Inside Anna Gray’s Vintage Department Store in New York City
Club Vintage is like the Bergdorf’s of vintage.
There seem to be two types of vintage shoppers: those who love a hunt and those who want a selection of what's already been hunted. Anna Gray, a vintage curator based in New York City, realized that maybe there are some of us in between.
In early 2022, she opened Club Vintage on the South Street Seaport in lower Manhattan. As she puts it, the concept is essentially a department store but for different vintage sellers. Though each rack is expertly curated, and unique to the seller's style, there is enough to look through that it still feels like you're looking for a treasure in a sea of garments. It's not just clothing, either. There are furniture and accessory collaborations with brands she loves, as well as closet sales from some of her fashionable friends.
Below Gray tells me all about her shop and why she felt vintage needed a shake up.
Can you explain the Club Vintage concept?
Club Vintage is a digital and physical platform for circular buying and selling. We function like a department store so our inventory is sourced by many different professional resellers and individuals with great taste (42 in fact!). Think of it like Bergdorf’s and a curated vintage store had a baby. It’s also: a fun place to hang out; a great way to find vintage for your home and closet; and a community for endless chat about (mostly) optimistic solutions for consumer-driven environmental improvement.
Mike Szpot courtesy of the Howard Hughes Corporation
What are the holes in the vintage market that you see or that you’re trying to fill through club vintage?
After leaving Object Limited, I wanted to build a company that focused on ways to help vendors grow their businesses with tools, brick and mortar options and collective marketing strategies. The consumer has so many options when it comes to buying secondhand - all price ranges, styles and *most* sizes are available across the internet from Thread Up to Vestiaire Collective to Etsy. With Club Vintage, we’re interested in expanding the options for the sourcing side of things, so that finding and selling pieces is easier and trackable.
Mike Szpot courtesy of the Howard Hughes Corporation
I love that you’re trying to tell stories through clothing with some of the sellers. What are some of your favorites?
Yes! We just launched “Friends @ Club Vintage” which is our take on the influencer closet sale. We launched with some choice pieces from Leandra Medine who had the added idea of tagging the pieces with the memories made in them, adding insight and depth to the idea of shopping. Stayed tuned for future collaborations with other good-taste creatives!
Mike Szpot courtesy of the Howard Hughes Corporation
You obviously have experience selling vintage online and in store. What’s best about the physical experience?
Selling clothes online has more reach, of course, but the tactile experience of in-person shopping is so valuable. Vintage sizing is different, materials need to be held and many pieces (especially tailoring) need to be tried on. Sometimes things look one way online but work differently with different shapes and style inclinations, you know?
You can check out Club Vintage from 12pm to 8pm Wednesday to Sunday at 205 Front St, NYC 10038, or shop online at clubvintage.org.
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