Despite the ‘Shift to Thrift,’ Some NYC Vintage Stores Are Running Ragged

On July 6, Wooden Sleepers, a destination men’s vintage store on Van Brunt Street in Red Hook, announced it would be closing. 

“When I opened the shop on March 15, I didn’t realize it would be the last time,” Brian Davis, the store’s owner, wrote on Instagram. “I figured Covid-19 would pass and I could get back to business as usual. Fast forward 4 months and here we are, still closed.”

While Phase 2 of New York City’s reopening plan allowed in-store retail to resume June 22 under certain mandatory guidelines, Davis felt that his roughly 400-square-foot couldn’t meet the social distancing criteria. And with a newborn at home, Davis, who had been quarantining since mid-March, still had concerns about Covid-19.  

“I…

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