Our local shopping Holiday Market is all about finding quality made goods right here in New York as an alternative to mass consumerism shopping, which is often unethical in its treatment of workers overseas and terrible for the environment. Often times a great option is shopping vintage not only because the unique styles and high quality is hard to find, but let’s face it – it can be a great deal and better for curvier body types!
Our featured vendor, Rheannone of Big City Vintage created her business just for these reasons:
I sell vintage clothing not only because I love the modest-but-sexy styles, but also to show that there is an affordable alternative to the ‘fast-food’ style clothing we are so used to today. Clothing made 40-60 years ago was made with higher quality materials, worn and repaired and repurposed for years, and mostly made by the Ladies Garment Worker’s Union in the United States. Today, a similarly constructed garment made in an ethical environment can cost hundreds of dollars. I focus on finding larger sizes and enjoy shooting selfies as product photos to represent a more diverse image of body types.
Rheannone runs Big City Vintage out of a 4x6ft Bushwick Studio and when she is not working on her collection she says she enjoys “scouring historical photo archives for old photos of New York & Long Island and looking at Victorian jewelry on Etsy using the sort ‘Highest Price to Lowest Price’.”
