On a sunny, warm morning in May – one of New York’s first this year – I sit on a sidewalk bench in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood, observing a quiet stretch of what has come to be, perhaps, one of the hottest neighborhoods in the borough. Next to me is Hunter Vurbeff, community relations manager of Pure House. He’s explaining to me what exactly Pure House is: In short, a collective of communal residences, mentorship opportunities, events and even amenities like cleaning, laundry, and dinners for an membership-only community of, as Hunter says they’ve come to be known, “creators.”

Pure House currently consists of thirteen apartments, all in Williamsburg, in buildings ranging from artist lofts to six-bedroom units with large communal apartments. All are within roughly five minutes walking distance from the community’s kitchen facility, which has come to be used as a clubhouse where Pure House hosts events like acoustic music concerts (recent performers include one of Thievery Corporation’s lead musicians), dinners with celebrity chefs, and yoga classes, among other functions. The lower level of that building is decorated with plush furniture, uniquely crafted coffee tables, and the walls are adorned with original photography: The product, of course, from an alumni of Pure House’s artist residency program.

And who are the residents who go through the application, interview and somewhat impressively rigorous vetting process? “People range from directors, to actors, to entrepreneurs, to social activists,” Vurbeff says. In other words, yes: creators with a passion.

“Why don’t we take away all the menial stuff they have to do,” he continues, “so they can just focus on the passion project?”

Pure House carries a very avant-garde model: One that’s reminiscent of the original purpose of the Soho House and, while perhaps raising the eyebrows of some entrepreneurs, makes many secretly jealous. It’s the brainchild of founder Ryan Fix, who, since the age of 14, says he has known what he wants to do.

“It was a kid’s vision,” he says, “and it was that I wanted to help people live their dreams.”

Some kid, really. The aspiration largely stems from Fix’s near-death experience early in life, when he had a brain tumor and accompanying surgery, during which he was constantly surrounded by a very close, very supportive group of friends.

“My mom would ask, ‘Ryan, you’ve got this second chance on life. What are you going to do when you grow up?” he explains. “So, at 14, I thought, ‘I’m going to help people make their dreams come true. I didn’t know how, but I did know that I was going to make a bunch of money, retire young, and invest in people’s dreams.”

It’s the road that led Fix to New York: Where there’s Wall Street, there’s money, leading him to work in finance, followed by stint in real estate: Both experiences he describes as “miserable” and “ethically challenging.” After a sabbatical spent writing and meditating, and a few years of working on various passion projects, a thought occurred to Fix: “Wow. I would really like to build a house where we can do this stuff.”

Today, Pure House is 100 percent occupied, with a waitlist for applicants: One that grows such each day that it’s hard to say how many people are on it, at any given moment. Roughly fifty new inquiries are received each day, ten of which result in applications. The only reason why that latter number isn’t higher, Fix says, is “because they think it’s too good to be true. It’s a common thing we get: ‘This sounds like a scam.’ And it’s because our pricing is a bit low.”

Right now, resident membership is priced between roughly $1800 – $2000 per month; practically pocket change in New York, especially considering the services and amenities.

“In order to attract our core audience, we’ve had to price things at the bare minimum,” Fix explains. “Right now, we’re just doing it at a break-even, but eventually, as the program gets stronger and we start to educate our target audience and attract people that understand what we’re doing, we’ll be able to raise prices.”

It’s also important to note that Pure House is, first and foremost, a social enterprise with a similarly natured goal. “Our passion,” says Fix, “is to support people in being successful at living their passions.”

It’s not entirely unrelated to what the community has discovered to be the entrepreneur’s – or creator’s – lament: Investing so much care into the passion, that one forgets to care for him or herself.

“One of the undertones that’s driving this,” Fix elaborates, “is that with a lot of creative people who are super, super passionate, they tend to be up in their heads all the time, just thinking about how they’re going to make their dreams happen. Just, ‘go, go, go, go, go,’ and their bodies start to fall to shit.

