10 Jan Malena’s Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show Experience

The Journey Begins: Manhattan Vintage 2018

I started attending vintage clothing shows like Manhattan Vintage in NYC during my sophomore year in college, around 2000 or so. Flashback to booths filled to the brim with some of the best vintage pieces I had ever seen, bumping into celebrities, and waiting in line to pay to get in, hoping I could find a treasure that fit my measly college budget. The shops I don’t remember, but each one specialized in an era. It was like their personal collection was on display. One group had just fanciful eyewear and could fit your prescription in any lens, and another was cases and cases of carved bakelite jewelry. My favorite was an older woman what had racks of tie-dyed silk nightgowns and robes. I heard tell that Courtney Love had just bought some from her the day before.

Although I worked and sold vintage to a few shops in NYC and Brooklyn during college, I never had the opportunity to set up at Manhattan Vintage. Aligning myself with some of the best dealers in the US seemed as attainable as the moon. After opening my store in 2003 I continued to sell to shops in NYC for the shows, I would email photos, get a check mailed to me for their purchases and send the item on its way.

Fast forward to the age of Instagram: photos of booths, vendors, specific pieces, and the creatively costumed attendees pour into my feed every year. It all looked so crazy beautiful.  My network expanded and I continued to sell to an even larger group of sellers who sell at Manhattan Vintage. Many people don’t realize that vintage sellers often buy from each other for resale purposes. Some may focus more on the 1940s, bold 1970s prints, 1950s fit and flare, 1920s silk chiffon, you get the idea. I have never had an issue with doing this, a sale is a sale, right?

#NoSleepTillSarasota …. wait what?

As time passed I longed to be a part of the show. Not just appreciate it from the sidelines. With my husband’s encouragement and the commitment of an amazing staff behind me I applied. As I awaited their reply I booked a 5-day vacation with my two besties who live out west. If I got in I would be flying back from Florida on the 16th of October and the show opens the 19th. Our Fall Showroom Sale was also slated to be a week before I left for Florida.

Probably not a wise move…

I got in, and the hustle began. Prep for our local showroom sale, swapping inventory for the change of season and getting the store ready for my absence consumed me.  Then, what to bring to the show? How do we get there? Where do we stay? Total projected profit, sales, other costs, with a tweak of gauging the value in social media interaction plus meeting new contacts that could increase future sales. Oy!

I was assured by many folks my inventory would stand up to fellow vendors. We started pulling from existing inventory, buying specific items to fill in gaps, and pricing new items daily. First, we had to conquer the sale, then the show, with a vacation in between. I put in extra hours so that when I made it to Florida I could enjoy the company of my friends who I hadn’t seen in two years. As an homage to the Beastie Boys, we joked #nosleeptillsarasota.  

Prep, Prep, and More Prep.

The wonderful Josh Coyne helping us load up for Manhattan Vintage.

The showroom sale went off without a hitch, and now I had one week ’til Florida.  The showroom once again fell victim to my A.D.D. Bins and racks were everywhere. It was a tornado of vintage and antique clothing hit the room. The organization process started again!  We taped out the booth size in the showroom on the floor and put it all together. Racks, tables, displays galore. This way I knew what all would fit!

One thing I desperately wanted for the show was a higher rooftop cargo van. Normal vans are too short for clothing racks, and the box truck is a terrible bitch to drive in NYC. A rental place had the van and I wanted, located 40 min away, but with 600 free miles. That’s a steal! A fellow dealer recommended staying in Secaucus the night before load in, just 7 miles to the show.

This would make a load in time on the morning of the 19th much easier and the hotels are cheaper than in the city. My husband offered to drive the van to New Jersey on Thursday, drop us off Friday with the merchandise in New York and then drive back To West Chester. Saturday evening he would come back with the van. I was feeling very accomplished, my staff was in good spirits, and I headed off to vacation.

Any small business owner can tell you, when you go away it’s hard to stop working, and when you return there is lots and lots to catch up on. Sometimes it takes me up to a week to feel caught up after returning. Not to mention this time of many of my daily duties have fallen behind due to the show preparations. But I had to get away. I needed to clear my head and have fun before the chaos. Vacation was peaceful, relaxing, and I came back ready to tackle the beast.

Easy, Squeazy… Right?

So…remember the amazing deal I got on renting my top pick for a van? An hour before picking up the van I got a call it was in an accident. They had nothing to replace it with. I had to last-minute rent a shitty U-Haul 10-foot truck, hoped everything would fit, and pay a dollar a mile. Naturally, the cost doubled. We struggled to get everything in the truck, found a makeshift ramp, and off to NYC we went with Kari and G trailing behind the bursting truck.  Two and a half hours later we settled in Secaucus, New Jersey. By the time we had dinner and hit the sack it was midnight, and wake up time was 6:30 AM.

For now, this is where the story ends.

Want to hear more about what Manhattan Vintage is like from an insider POV? Let us know your questions! Send us an email at shopmalenas@gmail.com, or find us on Facebook and Instagram.

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