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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 Church Street Surplus
Daniel Garofali was born in Australia and has been dubbed "the world's first social media supermodel" after a viral leap into the limelight landed him a contract with Wilhelmina. He also operates an online shop which sells things like calendars, postcards and DVDs, all featuring his mug (and some other body parts; it's rather NSFW.)
Just across Canal Street from my apartment lies Church Street Surplus, one of NYC's best vintage and military clothing stores. It's authentic as it gets, a secret gold mine for many over the last 50 years. It's a rare occasion that I don't drop into this shop on my way home to browse the extensive collection of motorcycle jackets, leather pants, furs, suits, pea coats and cowboy boots—all of which makes it a staple destination for costume departments, New York's fashionistas, and that eclectic tie collector.
The best part about CSS is that they sell, as the shop owner likes to say, "schmattas." The clothes and accessories are reasonably priced when compared to other vintage establishments in the city, which allows you to pick up some unique pieces to finish your outfit for only a few bucks.· Church Street Surplus [Official Site]
· Daniel Garofali [Official Site; NSFW]
· All Shopping Confidential Posts [Racked NY]
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