“We’re helping to create a lifestyle that helps them to address these things in a very accessible way,” he continues, “even if it’s having all of the fridges stocked with healthy food, or having a nutrition program, or having a laundry service so that they don’t have to worry about their laundry.”

As a small business owner myself, it’s hard to deny: This all sounds totally rad. Here’s the thing: I, like many other industrious entrepreneurs,  enjoy living in my own space. I like spending the occasional Friday night with my sweatpants, carbohydrates, British murder mysteries, and dog. Those amenities, thought: How can I, the selective recluse, sign up?

“Right now, our members are all residents, but we’re hearing from more and more people who want to have access to this kind of programming,” Fix says, engendering a moment of glee. “We want to offer a membership where this space can be their clubhouse. We’re going to offer that as a membership, as well.”

Those rates, too, will be “super-accessible,” at a $200 – $500 per month.

What does Pure House look for in members, anyway? Simply put: “People who are really committed to following their passion, and willing to do the work,” Fix answers. “There’s also a lens of doing good in the world; so, people who, whatever they’re doing, they’re doing it because they want to make the world a better place.”

I ask if he’s ever met anyone who was able to follow the direct road to his/her dream from the very beginning, without the detours to which so many of us fall victim. It’s not a myth: His answer is yes.

“The common thread, for the most part,” he says, “is they were raised by two parents that were very, very supporting and unconditionally loving. And, the relationship between the parents is really great, as well.”

What’s next for Pure House? Fix, of course, is thinking big, but approaching it patiently. “We’re not trying to push a model of massive scale,” he says. “However, we have intentions of where this will go, and we know that by focusing on really serving our members in a powerful way, that opportunities are going to come to us.”

And those intentions, naturally, are far from modest. “I’m exploring building a technology layer that allows people to upload their properties onto a platform, but focusing on this Pure House experience, and having an application process that’s all member-driven, but that members can upload their properties.”

For example, a Pure House resident living in New York, but owns a property in Missouri, can upload that property to the platform. Another, more social example? A social entrepreneur working in Haiti, and in need of housing.

It goes back to the social intention of Pure House. Really, it seems, this model is intended to extend to developing parts of the world; to those members who do what they do to achieve improvement on a global scale.

“The vision is that I see,” Fix states, “is a global, distributed network of these communal living spaces.”

I like the sound of that. From one entrepreneur to another: Perhaps the British murder mysteries can wait.

Say hey to Amanda on Twitter or Instagram

Related on EcoSalon

10 Utopian Intentional Communities with Distinct Values

Hub for Social Innovation: Re-Shaping Community and the Way We Work

Soap Nuts Startup: An Unexpected Cancer Death Leads One Entrepreneur to Start a Clean, Green Business

Images: Pure House Official Website and on Facebook

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West Elm, at the moment, will not find many fans in Brooklyn thanks to its ‘Made in Brooklyn’ snafu. 

Under fire for its “Made in Brooklyn” line of products, the retailer was recently outed for misleading consumers with products that, in reality, are not produced in Brooklyn. One item, West Elm’s “Made in Brooklyn Market Beanie,” is actually made in China.

This ambiguous labeling, which was revealed by The Brooklyn Paper earlier this week, carries significant repercussions for artisans and purveyors who specifically choose to conduct business in Brooklyn. Love it or hate it, Brooklyn is officially the it-girl of the five boroughs. It’s a proud moment for those who call it home and have built an enterprise on the foundation of its local economy, many of whom perceive West Elm’s “Made in Brooklyn” line as both a financial and personal blow. Such vendors are said to have largely influenced the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce’s Brooklyn-Made certification program.

“As baseline criteria,” read’s the program’s Web site, “only legal businesses headquartered in Brooklyn making one or more physical products will be considered.”

West Elm, which has since removed the China-made beanie from its online store, is attempting to discreetly sidestep the impact of its “Made in Brooklyn” line on businesses that have actually met Brooklyn-Made’s certification requirements. Rather, the language is described by a company spokesperson as “a fun nod to the potential contents” of products like its beer growler.

