I was determined to make
Vintage Thrift my next post. I tried to go on Thursday, then again on Friday, and finally succeeded on Sunday. The shop (@ 3rd ave bet 22nd and 23rd) is actually a nonprofit, benefitting the United Jewish Council of the East Side, and that’s why they were closed Thurs. and Fri.--apparently it was Simchat Torah (not sure what that is, but it was marked on the calendar on the store’s door). So you’ve got to remember this when you are thinking of stopping by. Also they close at dusk on Fridays and are closed every Saturday for the Sabbath, plus all Jewish holidays. You can find the schedule on their website or get updates on their twitter page. Ok, just had to get that info out of the way. Now onto the shop...
First Impressions: This really is a place to shop. It’s not a costume store like the thrift shops I’m used to in good old Durham (Thrift World anybody? Best place to find tailgate outfits!). It also isn’t one of those “vintage” shops where they seem to have forgotten that thrift shops generally discount couture items from their original prices. Vintage Thrift is just a great place to find fairly priced items that you want or need or don’t even know that you want or need! They sell (men’s and women’s) clothes, shoes, jewelry, kitchenware, paintings, books, music, random trinkets and who knows what else you’ll find if you look hard enough.
Part of the challenge is really keeping your eyes open, especially in this particular shop. It is a bit small and densely packed so it’s easy to miss something you might love if it’s surrounded by a bunch of old wicker baskets that you’re not really interested in. Keep an open mind and really fish through everything. It definitely took me a few rounds in the store before I made my great finds.
Some Highlights
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| L: 58th St, R: Central Park |
Postcards: Perfect example. Right when you walk in there is a table with mostly (not very cute) shoes so I just walked past, but on my 3rd round I saw a box filled with old postcards, ranging from photos of foreign cities to famous artwork to random designs. Great decorative potential! I found two great photo postcards of Central Park and the 58th St Plaza (hello Apple store) in the 1800s. LOVE them. I really love old NYC pics. It’s kinda crazy to think that the city actually existed back then, with big-ish buildings, but also horse-drawn carriages (that weren’t surrounded by protestors holding signs of dead horses). Anyway, this box is packed tight tight so you really have to commit yourself to looking through it. I was at it for about a half hour before I just had to stop. I prob would have stuck it out a bit longer had I not been bent over at a 90 degree angle, with my ass actually being the first thing people were seeing when they walked into the store. Not for sale.
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| Check the full album for more pics! |
Shoes: While I was entranced by postcard sifting, some girl actually tried to nab my Stuart Weitzmans and I had to fend her off. She was definitely disappointed/scared of me, but I wasn’t about to let these go…look at how cute they are! 25 dollars friends. All mine :)
I’m pretty sure they are going to kill my feet (prob cuz they are a half size too small, but I mean..leather stretches right?) I just won't wear them dancing. And if they don’t work out I’ll pass them off to one of my deserving friends. Who’s a size 8? Get in line, ladies.
This is definitely one of the larger thrift shop shoe selections that I’ve seen. No name stuff, along with Jimmy Choos and Manolos, etc. Mostly small sizes, though, like 7’s boooo. This is common for thrift stores and I never understood why. Are women’s feet getting bigger as time has gone on? I looked it up. According to one article, women’s feet are growing and apparently it’s tied to the obesity epidemic slash the fact that we are taller and bigger people in general. And apparently eating pizza and other “high-density processed foods” when you are in puberty makes your feet grow larger. I don’t really get it, but I mean…I definitely ate lots of pizza and have kind of big feet. Well worth it if you ask me!
