Lost InTime Lost InTime Lauren Rammʼs La Dama Vintage Trading Co.

Awoman in Spain recently spent 500 days alone in a cave 230 feet underground as part of an experiment designed to study the physical and mental effects of prolonged isolation. Upon returning to the surface, the subject reported that her perception of time had come unraveled. It was as if the entrance to the cave had acted as a mysterious portal, one that had the power to bend time into spirals.

Lauren Ramm of La Dama Vintage Trading Co. has the same experience every time she emerges from her closet.

Th at’s where the staccato ‘clink-clank-clunk’ of shuffled hangers activate the controls of her very own time machine as she travels through much of the last century, bouncing back and forth from decade to decade.

Her retro clothing has been featured on such shows as ABC’s The Astronaut Wives Club and The Winchesters, the prequel for The CW series Supernatural . Her historic home in the Gibraltar neighborhood in Council Bluff s, Iowa, now hosts visits from costumers across the spectrum of fi lm, television, and theater.

But just as Hollywood has had to cast an increasingly wider net to source the most authentic pieces for their productions, so too does Ramm in her quest to maintain a robust inventory of the best period attire. Working against her is the passage of time. The youngest of the women who first wore the fashions that Ramm seeks, all those Ednas and Ethels and Eleanors, are now at least 80, and their wardrobes are increasingly likely to have gone extinct along with other vestiges of The Greatest Generation.

“I first built my business scouring all the usual suspects in Omaha,” Ramm explained. “But there are only so many thrift stores, estate sales and the like. Now I fi nd myself increasingly traveling all throughout Nebraska and the surrounding states in order to keep up.”

Ramm’s love of vintage fashion can be traced to something found in almost all homes, the family photo album—that black-and-white time capsule of what once was.

“Growing up, I’d leaf through all those pictures of my grandmother…my mom’s mom… born here in Omaha of Mexican parents,” she said. “All throughout the 1940s and beyond, like so many women back then and especially during the war years, she did a lot of her own sewing. She was always dressed to the nines in those pictures. So striking. So elegant. So feminine.”

An early introduction to the world of handme-downs further cemented her passion for the styles of an earlier era.

“As a kid,” she continued, “we, by necessity, shopped quite a bit at thrift shops, but I gravitated to the older things, the things that were out of time and out of place. Everyone thought I was a bit weird…and that’s okay. It’s just who I am.”

La Dama Vintage Trading Co. now presents its clothing, shoes, hats, and accessories through a number of sale s channels.

“Pop-ups at various events are great,” she noted. “And participating in runway shows at such venues as Slowdown way back when brought the increased visibility I needed, but I much prefer doing private appointments here in my home. Th at’s where I can take the time to really get to know a client and their style, all against the backdrop of having my entire collection at hand for viewing.”

While Ramm looks to many Golden Age legends as her fashion icons, her vampy, precision-cut, razor-sharp bangs are a nod to her favorite influence: Bettie Page.

“It’s hard to put one’s fi nger on it, but it is undeniable that there is a certain hint of naughtiness and shades of eroticism” in vintage looks, observed the woman whose shelves are dotted with books featuring the sort of saucy, garter-exposing pin-up art that once graced the nosecones of World War II aircraft—like those made in Omaha at the Martin Bomber Plant where her aforementioned grandmother worked as a seamstress sewing brass buttons onto Air Force uniforms.

Vintage clothing is more than a side business for Ramm, who works in senior care, and she is no mere weekend warrior when it comes to her wardrobe. She endeavors to live her entire life in vintage pieces.

“I own very few things that are not vintage,” she added. “I guess I do have Converse Chucks, but even those have a long lineage (that goes back more than a century).”

On the day of the interview with Omaha Magazine, she sported a dressed-down, Rosie the Riveter vibe consisting of a simple, bandana-print cotton top in red matched with dungarees and puff-ball lou nging mules.

The new-looking denims, however, were suspect—a little too crisp for a thrift store score.