The Williams-Sonoma-owned franchise is hardly the first of its kind. With Brooklyn having earned such an esteemed reputation in recent years, dozens of brands are rushing to put its name on various items of clothing. Last November, the New York Observer ran a piece on the desperation among big-name companies to be hip enough to fit in with the borough. Such outlets “can’t just waltz into a neighborhood anymore, least of all a Brooklyn neighborhood,” writes Kim Velsy. “No, now you must be yourself but also ‘Brooklyn.’”

The prevalence of evasive product-naming and Brooklyn-branding was a hot topic among panelists at the recent Social Retail Summit in the borough’s DUMBO neighborhood.

“I know for a fact that it’s very widespread,” says Gaia DiLoreto, founder of By Brooklyn, a Cobble Hill boutique strictly carrying products from local producers. “I’m always challenged with how to confront it. My mission is to promote and protect the brands…that I’m working with.”

DiLoreto, who advised the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce in developing Brooklyn-Made, cites the example of the Brooklyn Candle Company, whose candles, she says, are actually made in China.

The commonality of this practice raises the broader question of corporate transparency. Arnon Rosan, co-founder and CEO of referral platform LocalMaven, points to Chipotle’s recent elimination of pork products from the menu, due to the inhumane treatment of pigs by some of its vendors. These stories, he says, are “a lesson to all retailers.”

Rosan isn’t the only one who sees positive outcomes from West Elm’s actions. Its public nature, adds DiLoreto, will “make people think twice” before buying something mistakenly identified as local.

Consumers are far from powerless in these situations and can follow some general guidelines to ensure that their purchases are, in fact, local.

1. Check the label. In the case of West Elm’s “Made in Brooklyn Market Beanie,” all it took was a re-examination of the product’s tags.

2. Do five minutes of research. The Brooklyn-Made program follows in the footsteps of such similar efforts of SF Made and Portland Made. A quick visit to the Web sites provides a listing of the businesses that have met each program’s certification requirements.

3. Talk to retailers. Ultimately, business owners and managers are the most knowledgeable when it comes to product sources. Brooke Richman, founder and CEO of Coop & Spree, makes a point to know her vendors. “I’ve had the opportunity to actually go to the factory and see where everything is physically made,” she says. “I know that the integrity is there.”

Related on EcoSalon

Sweet, Sustainable Looks From an Ethical Fashion Week in Brooklyn

Behind the Label: West Elm Green

Got Local Liquor? Our Growing Thirst for Craft Distillers

Image: Jeremy Keith

The post When It Isn’t ‘Made in Brooklyn’: West Elm’s Ambiguous Branding appeared first on EcoSalon.

It’s no news that cycling is good for you.

It gets you outside. It keeps you out of your car, which means fewer emissions. It brings you into a community of people. It makes you active. Above all, the simple act of biking often is a recipe for feeling good: try cycling on a sunny afternoon without breaking a smile.

Cycling isn’t just a choice to being greener or healthier; it’s a lifestyle, a thing that, if you’re luck, truly gets incorporated into your everyday.

But to start riding, you need a bicycle.

Look no further than Papillionaire, a Melbourne-based, women-led company that recently brought their operations to the U.S., starting with a shop in Brooklyn. Their Dutch-style bikes are sleek and simple, the kind of bicycle you want to ride and want to be seen on.

It’s not just any bike company. Papillionaire’s goal is making cycling easy and accessible to all, especially the one demographic that often gets left out: women. For a variety of reasons, females are a minority in the traditional cycling market. Given cycling’s benefits, and the fact that women who bike 30 minutes a day have a lower risk of breast cancer, that’s something that needs to change.

Don’t believe that there’s a market for women’s focused bike products? Papillionaire is run with women in mind, and the company’s attitude has helped them bring in a predominantly female customer base – in Australia it’s 80 percent and in the US it’s 60-70 percent. In both places that’s a significant number, and as they grow, we can hope that the female interest in cycling does as well.

