Vintage and thrift stores in Brooklyn are a dime a dozen, but a built-in clientele might set the recently opened Fantasy Explosion apart from the crowd.
Fantasy Explosion, a popular Instagram account now turned physical storefront, opened last month at 164A Driggs Avenue, offering up a treasure trove of slick streetwear and memeable t-shirts (Fantasy Explosion, if you’re reading this, I would absolutely love the shirt that says “Good Bush/Bad Bush.”)
The business and its proprietor, Kevin Fallon, have earned plaudits and profiles from everyone to the Cut to the New York Times. Fantasy Explosion is known for its weekly drops, as well as its dedication to New York and all of its attendant ephemera, such as t-shirts commemorating the 2003 blackout or the Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory.
“Fallon does what many present-day Instagram vintage dealers do, bringing us gems on our Instagram feeds so we don’t have to deal with the hassle of rummaging through racks, or the defeat of walking away empty-handed,” writes Ari Lisner of GQ magazine. “But Fantasy Explosion is a little different—the best pieces Fallon sells, it often seems, are the ones that shouldn’t exist at all. Fallon’s sentimentality for his city, and his keen eye for the bizarre and unloved, have turned Fantasy Explosion into a cherished resource for deep vintage heads.”
The store is open from Wednesday through Sunday, 11 AM to 7 PM.