Model: Catherine Powers
There are few things that go together as well as a crisp pair of retro Jordans and a vintage piece from the same year. Vintage fashion – classically defined as pieces that are at least 20 years old – and streetwear have been a power couple for quite some time now, which is why it only feels right to start the new BSTN Chronicles ‘City Series’ with carefully chosen vintage stores from around the world.
And while New York is already considered a fashion capital in terms of high fashion, it’s also at the forefront of the worldwide vintage community with trend-setting style icons and vintage veterans alike. So here’s a list of five hand-picked vintage stores in the Big Apple: Good luck digging!
Grand Street Local Vintage
Location: 154 Grand St, Brooklyn
Vintage workwear, the one rap tee you’ve been looking for forever, perfectly faded Levi’s jeans and rare (actually wearable) vintage sneakers: This post’s titular heroes Grand Street Local got you, with a carefully curated selection ranging from 1940’s Americana to early 2000s gems. Instant time-traveling and lots of ‘oh, I totally forgot how good these looked!’ included.
Just make sure to check the daily updates on Grand Street Local’s stylish Instagram feed regularly: As usual with vintage stores, the one-of-a-kind pieces move fast and today’s full racks might look totally different from yesterday’s.
Procell
Location: 5 Delancey St, Lower Manhattan
Bad news: Procell‘s extensive vintage archive, a hot-spot for designers in need of vintage reference pieces to spark their creativity, is housed in a separate studio space in Brooklyn. Nothing in there is for sale. And it’s not open to the public either.
Good news: The Lower Manhattan store by long-time vintage afficiniados Brian Procell and Jess Gonsalves is just as amazing. Just ask Frank Ocean, Drake, Travis Scott, Heron Preston or Procell collaborateur Tremaine Emory about all the vintage designer pieces, concert merch tees and rare hats they picked up at Procell since the store first opened doors in 2012.
Vintage on 46th
Location: 235 W 46th St, Times Square
Hidden inside the Paramount Hotel right on Times Square, Vintage on 46th is one of the to-go places for everyone looking for vintage hip hop and comic tees: The two owners, Joshua Martinez (aka @futurepastnyc) and Peter Mauceri (aka @freshkillsvintage), have been well-established in the vintage t-shirt community for years and you’ll know why when browsing through their t-shirt racks.
And if you happen to treat yourself with a rare Wu-Tang or Marvel tee of theirs, you can finish your vintage outfit with a new old hat, worn-in jeans or a broad range of cozy sweats at Vintage on 46th as well.
Metropolis Vintage
Location: 803 Broadway, Lower Manhattan
No list about vintage stores in New York would be complete without Metropolis Vintage: The store has been in business since the year 1990 (!) and offers an incredible range of unique pieces: Looking for vintage racing jackets, leather jackets, sports jerseys, denim or rare band tees? There’s a high chance you will find a piece you didn’t even know you needed at the veteran store that attracts goth, rock, hip hop and normcore audiences alike.
It’s not unlikely to run in the likes of A$AP Rocky, Rihanna or Bella Hadid at Metropolis either, who all seem to embrace the store founder Richard Colligan’s fine sense for style developments, aside from him knowing fashion’s classics like the back of his hand for over three decades already.
Luke’s NYC
Location: 261 Broome St 10002, Lower East Side
Last, but not least comes the newest store from this list to open in the Big Apple. Luke Fracher, the man behind Luke’s, is anything but a newcomer to the vintage game though: One of the three founders of the ‘Round Two’ stores, whose entertaining behind-the-scenes shows on YouTube made vintage popular for a whole generation of former Supreme-only heads, he started a new chapter with opening his first very own store in late 2022.
Luke’s store in the Lower East Side houses a daily-changing mix of vintage tees, vintage designer clothes and accessories, next to eccentric streetwear staples from the last 20 years, pefectly matching the boss’s own rather unique style. If you’re just looking for a conversation about Dachshunds or obscure rap nerdism, Luke might be your man too.