Their bicycles are drool-worthy–the kind of thing you want to take out for a spin the second you see them. And that’s how a good bike should be. If you aren’t inspired to ride it, you won’t use it.

If you’re not in Brooklyn, you can track down one of their dealers around the U.S. and also shop Papillionaire online, and even order a bike and get it sent straight to your doorstep.

Intrigued? Here is a selection of what Papillionaire has to offer:

Images: Papillionaire

The post Bikes Geared at Women – A Brooklyn Cycle Shop With Flair appeared first on EcoSalon.

With Spring/Summer 2013, Samantha Pleet merges old with new to encapsulate the modern women.

In our rapid-paced, progressive world, there’s beauty to be had in traversing backwards in time and place. With Samantha Pleet’s Spring/Summer 2013 collection all made in New York City, the designer took us there with her “Sands of Time” presentation.

For Pleet, inspiration came from Babylon and Mesopotamia, an era she fell in love with while pouring over books.

“Instead of fashion books, I read about history,” Pleet tells us.

It’s this passion for exploration of other eras that you can see in Pleet’s personal favorite, the Ishtar silk and viscose dress (below), fashioned with a print extracted from Biblical mythology.  Other pieces like the Scout dress (below), from washed silk, are true to Pleet’s Brooklyn-aesthetic while still telling a bygone story.

Designer Samantha Pleet (left) models her favorite piece, the Ishta dress.

While the clothing is strong on its own, Pleet’s debut into the world of shoes adds an aesthetic street charm to her already hip “it girl” vibe. In partnership with Wolverine, a Michigan based, American boot company, Pleet created a colorful collection of vintage-inspired ankle boots and sandals (below).

One of Pleet’s greatest gifts comes through ever more clearly in this upcoming season—merging the old with the new, the vintage with the modern, for a look that’s at once relevant while remaining timeless. She gives her wearer a taste of something really raw and reminiscent of the beginning—the “roots of civilization,” as Pleet calls it.

While simple in silhouette and fabrics—employing handwashed silks and entirely handwoven khadi cotton (from Prakriti Aur Purush)—there’s nothing overly nostalgic about it. In fact, when we dig deeper to discover what really brought this collection to life, she laughs and declares, “Indiana Jones.” One part explorer, one part heroine, it just may be that Pleet really has captured the essence of the modern women.

More looks we love:

Images: Jennifer Barckley

The post NYFW: Samantha Pleet Takes on an Urban Indiana Jones appeared first on EcoSalon.

A round-up of what we’re reading right now. 

In the mood for better sex dreams? Change your sleeping position. [Via Women’s Health]

Want to impress at your next dinner party? Build your own picnic table to sit at.  [Via Curbly]

The Brooklyn food scene is hot, and what better way to explore it than with a full guide from an expert. [Via Big Girls Small Kitchen]

To say that the Dalai Lama is a wise man would be an understatement. But he also gets social media. 10 gems from his Twitter feed. [Via Ecorazzi]

Cut expenses and toxic chemicals by making your own detergent; it’s easier than you might think. [Via Organic Authority]

An invisible bike helmet? Yes, you read that correctly. [Via MNN]

Hey Todd Akin: a woman is more than twice as likely to get pregnant during a rape than during consensual sex. [Via Popular Science]

If you have a thing for living walls, you’ll love Reykjavik’s City Hall. [Via Treehugger]

Just what do you need to know about Paul Ryan? His take on tax cuts, reductions in social programs and much much more. [Via LearnVest]

Got your eye on late summer glamping? Here are some tips from a pro. [Via CasaSugar]

Image: Jenny Kristina Nilsson

The post Link Love: How to Have Better Sex Dreams, Build a Picnic Table and Be as Wise as the Dalai Lama appeared first on EcoSalon.

EcoSalon goes vintage shopping in New York City.