“Next best thing,” she countered. “They’re from an English company that uses original patterns from the ’40 s and ’50s.”

When out in public, Ramm gets a good number of double-takes, but also a lot of compliments.

“It’s not like I walk around in overtly costume-ish things like poodle skirts and saddle shoes,” she said. “It’s more of a subtle but serious commitment to a different era, a different style.”

People at work have grown accustomed to her distinctive look, but in a previous job in commercial real estate one of her coworkers asked if Ramm could bring in some of her “costumes” to borrow as Halloween approached.

“Leave it to a man, the maintenance man, no less, to jump in to set things straight,” she said.

“Th ey’re not costumes,” he’d said with a wag of a fi nger. “It’s how she lives. It’s who she is.” maha visual content production company WMK Media Enterprises made a splash with a 2022 SOS Heating and Cooling commercial featuring then-Husker wide receiver Decoldest Crawford. The 30-second spot puns Crawford’s name to promote the HVAC company. Hailed as an ideal NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) ad, it went viral online, netting millions of views and generating stories nationwide.

For more on La Dama Vintage Trading Co., visit ladamavintaget rading.com.

Now, WMK hopes to make waves with a documentary detailing the redemptive journey of another former Husker wide receiver, Ricky C. Simmons chronicling his transformation from addict to motivational author and speaker. Look Like Somebody: The Ricky C. Simmons Story is an hour-long dive into his prison stretches and faltering rehab attempts, before finally overcoming addiction with encouragement from his old coach, Tom Osborne.

Simmons played on the 1981, 1982, and 1983 teams headlined by ‘The Triplets’ Turner Gill, Mike Rozier, and Irving Fryar that contended for back-to-back national titles. The hotly recruited Greenville, Texas, native arrived in Lincoln already mired in addiction. His clique even had their own party house near campus.

The film, which screened at the Omaha Film Festival and won a Spotlight Documentary Film Awards prize, is the first documentary produced by WMK.

“We’d never attacked a project even remotely the size of this one. It was a trying but beautiful process. We all learned and grew so much working on this,” said Co-Director Walt Sanders.

Native Omahan actor, writer, producer, and director Randy Goodwin of Girlfriends and Vampire Diaries acclaim offered counsel to the rookie docu mentarians.

“[Goodwin’s] been an advocate [for the project] ever since,” added Co-Director Mic hael Murphy.

Prior to WMK Media’s formation, Murphy and Executive Producer Matt Keyes worked at the Stephen Center which assists individuals dealing with homelessness, substance abuse, and mental illness while Murphy served as the nonprofit’s marketing director, and Keyes a crisis intervention therapist. Both were struck by a talk Simmons gave detailing his recovery journey, prompting Murphy to invite the former Husker to a podcast he hosted a t the time.

“I really thought this was a story that should be amplified,” Murphy recalled.

When Murphy left to launch his own media company, Keyes joined him.

“We were coming across stories of rebuilding every day. People coming from literally the lowest points in their lives to turn their life around and to excel and thrive,” Keyes said. “We agreed we had to tell these stories. The world needs to know what people go through to become healthy and successful.”

Meanwhile, Sanders’ corporate branding firm shared office space with Murphy and Keyes. Not only did all three men discover they were lifelong Big Red fans; they all felt called to Simmons’ tale. When Simmons signed on, the producers merged companies to form WMK, and work began in earnest to document his message of hope a nd healing.

“We’re very proud to partner with Ricky in telling his story,” Murphy said. “It fits with what we’ve set out to do in telling inspiring stories that have a positive impact. We think this is one we can definitely hang our hat on.”

Even though the producers emphasize the story isn't unique to Nebraska, it does intersect with NU’s glory days. Thus, Rozier, Fryar, Osborne, and a Husker who received help from Ricky, Terrell Farley, spoke candidly on camera.

