The Lower East Side: A NYC Shopping Guide
The flag is on my back instead of a little pole, but I’m auditioning as your LES tour guide
The Lower East Side is one of my favorite areas in the city to stay and to shop. It’s the best for finding off-the-beaten-path brands and vintage items. It must be said that one of the fundamentals of vintage shopping is avoiding the perils of TJ Maxx Syndrome, a term coined by my friend explaining the phenomenon of walking through a TJ Maxx for so long, rifling through things that don’t appeal to you, that the moment you see something you barely like, you immediately buy it.
The tentacles of TJ Maxx syndrome reach far and wide, and have been known to find me personally in weird gift shops, well-lit gas stations, Christian bookshops, and even—tragically—the vintage shops on this list. My rule of thumb is if you don’t want to leave the store wearing it, you don’t want it. Now that you’ve been sufficiently warned, we can get into my ideal day on the LES.
Pretending I don’t have anxiety with a stop at Ludlow Supply Coffee to start the day is a must.
Assembly is the nearby second stop: a personal favorite for unique, interesting items.
Stop 3: Kallmeyer. I’ve spoken about the leather jacket here in another substack but Kallmeyer is doing a lot of things right lately. Daniella, the lead designer, lives in my neighborhood and it’s so fun to watch her genius take shape.
Ludlow Flea Market is where we take our booster against TJ Maxx Syndrome and show true grit by holding out for only sincerely fab vintage pieces.
A quick check-in on Bode. I say this with reverence, but Bode’s normal clothes are walking a tightrope between incredible fashion and what halloween costumes used to be when I was growing up- reminiscent of a thing or vaguely conceptual. Think back to before the days of exact nylon replicas of movie wardrobes and Spirit Halloween; when we were doing our best with mom’s closet and $10 at the thrift store. This year, they went all the way and made this incredible skeleton jumper that is going to be my lazy Halloween costume from 2024 thru the rapture.
Lunch break at Scarr’s Pizza is a personal highlight.
I’ve chased my Scarr’s slice with Ending Soon on more than one occasion, and this day is no exception.
If you’ve ever asked me for my favorite vintage shops in the city, you’ve already heard me insist on Desert Vintage.
Next is Coming Soon, a delightful shop full of special items that gives the sense it’s curated by the most interesting person in the world. Gorgeous items for any gifting scenario can be found here.
And finally, my favorite way to start, continue, or end a day on the LES is with a cantaloupe slushie from A&N Fruit Store.
Today was a slice, but the full Lower East Side shopping pie is below for anything else I missed.
OMG Nothing beats Scarr’s to cap off a shopping day! Love the leather blazer, can you link please? <3
Ellens vintage. She a NY staple. She is the best and has such special pieces… been going there for years.