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Farfalla Vintage – From NYC Markets to A Storefront
Founders of Farfalla Vintage, Neala and Pete Ciccone have been selling vintage in NYC for over 15 years, first at flea markets and now also at their store front in Williamsburg.
“We had been collecting vintage clothing, records, toys, and all sorts of 60s stuff for years before we got married. Our place was overflowing, but that didn’t prevent us from shopping! In 2008, a friend told us about a new flea market that was launching in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, in the schoolyard of Bishop Laughlin High School at the corner of Lafayette and Vanderbilt Avenues.
We excitedly got our business license and prepared a small booth full of things to sell. It was a seriously cold and windy April day that the first ever Brooklyn Flea kicked off, but when we saw how much people were loving our little collection, we were absolutely hooked! We continued to be regulars at the Brooklyn Flea and started selling on Etsy at that time.
Our favorite of all the Brooklyn Flea locations, Fort Greene, closed after nine seasons. We loved the market as it was right in the middle of a real neighborhood, with a mix of real New Yorkers living all around. There were lots of beautiful trees around the space and it was the perfect size.
We started going uptown on Sundays to sell at the Grand Bazaar, which was also a great experience. Over the years we would sometimes set up in “The Garage”, which was an indoor flea inside a two-level garage on West 26th street. This was part of a whole network of flea markets in various parking lots that had been around for decades in the vicinity of 6th avenue and 26th street.
It was a world famous old-school antique shopping Mecca right in the middle of NYC.
Anyway, “The Garage” was demolished and closed, and the last remaining Chelsea outdoor market, on West 25th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue, was taken over by the team from Brooklyn Flea and reborn as Chelsea Flea!
We continue to sell there when we can, because it attracts such a serious vintage loving crowd. We’ve also sold at the Hampton Flea, Brimfield, The Manhattan Vintage Show, and Threadbare. We love the NYC vintage community.
Flea market culture seems strong right now, especially for vintage jewelry.
There are people hunting the Chelsea Flea all day for vintage costume and fine jewelry.
We have always wanted to have a store, mostly because we knew we could fill a space with all the things we love, not only vintage clothing, which is typically what we bring to markets. We looked at several spaces, but we really wanted a space with some true vintage character. It was surprisingly hard to find that!
We used to live right across the street from where the store is now, and we actually knew the man who had the butcher store there. We went to see the space, and the owner, the butcher’s son, immediately recognized Pete! The shop had a drop ceiling, but we could see the original tin ceiling peeking out from one area. There were two layers of paneling on the walls, but beneath that, there were original tin walls all around. The building was built in 1911, and the space originally had a bar in it. We found a place on Long Island that still made pressed tin sheets in the old patterns to help fill in some parts of the walls that needed it. It all came together pretty quickly once we found the space.
Most of the clothing in the store is true vintage from the 80s or earlier. We really love the 50s, 60s, and 70s the most. We do carry some 90s or Y2K pieces, but that is not a specialty. We also carry a wide selection of mid-century home decor, art, books, and textiles.
People used to shop vintage according to what decade in fashion they liked best.
There are still people out there that want to dress head-to-toe authentic 40s, 50s, 60s, or 70s, etc. but nowadays I think people are more into mixing it all up. The way people are incorporating all different eras into one outfit is truly inspiring. Also, more and more people are looking only for vintage designer clothing. For some, it’s all about that label.
More and more people want to learn about vintage. A day doesn’t go by without someone asking: “Where do you source your inventory?” We think the industry will continue to grow!
People want to participate in the sustainability factor and with columns in Vogue magazine highlighting vintage shopping, etc. it seems to be here to stay. We think that is great.
We still feel that there is tons of good vintage to be discovered out there.
A key to success in the vintage business is taking time to learn about what goes into making a piece of clothing or a fashion accessory. Design details, construction, quality of fabric, trims and hardware, it all matters. Clothing of great quality will always be in style.
Long term, we hope to continue to establish ourselves in the neighborhood. It feels great when people tell me they’ll add the shop to their vintage shopping rounds.”
Farfalla Vintage
662 Metropolitan Ave
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Mon, Wed-Fri 1-7
Sat 12-7
Sun 12-5
@farfallavintage
Find with Gem
plaid cashmere scarf- 70s denim jacket
- 60s leopard coat
- 70s double breasted leather coat
- pink 70s silk scarf
- 70s striped top
- silk headscarf 80s
- 80s striped t-shirt
- vintage dog brooch
- 60s cabana shirt
- enamel flower brooch
- 70s red white polka dot dress
- vintage Hawaiian muumuu dress
- mid century modern necklace
- 70s black leather pouch