Opened by Stewart Richer in 1975, the shop has bounced around town quite a bit, with locations on MacDougal, Avenue B, and Fifth Avenue, finally settling on 23rd Street near the Flatiron.
In the 1970s, it was the place for colorful Army work overalls dyed by Richer--as well as these amazing pants. In the 80s, you could find two-tone creepers with faux-pony on the toes. (The store's wares were regularly featured in New York magazine, where all of these clippings were found.)
Lady Zombie at the Examiner recently visited the store and called it "a proverbial 'diamond in the rough,' in the form of an incredibly cool vintage shop...fully stocked for the shopping pleasure of novelty enthusiasts, performers and seekers of oddities." It's "a secret shopping mecca for Goths and artistic Manhattanites."
Of course, Manhattan, and the city at large, has fewer of such people every day.
"It's "a secret shopping mecca for Goths and artistic Manhattanites."
ReplyDeleteOf course, Manhattan, and the city at large, has fewer of such people every day."
In other words the people that made NYC interesting.
This is a great store, suprised it's still around and can afford to exist on the Home Depot block. Just like all of the interesting New Yorkers, I won't be surprised if it disappears altogether in the next few years to make way for some hollow SATC bullshit.
Hope they relocate. I was a student at the New School when the shop was around the corner on Fifth Ave. They had a great selection of used and unusual new clothing and great tchotchkes.
ReplyDeleteDon't scare us like that. A one-word headline and "closing sale" in the lede makes a reader fear the worst. Here's hoping they are relocating. It gets really tiresome and angering (not that you need to be reminded of this) when another old faithful falls.
ReplyDeleteI stopped by there today and the clerk told me they are actually moving to 13th and 5th Ave. So they are not closing permanently, also everything in the store is 50% off. Phew!
ReplyDeletesorry to be negative, ive lived thru this. i remember that store when it first opened. tacky trendy clothes/objects for young people w/no taste. still i would rather have those than BIG CHAINS!!! (god, those shoes are ugly).
ReplyDeleteI bought my first paper jumpsuit at Reminiscence as well as so many other great outfits I'd wear to Studio 54. I miss chunky platform shoes for men.
ReplyDeleteAhhh! An original.... 👍
DeleteI shopped there when I was young and skinny, doubt anything would fit me now!
ReplyDeleteI remember when I first moved to New York in 87, I had heard of Reminiscence and wanted to go to the store, but I got the address wrong and walked east on 13th instead of west...I walked and walked and walked, getting nervous, feeling a little unsafe, thinking "this can't be right," but I kept going, I think to Avenue C...ha, no stores there, not in those days!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I have a long-standing fondness for them and wish them well!
so........what is the new store for trendy clothes? anyhting on the LES? has american apparal become the standard? i didnt do "trendy" weird even as a teen, but still i support small creative businesses.
ReplyDeletesevenbarbar: what is an "obit" ? if there are small creative businesses as you say, that is good news. i dont mind if things close as long as more of the same open. looks like some streets are much too expensive in rent to support these stores.
ReplyDelete@BarBarSeven: I recently sold clothes to Beacon's Closet and Buffalo Exchange (Buffalo Exchange on East 11th Street, not 13th Street.) Anyone who has seen these stores will notice the difference between these places and Reminiscence. By the way, if you refer to these locations as "13th Street West" or "13th Street East" you really do sound like you haven't lived here very long.
ReplyDeleteBuffalo Exchange? Williamsburg thrift stores? Seriously? An overpriced second hand clothing store catered to the trustafarians who could afford a new brand named clothes but would rather pay for a more expensive "vintage" clothes just for the irony of it, and who don't know how to create but only knows how to consume. Try cranking on that lever again. Damn hipsters.
ReplyDeleteif anyone thinks it's not happening in Brooklyn, and will continue to happen, faster and faster, then you're not paying close enough attention.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bkmag.com/BrooklynAbridged/archives/2013/01/02/there-is-now-a-literal-map-of-brooklyns-gentrification
why dosnt jeremiah do a post on small boutiques/large stores that are "still here" we can start w/macys & go from there. dont forget some tiny creative shops grew into large companies. (for some reason this never bothered us).
ReplyDeleteOnly went into Buffalo Exchange once, to look for I forgot what. The one thing I remember is that I can get new clothes for less than what they charge for used ones...may not have that fancy label on the pants, but I'm a Route 66 type of guy anyway. Could never really acquaint myself with the thought of putting my family jewels in previously owned pants.
ReplyDeleteThey never came back, did they? :(
ReplyDeleteHeh hipstahs! A "little birdie" told me that Reminiscence, like Lazarus, shall rise from the dead! And it will happen on April 19 at Fifth ave bet 13th & 14th sts. Miracles can happen in NYC ;-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the memories!
ReplyDeleteI moved to 39 Christopher St., at Waverly Place, in 1975; living there for the next 28 years. Reminiscence, on MacDougal, was such a great place to shop!
http://wp.me/p3vKAK-9H
I Lived for going to McDougal to reminiscence! And Capezio! And unique clothing warehouse! Every weekend and at night on Saturday it was Paradise Garage to dance the night away!!!! The best time of my life ..beside having my daughter born and those few years! Everything else doesnt even compare....
DeleteI worked at Reminiscence while in HS and a summer home from college 86-88. So many great memories!
ReplyDeleteReminiscence is still there on 5th near 13th and their window is all done up in rainbow themed things for Pride. I tried selling clothes to Buffalo Exchange on East 11th and Beacon's Closet on West 13th recently without much luck. Beacon's was mobbed on a Sunday afternoon with shoppers and I was told they were "overstocked." Seems like a good buyers' market these days. Looking back on this discussion, Reminiscence is campy, that is another distinction between them and the consignment stores.
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