Junkman's Daughter — Attraction in Atlanta

One of the reason's that I loved this store is because I felt so nostalgic shopping there, I was reminded of days shopping in the 80's in Chicago at vintage shops on Clark. Because I'd been in once before I was excited to introduce my oldest daughter to the store as she was in town and I knew she would love it. We decided to visit Junkman's Daughter as a family on Christmas Eve 2024 (myself, my mother, two daughters, grandson and daughter's boyfriend). We came into the store to shop around, when my mother and I and my youngest adult daughter begin to look at the lava lamps, a young lady sitting at an elevated counter began to stare at us. She didn't ask to assist us with anything. At this time I'm feeling weird but I am intuitive enough to know when something feels uncomfortable. As we continued to shop I begin to notice that everywhere we went people who worked at the store followed not asking to assist but lurking around us. The final straw was when I was surrounded by three people who were staff, I realized that we were being profiled. I instructed my youngest daughter to leave out with my mom and grandson, as I was hoping staff would feel more comfortable the less of US in the store. As my daughter headed for the door the "alarm went off". I rude guy asked to search her purse, she complied and of course there was nothing found. At this point, I'm looking in the store for my oldest daughter to inform her we needed to leave as we were being profiled and I didn't appreciate it. Here is the deal: just because we were black and dressed comfortably didn't mean we were what is often perceived as thugs or thieves. Because of our careers, my oldest daughter and I have frequent background checks and are licensed as a professional counselor in several states including GA. My youngest daughter is a social media copywriter and strategist, my mom is an instructor and lead teacher for her department at Atlanta Public Schools, my daughter's boyfriend owns a successful landscaping business. Do Not Invalidate Our Experience because as you can see we are quite intelligent enough to know when we are being profiled, that's what I do for a living, study behaviors. May I suggest instead of being defensive you show some cultural humility that signifies a willingness to learn and acknowledge one's own cultural biases. Invest in trainings that would help you and your staff become more transculturally aware and sensitive. I'm upset because I really like this store, but in good conscious I can no longer shop here. The saddest part of it all, is that my articulate, loving, and friendly grandson had to experience this at the age of 3. I used it as a teaching moment to empower and...

Came here a bit ago and loved the store but my experience with some employees and sizes put me off.

For starters, the selection of clothing is pretty great! You can find a lot of quality brands, indie/local art, lifestyle items, costumes, etc! It felt like I walked into drag race when I saw the outfits and shoes they had displayed, it was genuinely that cool. But the sizing wasn’t great. I understand that a lot of brands, especially alternative ones, don’t make plus/midsize clothing but there’s some that do. I expected to at least find some Tripp dresses larger than an M but was disappointed. A very sweet employee helped me find what few items there were in my size and I did end up purchasing some pants.

But then there was the other staff I talked to. As someone who has worked in retail and currently deals with public affairs, I understand that we don’t always have the energy to be friendly or peppy all the time but being outright rude is not the answer. I went up to get a pair of shoes, waited a moment to be sure they weren’t busy, said hello, and was immediately told off by an employee because they had other people to ‘deal with’. Again, understandable, but it did not have to be angrily told to me while they were seemingly leaning against the wall which made them look available. I then asked if they had certain sizes in a few pairs of shoes I was set on buying. They only brought out one pair and had an attitude about it. I did end up buying the single pair they cared to bring out but the moment the employee left, another customer said that they had received the same rude lack of service.

I then went to check out with my family member. The checkout was ok, I did feel a little out of place as the cashier stayed mostly silent even as I asked about the store and an outfit, but the treatment of my family member made me upset there. They aren’t alternative but wanted some clothing and the cashier made a face the moment they walked up to the counter.

I don’t think I’d mind buying from them online but I just don’t think it’s worth it for me to drive back to the store after this because I really am put off by the employees and lack of diversity in sizes. I’ve also noticed a lot of other people in the ATL alt community having similar incidents as of late so until I hear or personally see a shift, I probably won’t recommend it to my friends to go in store rather...

It's a really nice store. We haven't visited since July 2022 and I neglected leaving a review because I didn't want to hold this store accountable for the actions of someone else. We've probably visited a half dozen or so times over the last couple of years, usually spending a decent amount on each visit. Traveling to this part of the city is never that much fun because of the parking situations. When we arrived it was just before noon, so just before the doors open. We didn't have any issues finding a parking spot here around this time and we happily shopped inside for about an hour.

After making some purchases we returned with our goods to the car. It was at this time that we were approached by someone claiming to be with parking. Since we had been inside, we noticed a parking company had set up a little tent by now and were charging for the lot. That's fine, we get that. It's L5P and anywhere down here probably charges, but we weren't aware of that and they had not set up before we arrived so thus we never paid. As we don't frequent this area but once every few months, and I have been ripped off in downtown Atlanta areas many times over the years, I was a little hesitant of this guy. So I simply asked him why didn't all the cars in the lot have the tags he was selling and he replied rudely. He then proceeded to make fun of our clothing (which by the way, is sold inside Junkman's Daughter) and for being goths, before telling us we weren't allowed to park there now.

As it stands, we've yet to return. I did want to get this out there though in case others are unaware that sometimes these guys are out there. It's fine to ask for pay to park here, but if you aren't set up and visible and didn't stop us before we arrived an hour earlier you can't accost us on the way out after we're already done. I did ask for his name, which was Nathan. I considered reporting his behavior and for verbally harassing us but never did.

Anyway, this is a great store. My wife and I have bought home decor, clothing and shoes from here over the years. Just been thinking of coming back to visit lately but the memory of this experience stings a bit to relive. It sucks to have parking security outside that harasses goths for dressing like goths outside the store that sells...