Trinkets: This store is a great place to find fun decorative pieces or trinkets. I’m always looking for unique little things that might be cool to give as gifts (recently as Xmas gifts) and I found something great for my dad. The backstory on this gift is not worth recounting, but it involves my dad getting too excited by little opera glasses and binoculars at the US Open. Clearly it stuck with me because when I saw these old binoculars, they instantly reminded me of him and I thought they’d look great on the mantle in his office aka his man cave. Semi-retired men love decorating their offices with random crap (I mean treasures). :D So dad I guess now you know what you’re getting for Christmas, but I couldn’t sacrifice the post for the sake of surprise. And more importantly, remember when I was going into 6th grade and you and the mother bought me a Nintendo 64 for my birthday (AUGUST) and wouldn’t let me have it until Christmas (DECEMBER) for actually no good reason at all? Well here’s your payback. Feel my pain! Check them out.
I looked up the name on the binoculars case and actually found some interesting stuff. Jeff Ehrlich founded an “optical goods, cutlery and jewelry” shop at 3 Astor House around 1863. I guess the business was passed down to his sons and they renamed it. There was a bit more, but basically my research tells me these are pretty old. Nice. Merry Christmas Ba!
Jewelry and Clothing: Definitely hit or miss and for sure requires some digging. I was actually trying to look at more clothing but there was this older man who was searching the dresses section while carrying around some purple velvet pants and I was just so confused I couldn’t focus. I’m gonna say he was shopping for his wife. Or maybe he’s actually that guy from the UES who jogs in women’s lingerie. I love this city. Also what is with the sexually ambiguous people I keep running into on these adventures?
Anyway, that’s that. Definitely worth checking out and also somewhere I plan to return. I meant to ask how often they get new items, but my guess is it’s just as often as people bring stuff in. I’m thinking to separate visits by a month at a time. Although if you wanna check it out and need a friend I’d be happy to return sooner! Happy thrifting!
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Look out for the cool window displays.
All pieces are up for silent auction |
- The Wandering New Yorker
So first of all, that place was crazaaaaay! I mean did it really have to be packed into that little space? There were so many people it was almost impossible to move forward...or sideways...or backward without getting aggressive. It was really difficult to maneuver and get to the tables you wanted to be at, partially b/c some hotspots, obviously Luke's included, had long lines that spanned 3+ stations. These places were the ones that were worth it though, and there was at least a fun sense of camaraderie with the other people who were waiting on line with you…you would all chuckle together when some naïve newcomer would ask to get by so they could get to the table, to which you responded, with a smile, “Haha no sorry. The end of the line is actually wayyyy back there.” And then turn to the person behind you and say, “Sucks for them!” *chuckle chuckle chuckle*
We wanted to hit Luke’s first to ensure we had something delicious to start. The line was ridiccccculous, but luckily the team was moving pretty quickly and on the way was one of the spots I wanted to hit anyway: Cascabel. One chicken taco please. Mmm! So good. I’m usually not a fan of soft-shell tacos--I know I know, the real way is soft shells, but I really like to get some crunch in all my foods…I am a major proponent of potato chips in sandwiches, try it. SO good. (Also, you know that scene in Breakfast Club when the weird girl makes a sandwich out of bread, some cereal (possibly Cap’n Crunch) and sugar, and then bites into it and it makes this huge *crunch* sound? Yea I think I might be the only person who thought that looked REALLY appealing.) Anyway, even though I like a little crunch in my taco, these babies were really good, especially with some hot diablo sauce. In fact, before we left we stopped by again for some pork tacos…these were even better than the chicken. As we discussed in the moment, isn’t pork ALWAYS better than chicken? Yes. Which was followed up with, well unless it is really fatty or dry. (So no, not really, but also yes.)
First impressions: Walking into this place was just so exciting. It was booming with noise and other eager eaters, it was seasonally decorated with tons of fun Halloween paraphernalia (I LOVE Halloween decorations). Ignoring the Anthropologie store right near the 9th ave entrance, you walk into this cool, underground warehouse type vibe and are surrounded by a huge variety of sweet shops, markets, restaurants and more. Like I said…heaven. Basically, after this trip I made two immediate decisions: 1) On my “Important things to consider when looking for new apartment” List, I have added “Proximity to Chelsea Market” 2) I now need to start a “Important things to consider when looking for new apartment” List…so I can make sure to add stuff like this, and of course "Close to a wine store," but that’s sort of assumed. It's basically on par with functioning shower and sink. You know...the basics.
