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New York City has more stores than anyone could physically tackle, but somehow we always keep returning to the usual suspects. To break out of the rut, we've asked some local shopping and fashion gurus to provide their hidden retail gems—those unique stores around our fantastic city that we might not all know about. Cue the Beatles: We're about to get a little help from our friends.
Image via Yelp
Fashion publicist and proud East Village resident James Volpe helps brands like Baskit, Koolaburra and Oliver Rayn become recognizable names, managing their marketing and public relations strategies. He's explored the ins and outs of the neighborhood, and his favorite shop happens to be Pageant, a quaint space specializing in everything from vintage maps to old magazines.
I really love this little store called Pageant that sits on East 4th Street between Bowery and 2nd Avenue. Appropriately located on what is known as FAB (Fourth Art Block), the tiny storefront sells vintage prints including old street maps, vintage magazine covers and pages from various types of publications. Organized mostly by general topic (fashion, films, people, etc), it's not a place you can go if you are looking for something in particular, but rather to discover art in something you never thought could be.
The prices vary quite a bit depending on the print, the condition, the size, etc, but it's nice to just look flip through the works (which are in plastic protectors) to find something that might interest you. Admittedly, I haven't yet made a purchase, but I'm looking forward to getting in there again this week and buying an old NYC street map that I will have framed as a center piece in the living room of my apartment that is just around the block.· Pageant Books [Official Site]
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