The secondhand market is booming. According to a recent survey, sales were expected to surpass an all-time high of $65 billion last year. The popularity is easy to understand. Buying secondhand lets people find their favorite brands at lower prices and also lowers their carbon footprint. Here’s our latest roundup of some of the hottest vintage stores in Bushwick.
Brooklyn Vintage Company
Brooklyn Vintage Company carries a plethora of secondhand items, ranging from racks of clothing, glass cases full of jewelry, designer bags, and makeup bags that overflow with vintage photos. There’s also an extensive record collection that features the likes of Elvis Costello, Billy Idol, Fleshtones, Siouxsie and the Banshees as well as a bookshelf filled with interesting things like a binder filled with historical photos captured in Brooklyn. Cat Varga, one of the store’s owners, says she strives to source items she thinks are unique.
“It’s about the uniqueness and quality of an item, because we want to keep it from a landfill. If we bring something in that’s special and unique, it’ll help to resell the item. It gives it another lifespan,” said Varga.
Finn Vintage
Finn Vintage is a vintage store that exudes ‘60/’70s energy, with a contemporary twist. Colors range from fantastic neutrals to pops of pastel. Interesting pieces are sprinkled throughout, such as an Edwardian-era inspired blouse and a Ralph Lauren red military jacket. Finn typically sources items made from cotton and linen and generally avoids polyester.
“We look for things that feel like they have a story,” says Madeline Stedman, co-owner. “That are more unique, but we also look for more simple stuff. That way anyone who comes in could find something that they could feel at home in.”
The boutique also carries a range of small modern designers, including Brooklyn-based brands Keane and Rorschach Romance. Products include candles, incense, jewelry, and sunglasses. The store tries to keep prices low by rarely having anything over $200, complimented by a $10 sale rack, as well as having two huge sales a year.
Stedman says their ideal customer is, “headstrong and confident and if they don’t necessarily feel confident, we want to make sure that clothes could help them get there.”
28 Scott Vintage
28 Scott Vintage is one of Bushwick’s vintage secrets. You have to enter through a metal cellar hatch door to discover all the goods inside. The items you’ll find there are made from textiles such as silk, linen, and cashmere, ranging from staple classics to intricate eclectic artisan pieces.
“There is something for everyone,” says Tiffany McCrary, owner. “Plus an assortment of things for the home sourced from artisans all over the world.”
Besides clothing, 28 Scott Vintage also carries home goods such as a collection of vintage decanters and ashtrays, bakhoors and incense from India, and silk kilims from Morocco.
All images taken by Nicol Maciejewska for Bushwick Daily.
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