About UsPartner With Us
Opening Hours
Today: 12–8pm
Thurs:
12–8pm
Fri:
12–8pm
Sat:
12–8pm
Sun:
12–6pm
Mon:
Closed
Tues:
Closed
Location
437 East 9th Street
Neighborhoods
Mr. Throwback 1 Vintage East Village

"I feel like I am twelve again and in my childhood bedroom," is how Mike Spitz describes coming into work everyday. He might be the most enthusiastic owner of a small side street business that I have encountered, thus far. I love to hear stories of how people have been able to successfully follow their dreams. Mike grew up saving and collecting his favorite toys, sports paraphernalia, videos and video games. While others were playing outdoors, he was busy online scouting prices and looking to buy and sell from customers. During college he continued to indulge in his passion, but once out, took a job in accounting. As he remarked, "that didn't last long...my heart wasn't in it." Instead, he gathered his collection and stood outdoors first at the Hell's Kitchen flea market and then Dekalb Market in Brooklyn. At the age of thirty, Mike finally decided it was time to open his own shop on 9th Street. And what a store it is. There is vintage clothing hanging on the bars for men, women and children with an emphasis on jerseys, but also concert tees, Cosby sweaters, denim, sneakers and baseball caps. The shelves are lined with items primarily from the 80's and 90's, including Ninjas, trolls, Power Rangers, and He-Man alongside Starting Line Up, WWF, and other sport figurines. Everywhere I turned, I saw something else that had been in my son's bedroom while he was growing up....and I saved it all...and Mike would like to get his hands on it...but that is up to my son.

Location
Loading
Mr. Throwback 2 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 3 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 4 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 5 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 1 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 6 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 7 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 8 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 9 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 10 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 11 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 12 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 13 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 14 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 15 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 16 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 17 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 18 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 19 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 20 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 21 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 22 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 23 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 24 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 25 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 26 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 27 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 28 Vintage East Village
Mr. Throwback 29 Vintage East Village

More Vintage nearby

Lost Gem
Spark Pretty 1 Vintage Womens Clothing Mens Clothing East Village

Spark Pretty

Amanda Dolan and Meagan Colby have a wild, wacky, sparkly, and generally outrageous sense of style. On 9th street, they fit right in. Spark Pretty, their pop-up shop turned permanent storefront, has garnered plenty of attention since opening in the East Village in September 2017. The Manhattan Sideways team was eager to learn more about the story behind the store, and so we caught up with Amanda and Meagan on a quiet Tuesday in January.After stepping inside, the term “visual lifestyle brand” will make perfect sense to even the most fashion-hapless visitor. Amanda and Meagan have transformed the space from floor to ceiling with a spectacular collage of posters, lights, memorabilia, and clothing that is a work of art in itself. The design is anything but random. It does not take long to realize that everything has been carefully curated to reflect a particular aesthetic from the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, and that when it comes to the clothing, a great deal of effort has gone into acquiring each vintage dress, pant, jumpsuit, skirt, jacket, and curated T-shirt.In fact, Spark Pretty is the result of a lifelong passion for iconoclastic style. Amanda, who grew up in Greenwich, CT, stuck out among her peers who dressed in the "latest shades of beige." She cites childhood visits to thrift shops with her grandmother as one of the reasons she enjoys looking different. Meanwhile, in California, Meagan made fashion statements of her own, whether it was with purple hair, piercings, or a pair of oversized dad jeans. The two women agree that they were lucky. They always knew who they were and what they wanted to wear to reflect their personalities. Careful not to come off as shaking their fingers at the younger generation, the pair insist that searching for buried treasures in bins and boxes helped them hone their personal style in a way that has become less common in the internet age. "Sometimes you don’t know what you are looking for until you find it," Meagan admitted. The two friends first met as stylists working at Betsey Johnson, but when the retail chain filed for bankruptcy, they decided to strike out on their own. As part of their inventory at Spark Pretty, they have a selection of one-off items from the Betsey Johnson showroom. Both women agreed that working at Betsey Johnson was their "apprenticeship." After over fifteen years of friendship, road trips, and shopping, the Spark Pretty brand was born. Now, along with in-house designer Thomas Knight (whose custom work has appeared on Usher, Lady Gaga, Madonna, and Rihanna), they are sharing their treasures with the world.During our conversation, something else became clear: Amanda and Meagan are committed to the East Village community. When it came time to decide on a permanent location, they discovered that 9th street made perfect sense. For one, it is a great shopping street with funk that fits the Spark Pretty vibe. More than that, they immediately recognized that it is a real neighborhood with a "tight knit family of fellow small business owners," the type of place where they can plant real roots. That is not to say that running the store is easy. Even if their work is a labor of love, there is still plenty of labor involved and Amanda and Meagan have set high expectations for themselves. “9th Street is magical,” said Amanda. "This is our little jewel box."

More places on 9th Street