Q: One of the things I love about your story is that you started your business selling on eBay out of your basement. What has the journey been like for you?

Acevedo: “I built it from the ground up, or, actually, the basement is lower than the ground. I was down there next to my washing machine and dryer and started selling my own stuff I didn’t need anymore. Then I would go to garage sales and estate sales, and I would find stuff that had value and put it online, and people would buy it. I loved the satisfaction of connecting a product with the person.

“After that, it went a little further. When I went into a thrift store, the main thing I saw was clothing. I realized there was an abundance of clothing, so I started to niche down and focus more on clothing. At the same time, I started documenting my journey on Instagram. Somebody reached out and said, ‘Hey, we want to do an event.’ I was used to just selling online, but I decided to do it. It was super successful, and I noticed that there was a high demand for it. From that point, people were shopping at my house, or I would find somewhere else to sell. It started growing so much, so I decided to look for some spaces to open a storefront.”
 

Q: Your Puerto Rican culture is very important to you. How do you integrate your love of culture into the way you do business?

Acevedo: “I've seen the journey from family members traveling from Puerto Rico to America to work, and they worked hard. My parents also had a really great work ethic, so I learned from them firsthand. So, I just continued to do that and became a representative for my community. As far as the music and food, which are big parts of culture, I try to keep that part of this business as well. We have popups where we bring food vendors, and we have good music and playlists that are world music. It’s not just one genre of music, but we try to incorporate all music, so we bring cultures together."

Q: You've said that All Goods is built out of this community, creativity, and culture. Why are those three things so important to your core values?

Acevedo: “I was born and raised in Milwaukee. So first and foremost, that's the community aspect. Also, there are different communities that this business spans. It expands to the vintage community. It expands to fashion culture as well. I love being very creative with the way we promote our business in regard to being a positive aspect to the community. We’re always doing new and interesting events and partnering with a lot of local businesses as well. So we’re bringing something new to something that was already there but adding our own spin to it.”

Q: You’ve also been able to do some amazing collaborations with organizations around our community, including the Milwaukee Admirals, the Milwaukee Brewers, and universities. How did that come about and what has that been like for you?

Acevedo: “A lot of that started out because I wanted to see if I could do it. I love these institutions; these legacy companies in Milwaukee. I've been a fan of these sports teams my whole life. So, to be able to collaborate with them means everything to me. We've done collaborations where they sold out by the end of the game. And it was just so cool to see random people gravitating towards these products and purchasing them. It was a good moment for me to be able to see that firsthand, but collaborating with Marquette and UW Milwaukee has really been a dream come true. It’s so rewarding to see people buying my products and wearing them.”

Q: We all have our favorite pieces of clothing in your closet. What is your favorite piece?

Acevedo: “I do have one that's my favorite, and it's just from the story of how I got it. It’s my Kobe Bryant T-shirt. Somebody reached out to me early in the morning, and I purchased the T-shirt through Instagram. I paid for it, and then later that day, the news broke that he had passed. I reached back out to the seller and said, ‘Hey, I understand if you want to keep the shirt.’  And he said, ‘No, you purchased it before the world heard this bad news.’ And he actually sent it to me. That's definitely a keeper in my closet. I probably won't part with it just because of my connection to it.”