Worthy-Opponent

NOT JUST VINTAGE

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn...and so does a movement. I recently found myself in the company of co-owners, Maya and LaMonica of Not Just Vintage-- a little clothing boutique right in the heart of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. Two incredibly talented and fashionably creative ladies, I was fortunate enough to spend an entire afternoon with these two icons in the making.

After spending a few minutes with this duo, I quickly realized how vastly different they are. Everything from fashion sense to business approach seemed to be at opposite polar ends, but once I began digging deeper, I soon saw the connection that, not only binds them, but creates the perfect formula for a colorful symphony of fashion, activism, and self-expression.

Maya, a 25-year-old Bermudian with an eye for perfectly placed accessories and a warm, inviting smile, kinda makes you feel as if you're stepping into her living room when walking into NJV. "I was never into high fashion or designers. I'm all about price. Thrift shopping has always been my thing and, for some reason, people have always liked it!" Having met a few years back in a street market where Maya rented a booth, the two seemed to cross paths everywhere they turned. Having noticed LaMonica's bold fashion sense, they eventually came to the point of hashing out a hectic business plan that soon led them to their little boutique on Bedford and Halsey. "I wanted to play a role in the community" LaMonica says. "Maya is more of the trendy part of the business, I'm more of the vintage side-the dusty side."

Thankfully, there's nothing "dusty" about Not Just Vintage. In fact, it boasts an array of beautifully colored pumps, belts, shorts, and more polyester than you can dream of! The boutique is "throwback" inspired--if you will--and has found a home nestled in Brooklyn's youth culture. Many of their young clients can't even recall spandex or shoulder pads but religiously hit the racks, stocking up on everything from neon-colored bamboo earrings to butterfly belts. Both agree that "vintage clothing is special because you can always revamp it, you can always make it look new."

One thing that became very clear to me was that this was much more than just your run-of-the-mill fashion store, quick to make a buck and move onto the next craze. LaMonica, with her no-nonsense attitude and head-out-of-the-clouds demeanor, reassured me that "this is a space for the community." Halfway through my interview, I was totally convinced that she was not screwing around. Her personal mantra being, "To uplift the Black woman is to uplift the world," I got the feeling that this was a woman who had lived a little and was now taking full advantage of her platform to make a difference. "Not to pull the race card or anything, but we are Black women who own our own business. Not even Black, but Black-Black women, and lots of people look to others as business owners. People don't usually believe its us."

After having spent an entire afternoon on the NJV planet, I began to realize that what Maya and LaMonica were cultivating in Bed-Stuy was a lot more like a neighborhood movement, a true artist space, a cornerstone of Brooklyn, USA. "We're not part of that whole Fort Green scene," LaMonica reassures me. While wrapping up, I asked the girls to give me one piece of advice that they would like to share with the rest of us who are sitting on our asses and not really living out our dreams. "Research! Research! Research!" Maya chants. "Get as much information as possible!" As LaMonica slowly re-asks herself the question in her mind, she politely interrupts Maya by adding, "research, but don't sit on it too long, just go for it. In life, you can always reinvent yourself so if it doesn't work out, move on to something else."