Spooky Boutique's creator Ricky Berger is no stranger to the City, Artists & Fleas or the vintage scene. A mainstay of NYC's vintage circuit spanning more than 2 decades, Berger has developed a cult-like following of hip fashionistas, stylists and local artists who rely on his creativity and his uber-fine sensibility to source some true gems in today's crowded vintage scene. When he's not set up (Saturdays & Sundays) at the Vintage Market, Ricky can often be found nearby at trusted friend Malin Landaeus up the block.
A&F: Where did the name Spooky
Boutique come from?
Spooky Boutique: Well in one of the old Beetle Juice
cartoons, the little girl goes shopping with her spider friend and they sing
this fun song: “shop while you freak at the spooky boutique”. I’m all about shopping
being a fun and funky experience so I thought it was a good fit.
A&F: What would one find in the
Spooky Boutique?
Spooky Boutique: Everything vintage: mostly
women’s jewelry, clothing and accessories from Victorian to the 80s. I love
fancy and beautiful designs and have a wide range of merchandise including designer
pieces, and basics. My stuff appeals to wide range of people.
A&F: How did you get into vintage
clothing?
Spooky Boutique: I grew up in Wisconsin. When I
was 14 my high school drama club did Bye Bye Birdie. We asked people to donate
clothes for the show and got all sort of cool things from the 50s and 60s. When
it was over, the school was gonna throw it all out so I took some of it home
and started a costume room for the school with the rest. I started getting
really into cleaning, fixing and altering vintage clothes, and my collection grew.
When I started wearing some of the things my self, people were like “ewww! Why
are you wearing a dead person’s clothes?” and I was like “Why not?!”
A&F: When did vintage become a
career for you instead of a hobby?
Spooky Boutique: I moved to NYC 15 years ago
and got a job in a shoe store. There was an employee there that wanted to start
a thrift store in Harlem focused on job training for underprivileged women.
Because of my experience in vintage clothing, he asked me to be involved and I
thought “I love to shop for beautiful things, why not make money off it?!” I
ended up running the place for three years.
After that, The Association of
Charitable thrifts asked me to manage a new store they were opening and I did
that more ten years before deciding it was time to go on my own.
A&F: Where do you sell now?
Spooky Boutique: Artists & Fleas of course! I
love the market for its atmosphere. It’s a great social scene with great
vendors and tons of visitors to meet. It’s really like a little family. I do a
few other things on the side too.
A&F: What inspires you to continue
your work with vintage?
Spooky Boutique: I LOVE glamour and beauty. It’s
so cool to me to be able to recycle a gorgeous piece of clothing and have a unique
outfit for less money than in a store. Also, it’s really fun to see a girl come
in and find something that could have belonged to her grandmother and see her
connect to the past in that way. And of course, I LOOOVE shopping! It’s like
going on a big treasure hunt.
A&F: What are your future aspirations?
Spooky Boutique: Eventually I’d like to open
store, but I like taking things step by step. Just seeing what happens next
after finishing up this stage. I love to shop for other people and finding
things and fixing them up, so as long as I’m doing that I’m happy.
A&F: Anything else you want people
to know?
Spooky Boutique: I just started taking credit cards and two week layaway. I also do rentals to stylists. But on a more personal note, I just want to spread the fun! When people find something fabulous in my shop, I get so excited and they get so excited and everyone is just having so much fun. It’s so cool to make a living doing what you love!
Visit the Spooky Boutique every week at the Vintage Market at Artists & Fleas.
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