“Ricky has the courage to throw himself under the bus to tell his story in a way that’s so transparent and authentic it caused these other guys to open up,” Sa nders noted.

Murphy believes the players and coaches cooperated with WMK’s vision, “because of the way Ricky treats people and manages relationships people just like being around the guy.”

Indeed, Murphy marvels at his “energy and positivity,” as heard every Sunday night on the airwaves during Simmons’ Lincoln broadcast, 93.7 FM The Ticket .

“As long as this can help him get in front of more people at prisons, schools, rehab clinics, he’s happy,” Murphy said of Simmons. “He wants it out there so that people can reach out to hi m for help.”

The film proved so impactful, it was later screened in front of the entire 2022 Husker football team and coa ching staff.

“After the screening every single player stood in a single-file line, went up to him, shook his hand,” Murphy said. “He was probably there for two hours. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was a great experience.”

“Two players stayed back because they were struggling with issues and needed Ricky’s advice,” Keyes reflected. “That experience was worth every nickel, every minute that went into this project. We want to reach people who are struggling with difficult situations, with mental health crises, [and] with substance abuse. That, personally for me, is the point.”

Additionally, a graphic novel adaptation of Simmons’ story, sponsored by the Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS), was provided to e ach player.

Where Look Like Somebody: The Ricky C. Simmons Story will screen next, however, is still up for debate.

“We’re in talks with different platforms to find a way to get this out there so that people can consume it,” Murphy said.

“I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity to work on this project,” Sanders added. “It’s forged relationships that will withstand the te st of time.”

“I wanted to make a film my whole life,” Murphy continued. “I didn’t know who it would be with. The circumstances that brought me to Stephen Center make me feel I was being led down a path by my higher power. It allowed all of our paths to cross at the right place, at the right time.”

As Tom Osborne has always preached, Murphy believes it’s the journey t hat matters.

As for what’s next, he said, “We have some pet projects we have been documenting the last year or two. We’re also looking to assist individuals [to] build their YouTube brands and social impacts. We want to help people step up and follow thei r dreams.” maha Magazine values your opinion. That is why we started a contest that allows the public to vote on their favorite places in Omaha. Since 1992, our Best of Omaha contest has been a fun event. Best of Omaha was established to be a true award businesses cannot buy their way into the contest.

Visit wmkmedia.com for more information.

Through the years, the contest has grown, and with it, the number of voters has grown. Best of Omaha is highly competitive with tens of thousands of votes counted each year and voter participation remains pivotal to the outcome.

In order to become a “Best of Omaha,” restaurants, retailers, and businesses need your vote. You can feel good about voting in Best of Omaha, because we are the city’s legitimate “best of” contest.

Like the local businesses you love, our voting system is fair, convenient, and free from manipulation. We use a verified email system for all voters. We only accept one ballot per verified email to avoid vote-stuffing. The ballots are free of advertising and sponsorships. It doesn’t take much time to vote, and, although there are lots of fun categories from which people can choose ’Cookies’ and ‘Wedding Videography’ are among new favorites around here the minimum number of votes is five. We also leave the category fields blank so voters are not steered toward certain businesses.

To encourage voting and say thank you, many local businesses offer discounts that the public can obtain simply by showing their proof-of-voting certificate. Anyone who completes the Best of Omaha voting ballot will receive the certificate and discounts that come with it. Who you vote for does not show or affect your ability to receive the discounts.

Please take a few minutes and vote July 1st through August 10th at best ofomaha.com

Local businesses are the cornerstone of what makes Omaha a great place to live and work. From someplace new to an old favorite you go back to again and again, there’s something special about the businesses that serve our community. Every day KETV works with local business owners to highlight the great work they’re doing and their positive impact.

That’s why KETV is proud to be a part of Omaha Magazine ’s Best of Omaha campaign. Your votes help shine a light on the amazing local businesses making a difference in Omaha. From the nominees to the winners, thanks for making Omaha such a unique and fun city.

SHAWN OSWALD General Manager KETV