A while back we discussed the “fashion hauling” phenomenon and the impact it is having on today’s teen shopper. While I do think it’s a disturbing trend, I also realize that there is very little we can do to affect the basic desire that shoppers have to share their finds with others. If you can’t beat them, join them. Of course, we here at EcoSalon do it in a conscious consumer kind of way, featuring some of awesome vintage finds that I recently scored while scouring two of my favorite NYC thrift shops.

At Beacon’s Closet in Williamsburg I found two things that fit well into current trends.

This African print tunic, which has a really lovely pattern and one of my favorite colors: green. I think it’s originally for kids, because the arm holes are a bit tight, but that’s an easy fix with the sewing machine.

These pale pink shorts are really nicely distressed, and both the color and length are right on trend for summer. And at $12, they were a great deal.

Moving on to my other favorite Brooklyn thrift shop, Guvnor’s Vintage Thrift, I found a bunch of great dresses.

First, I saw this vaguely animal-pattern dress in a nice, flattering 50s-style cut. Usually it’s hard to find this kind of dress without a really narrow waist, but this one fits perfectly and I’ll probably pair it with a delicate belt. I love the colors and the pearlized buttons too.

Like I mentioned, I’m very into bright greens right now, and this 70s dress with a pleated skirt and metallic bodice instantly caught my eye.

I have a problem with black—so much so that I had banned myself from buying anything black this summer. This long-sleeve maxi dress fit me really well, though, and when I saw that the label was called Mr. Sergio, like one of my best friends, I just had to break down and get it. It’s got these really nice ruffle details on the front that keep it from being just another black dress. Or maybe that’s just my excuse.

Finally, this rose-patterned linen thing caught my eye. Initially I wasn’t sure why, but I think I can relate to the fact that it’s an insane mix of styles – the collar is vaguely Asian, the pattern very conservative and sort of British, and the leather lace up detail with shells is very hippie chic. It was also less than $20, so done deal.

Actually, none of these set me back more than $40. The brown animal-print dress and green 70s party dress were the most expensive things, but the good thing about vintage clothing is that you can just sell it again once you don’t want it anymore. It’s like a virtuous circle of consumption, where all this good stuff is passed along for someone else to discover and fall in love with one day.

What are some of your recent vintage finds?

The post Vintage Fashion Haul: Thrifty Finds from NYC appeared first on EcoSalon.

Taking art out of the buildings and onto the streets.

Art can be post-modern, conceptual, classic, abstract, or experiential. It can create a narrative, challenge hegemony, or debunk a stereotype. Indeed, art can do all these things, but if it’s stuck behind the walls of an pricey museum entry fee, it can’t do them for everyone.

That is why we love street art. Simultaneously controversial and accessible, rebellious and democratic, street art greets us when we least expect it. It can evoke proletariat angst, urban renewal, or a wicked sense of humor, all while we wait for the bus or walk to work.

Street art is quickly gaining wider recognition as a legitimate art form, much to the distaste of law enforcement and city officials. The first major exhibition of street art appeared last year at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), followed by similar shows organized by Australia’s National Gallery, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and the UK’s Victoria and Albert Museum.

Marcus White, co-creator of the Brooklyn-based All City Street Art app and website, explains how certain neighborhoods end up becoming hot-beds of graffiti creativity.

“Industrial areas have always been good spots for graffiti as they tend to be rather desolate in the off hours, as there are little to no storefront areas or residential spaces, making them perfect for late night bombing missions,” White told EcoSalon. “[They] become areas for artists to have studios and form communities.”

So, in celebration of all things industrial, street-level and beautiful (if not entirely legal) here’s a list of graffiti and street art hot spots around the world:

Athens: With an youth unemployment rate of more than 50 percent, the young people of Greece have plenty to be aggro about. As austerity measures have become more severe, the street art of Athens has flourished, directly addressing themes of government accountability, greed, and high-level thievery.

