Vitamin, a Brooklyn-based brand creating games and goods, recently opened a storefront at 168 N 1st Street.
Local David Hice created the brand, though he tells Greenpointers that it’s very much a family affair.
“I’ve been working on my own brand on and off for years, pulling inspiration from growing up in Virginia with two older brothers who shared a love of gaming, from time spent under my mother’s sewing table while she worked on her own creative projects, to now living in NYC for 14 years and traveling the world during that time,” Hice said over email.
“All of those influences are still at the heart of what inspires me and what we strive to do at Vitamin: my brother is the lead game designer for our video games, my mom helps create patterns for our clothing, and the brand has become a true family effort, whether they like it or not.”
The store stocks clothing, and even houses an arcade version of the brand’s first game, Graamaseva. The brand’s latest game, Dragon Puncher, will debut during the grand opening.
“We want the space to feel like something different like a new kind of third space where retail, gaming, design, community, and culture converge,” Hice said. “It’s not just about buying something off the shelf, but about discovering a subculture that might not have felt approachable before, or rediscovering a culture you might already feel you know in a new way.”
The store has also partnered with OLAS to offer coffee service.
Vitamin is hosting a grand opening on September 5 and 6, kicking off with a new exhibit from photographer Víctor Alonso, with whom Hice bonded over their shared love of vintage arcades. The show runs until October 5.
The grand opening is sponsored by Aces Pizza, Barcade, Friend in store, Inyc, Surfside, Tilt, The Custom Shop, and Walters, an e-waste recycling firm.