Onward! Our final stop was actually one of the first places we spied and I just couldn’t resist it. Eleni’s Bakery. It was so big and bright and colorful, I just couldn’t help but peer in the window. Also Eleni is a Greek name so I felt like I had to go in. Gotta support the brethren! (Or whatever the “sister” form of this word is. You get the point). Also I don't even know if Eleni is Greek...or a real person...I can't seem to find anything on her. Anyway, so it was an easy decision that this would be the third taste of the evening. The specialties appear to be sugar cookies and cupcakes, so we got one of each. To my fellow Dukies, picture Mad Hatters cookies (my FAV Durham treat): fun, seasonally decorated simple cookies. Eleni’s was just perfect, exactly what I wanted. As for the cupcakes, she has a lot of vanilla and chocolate cupcakes with colorful buttercream frosting, red velvet, and some supercool, very appealing flavors like Oreo Madness and something (pictured over there <<<) topped with chopped walnuts, but the real star was the Pumpkin Cupcake!! IT WAS SO GOOD. Even hours later, which is actually when I ate it, the cake was super moist and, although I would have expected a cream cheese frosting, the vanilla buttercream was perfect. I usually try to stay away from buttercream because it is too sweet for me. It itches the roof of my mouth—another thing people tell me is weird, but it’s totally true! But anyway, this buttercream was really nice and fluffy and not too sweet. I’m in love. The pumpkin flavor is obviously seasonal so get out there and get your cupcake soon! Unfortunately Eleni’s only other spot is way up on 91st street and Madison, but they do take large orders online and a lot of food stores (like Dean and Deluca, Zabar’s, Amish Market, etc.) sell her goodies. I’m sure I’ll be returning to the Chelsea Market soon enough and will certainly stock up on some of her yum cupcakes and cookies. It definitely feels more like they are made with love than those mass-produced cupcakes you find all around the city. And they are actually NORMAL sized cupcakes! In the age of giant Crumbs cupcakes and an obesity epidemic, it’s nice to have a cupcake that you can actually pick up with your hands...and that also happens to be delish. You've gotta try these!
Of course I wouldn't let you go without some fun facts about the country (thanks to our friends at Wikipedia):
I was determined to make Vintage Thrift my next post. I tried to go on Thursday, then again on Friday, and finally succeeded on Sunday. The shop (@ 3rd ave bet 22nd and 23rd) is actually a nonprofit, benefitting the United Jewish Council of the East Side, and that’s why they were closed Thurs. and Fri.--apparently it was Simchat Torah (not sure what that is, but it was marked on the calendar on the store’s door). So you’ve got to remember this when you are thinking of stopping by. Also they close at dusk on Fridays and are closed every Saturday for the Sabbath, plus all Jewish holidays. You can find the schedule on their website or get updates on their twitter page. Ok, just had to get that info out of the way. Now onto the shop...
This is definitely one of the larger thrift shop shoe selections that I’ve seen. No name stuff, along with Jimmy Choos and Manolos, etc. Mostly small sizes, though, like 7’s boooo. This is common for thrift stores and I never understood why. Are women’s feet getting bigger as time has gone on? I looked it up. According to one article, women’s feet are growing and apparently it’s tied to the obesity epidemic slash the fact that we are taller and bigger people in general. And apparently eating pizza and other “high-density processed foods” when you are in puberty makes your feet grow larger. I don’t really get it, but I mean…I definitely ate lots of pizza and have kind of big feet. Well worth it if you ask me!
I looked up the name on the binoculars case and actually found some interesting stuff. Jeff Ehrlich founded an “optical goods, cutlery and jewelry” shop at 3 Astor House around 1863. I guess the business was passed down to his sons and they renamed it. There was a bit more, but basically my research tells me these are pretty old. Nice. Merry Christmas Ba!