Brooklyn: The rich history of New York City’s street art scene is at least partially owed to the subway system, which artists and taggers began using in the 1970s to communicate and spread their work across the city’s five boroughs. However it is in NYC’s most creative borough, Brooklyn, where the modern NYC street art scene is most expressive. Brooklyn’s diverse mix of ethnic backgrounds contributes to this, and the borough’s walls manage to beckon artists from Europe and elsewhere who want to get in on the scene.

London: Thanks to the iconic, elusive, and still anonymous UK artist Banksy, London and street art have become synonymous. There are several neighborhoods to check out, including the Big Smoke’s Brooklyn-equivalent, East London. London is also home to Global Street Art, which is boldly trying to create a “global photographic archive of street art online” and to create more spaces for artists to paint.

Detroit: The newly launched Detroit Beautification Project is using a simple tool to address the chronic problems of what was once America’s most prosperous city: spray paint. In its attempt to revitalize Detroit’s aesthetic through street art, the project has of course gained some critics, but the artists involved insist their intention is simply to create a more beautiful city.

Berlin: Berlin’s street art scene has its roots in the Berlin wall. During its tenure as the dividing line of Europe from 1961 to 1989, the wall’s west side was covered with graffiti conveying messages of politics, revolution, and the state of Germany. When the wall finally came down, Berlin’s street art scene exploded, as artists finally had free reign over an undivided city. Years later, the German city now earned a reputation as “the most bombed city in Europe.”

 

Rio De Janiero: Brazil’s second largest city made the progressive step of legalizing street art in 2009. As the art form has developed there over the last decade, graffiti has become “an agreement between the population and the city,” as one art student put it, and can be spotted throughout the city, from favelas to rich suburbs.

Miami: According to Marcus White of All City Street Art, Miami is home to a fast-emerging and important street art scene. The Wynwood Walls Project, conceived in 2009 by artist Tony Goldman, is an attempt to create a “museum of the streets.” Inviting artists from around the world, Goldman and his co-curators (one of which went on to become the museum director of LA MOCA), see the city’s walls as a giant canvas.

Austin: For a city that’s relatively small, Austin has a particularly vibrant street art scene. Its walls are known to feature the work of famed artist Shephard Fairey (creator of the iconic Obama Hope image and the Obey Giant) from time to time. The city’s Castle Hill neighborhood plays host to both up-and-coming artists and veterans alike.

Images in order: Jaime Rojo via BSA, the euskadi 11, Jaime Rojo via BSA, Global Street Art, Sleazy McCheesy, von_boot, Michelle Young, Wynwood Walls Project, Geoff Hargadon

The post Graffiti Art Turns the Museum Inside Out appeared first on EcoSalon.

Every day is better with a new track. 

Bit Funk – It Ain’t Easy by Bit Funk

Every day we bring you one track for a little musical inspiration. Have a track you want to submit? Email us at contact@ecosalon.com.

Image: Bit Funk

The post Daily Track: It Ain’t Easy – Bit Funk appeared first on EcoSalon.

Every day is better with a new track. 

Every day we bring you one track for a little musical inspiration. Have a track you want to submit? Email us at contact@ecosalon.com.

Image: Pitchfork

The post Daily Track: Let’s Go – Matt & Kim appeared first on EcoSalon.

Thrift shopping for vintage treasures is easy when you know where to find them. Here are seven of our favorite thrift shops in New York City.

Thrift stores are no longer on the fringe of it all, they are very much part of the urban fabric and people from all walks of life frequent them. It used to be that all the good ones were in Brooklyn, but with Beacon’s Closet recently opening an outpost in the West Village that is no longer the case.

Vintage shopping is part skill, part luck and part perseverance, but you can stack the odds in your favor by hitting up stores known to always stock good stuff. Here are seven of our favorite thrift stores in New York City. For those of you located elsewhere, many of these also have online shops.

