From Stoop Sale to Storefront: Again Vintage in Bed-Stuy

Walk along the streets of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, when the weather is tolerable, and you’ll notice a kind of commerce quietly taking place. It can be as ad hoc as a box of knick-knacks left outside for anyone to take, to racks of clothes and tables of household items put out for purchase. Sometimes there’s a hand-drawn cardboard sign taped to a stop sign at the corner or a neighbor passing you by as they nod down the street, “There’s a stoop sale down there.” A marriage between spring cleaning and decluttering closet-deficient apartments and a sustainable resale platform with no app required.

Again Vintage, part secondhand and upcycled shop, part cafe, part community space, part studio. It was born from this stoop-to-stoop retail model and is the love child of co-owners, interdisciplinary creative Sara Elise, and Ryann Holmes, who founded bklyn boihood, a collective of “masculine of center” folks of color. Like many people in New York, the couple bought land upstate during the height of the COVID mass exodus and now split their time between the Catskills and Brooklyn. “ In the process of designing our home and thoughtfully and intentionally gathering pieces, we were coming across all of these things that we loved,” said Elise. Both minimalists, the two began collecting items to curate stoop sales in front of Elise’s Bed-Stuy apartment. 

But Holmes and Elise took the traditional stoop sale a bit further with curated selections and Again Vintage-branded signage. “ We would set out tables with our finds, and it was like a kind of an elevated idea for a stoop sale. And then folks from the neighborhood would come by and say, 'Oh, I love this. Where is your store located?'”

Now, a year into their brick-and-mortar venture, the long-time pair says their interests converge in the space. “Elise is intentional with like, designing something that evokes creativity; makes you feel inspired, and also like, comfortable,” gushed Holmes. “It’s the same effort she puts into our home.” Elise, in turn, credits their assimilation with the neighborhood to Holmes. “I love the way that Ryann is able to steward the space that we're in as part of this community that's already been there and has already been thriving; the way they can bring folks in from the block.”

The sunlit, minimalist shop has something for everyone. Space to sit and read or sip from their menu of small-batch coffee from Driftaway; whole-leaf teas sourced from China, Nepal, and Japan; a curated pantry with gut-healthy provisions, and even a partnership with florist Drake Vaccaro, for featured arrangements that sell out in a matter of days. “ We definitely consider this our quote-unquote family business,” said Holmes. “Our dog is our daughter. She's in the shop with us, greeting people, but like being super cute in her little outfit.”

Their vintage offerings are a mix of curated and upcycled housewares from their upstate excursions and pieces brought in from elders in the community that are either gifted or consigned through the shop. Their open-door relationship with the businesses around their Marcus Garvey Blvd. location and the long-time residents of the area is intentional and even foundational to their ethos. “ It's been all of these good omens and blessings from folks who've lived here forever,” chimed Elise.

So whether you’re seeking a new home for your grandmother’s glass Boudoir lamp, kitchen essentials that won’t upset your gut flora, or a partner to host your next book club discussion, there’s an open door at Again Vintage. As Bed-Stuy becomes increasingly unrecognizable, neighborliness and finding your people remain mainstays. Again Vintage signals exactly who it’s for — Black-owned, queer-welcoming, intentionally beautiful — it bridges longtime residents and newcomers without losing the plot: keep culture, care, and goods on the block.