Fashionable Bushwick crowd, we have great news for you! CollectionsBK, a little San Francisco-style boutique opened on 16A Wilson Ave (right next to Storefront Bushwick gallery), and it won’t ruin your wallets.
Lucy Ann Wheeless had been running her vintage fashion boutique from a studio off the Lorimer L stop. She did pop-up and by appointment sales for two years but she decided to take action when her rent doubled. “Finding spaces in Williamsburg and Greenpoint is very expensive,” Lucy Ann told us. “I found this space on Craigslist,” she continued, discussing the little storefront that used to serve as a barbershop. “And I just moved to an apartment on Stockholm St, so this has been all written in the Universe,” she laughed. “Bushwick has such a wonderful community, and awesome vibe. Williamsburg and Greenpoint are just different,” she explained. “I feel so welcomed and supported. I made so many friends…With young people but also with older people from Bushwick.”
A lot of the clothes at Collections come from the East Coast and the South. Whenever Lucy Ann travels, she shops for clothes. “Recently, I traveled from Florida with my mom all the way up the East Coast, and I was buying and collecting…”
When it comes to particular pieces of clothing, Lucy Ann focuses on quality and material. “Stuff that feels good when you put it on,” she smiles. “I focus on all natural materials like silks, cotton, linen.”
“I’ve always bought vintage in Goodwills and thrift stores, and like that I was defining my own style,” Lucy Ann said. “Many of the clothes here are barely worn. It’s clothes you buy and want to hold on to forever. Today, we see a lot of cheap, throw away fashion; you wear it once or twice and throw it away,” she said. “We have a couple of really good basics for both men and women.”
Lucy Ann grew up in North Carolina at the beach. She went to SCAD and studied photography, although she has always loved fashion. “The whole industry scared me. I thought I was too laid-back to be part of it but somehow I knew I would find my way into it.”
The items at the store start at $15 and average at $20-25, but can go all the way to $400. “But that’s only because I don’t want to sell some pieces,” Lucy Ann explained, laughing about the high price ceiling. “I also work with people, and I’m trying to give them a good price. If everything you try on feels great, I want you to leave happy and not broke.”
Check out CollectionsBK on Tumblr; Facebook & Instagram.