:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45398234/racked_placeholder.4.0.jpg)
Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
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.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3214914/2011_12_ethnix.0.jpeg)
Image via Ethnix on EBay
Melaena Cadiz is a New York-based singer-songwriter who has been recognized for her deep folk and country influences, but also, she's captured the eyes of many due to her thrift-find style. Her babydoll dresses, cut-off denim vests, and vintage hard-armor gems have certainly made her stand out. After working on her latest music video, the productions stylist took Cadiz to Ethnix, a shop on the 2nd floor of a Soho building that has everything from African Masks to one of a kind ceremonial robes.
I just remembered a store that is amazing and that you should definitely check out. It's called Ethnix and it's in Soho between Houston and Prince Streets. I was working on a music video about a year ago and the stylist, Morgan Gibbons, took me here and we became friends with the owner David Stiffler. You walk into Ethnix and it's like walking into a bazaar in some distant corner of the world. African masks and ceremonial robes and hats hang everywhere; there are cases upon cases of incredible jewelry. We found the most amazing stuff for the video: a gorgeous shaman necklace and a hat made of shells, antique buttons, and horsehair. I coveted and finally went back to buy this beautiful Tuareg necklace that's a sterling silver cross on a string of shiny black beads. The Tuareg say it symbolizes the four corners of the world "because one never knows where one will die."
· Ethnix [Official Site]
· Melaena Cadiz [Official Site]
· All Shopping Confidential Posts [Racked NY]