Yours truly outside Beacon’s Closet in Williamsburg

Beacon’s Closet
If you only have time to hit up one thrift shop while in NYC, this should be it. Look for the bald baby with thick-rimmed glasses — that’s the shop’s logo. Beacon’s now has three locations in NYC — Williamsburg, Park Slope and a recently opened outpost in the West Village. The Williamsburg shop is by far the largest, but (thanks to notoriously stingy buyers) they are all well-stocked with good stuff. Racks are organized by garment type but also color, making it easy to find something specific. In addition to clothing there’s also a great selection of shoes, bags and accessories. My secret is to look for great boots in the men’s department.
Williamsburg: 88 North 11th Street, Park Slope: 92 5th Avenue, Manhattan: 10 W 13th Street or Shop Online

Guvnor’s Vintage Thrift
I love vintage stores that have a personality, where you walk in and just feel like you get what it’s all about. At Guvnor’s in Park Slope, the attitude is very rock and roll with a 50s rockabilly pinup vibe. There’s a great selection of denim, suede and leather as well as cutesy dresses (that deserve to be paired with a good biker jacket). Guvnor’s also throws parties every now and then. You’ll know because there will be dozens of motorcycles parked outside.
178 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn

Amarcord Vintage Fashion
With two locations – one in SoHo and one in Williamsburg – Amarcord Vintage Fashion specializes in upscale European vintage clothing and accessories, primarily from the 1940s to the 1980s. Luxury brands share the racks and shelves with unknowns, but the entire selection is carefully curated. Large parts of the inventory is obtained on seasonal buying trips throughout Europe – Italy in particular – which is owners Patti Bordoni and Marco Liotta’s homeland. Amarcord also has a rental-only showroom in Brooklyn, stocked with more than 50,000 unique pieces from across the globe. Needless to say, stylists and celebs alike flock here to find that special piece that no one else will wear to the party.
Williamsburg: 223 Bedford Avenue (btwn N. 4th and N. 5th), SoHo: 252 Lafayette Street (btwn Prince & Spring)

Cobblestones
Walking into this little gem of a thrift store in the East Village is like traveling back in time, or shopping inside your (very stylish) grandmother’s closet. Delanee Koppersmith is a native of the East Village and has owned this shop since 1981. She specializes in the 1930s and 40s and, in addition to lovely clothing, you can also find quirky NYC memorabilia, books and other accessories.
314 E. 9th Street, Manhattan

Housing Works
All twelve NYC locations of Housing Works are great destinations for bargain shopping. Spend some time rifling through the racks and you never know what you may come across. Head out to Housing Work’s warehouse in Long Island City on certain dates, however, and you can fill up a whole bag with whatever you want for just $25. It’s called Buy The Bag, and tickets usually sell out in advance, so plan ahead. You can also shop a limited selection online.
12 locations throughout NYC or Shop Online

INA
If you’re looking for big brands and high fashion, INA is the place to go. With six locations throughout the city as well as an online shop, you are never far from a good score like a pair of Isabel Marant boots (for half off). The selection is highly curated and you can be sure that you won’t come across any designer knockoffs here. Prices are, as may be expected, not on the bargain side of things, but if you are looking for high-quality investment pieces, this is a good place to go.
NoHo: 15 Bleecker Street, Soho: 101 Thompson Street, Nolita/women: 21 Prince Street, Nolita/men: 19 Prince Street, Chelsea: 207 West 18th Street, Uptown: 208 East 73rd Street or Shop Online

What Goes Around Comes Around
Co-founders Gerard Maione and Seth Weisser have been collecting and selling vintage for over 17 years. The pair has amassed thousands of vintage pieces that are housed primarily in the company’s 10,000 square foot archive in New Jersey – a fashion industry gem – with pieces constantly rotating between the New York City and Los Angeles stores. Although there is a bit more focus on the 60s, the collection spans every decade, sometimes as far back as the 19th Century. WGACA has one of the largest collections of vintage denim in the United States, making the store a favorite destination for stylists and fashion people. In 2010, they also introduced the Custom Vintage collection, created from authentic vintage, recycled and uniquely handcrafted materials.
351 West Broadway (between Broome & Grand St), SoHo or Shop Online

SEE ALSO: 7 Awesome Thrift Stores in San Francisco

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