Crowley Vintage — Local services in New York

When I googled Crowley Vintage to write a review after my visit today I was surprised to see a handful of negative reviews given my personal experience.

Contrary to what others have said, I found the owner to be friendly, helpful, and went out of his way to help answer all of my questions. I even bought a pair of vintage Polo loafers and Sean took the time to make them look good as new, taking about 20 minutes in an already busy store to do this, he conditioned them right in front of me, etc. I thought that was pretty remarkable. You don't see that type of service very often.

I did feel the mask thing was sort of circa few years ago but understanding that he's immunocompromised as he's stated in other replies, I completely understand the need to prioritize his health first. I don't think anyone can or should fault him for that.

Ultimately, you should expect the prices to be what they are. You simply don't find this type of selection of vintage Ralph Lauren or Polo anywhere else all in one place. You're not paying just for the item itself, but also the care they take for that item, and the meticulous organization of their clothing and cleanliness (which is obvious the second you walk into their door). They also obviously have overhead they need to cover. This isn't Ebay.

The way I see it is this: you're building a relationship with the store and vice versa and the store is naturally going to provide more of their time / personal advice to those they feel are going to appreciate it and continue to shop with them. I don't think that's a bad thing to be honest.

I'm very much looking forward to making Crowley Vintage a frequent stop and am looking forward to building a collection, although my wallet is going to hate me for it, it's worth it in the end to have a sense of unique style that can't be bought in other...

In over 20 years of vintage shopping, this is one in only a small handful of stores (both locally and abroad) that I've been to where the selection and quality of items is truly top notch, from my humble (and admittedly subjective) opinion. Having said that, the prices are much too high, even by New York standards. ($160 for a 1960s Sears polo shirt with visible piling/lint?)

Also, it's the only shop that I can think of (vintage or otherwise) where none of the items carry an actual price tag (at least that was the case when I visited last winter), which means that not only you may need to quickly fall out of love at check out with that amazing boating blazer you found, but also might prevent you from building a loyal rapport with the shop itself. (In other words, would you sit down—let alone come back—for a meal at a restaurant if the menu had missing prices, even if the food was superb?)

My hat goes off to you if your budget is more ample or forgiving than mine, and there's obviously a coterie of shop regulars that find the prices commensurate with the selection, but on my end I sadly won't be going back to Crowley...

I really enjoyed my experience at Crowley Vintage. The owner clearly has a talented eye and his collection is well curated. I enjoyed chatting with him as we discussed the varies pieces I liked.

Each piece has been thoroughly selected, inspected, repaired where necessary, and cleaned. You are getting access to an inventory of vintage wear that is not readily available anymore and that takes a lot of time/effort from the owner to find such treasures and bring them back to life. Some of the items appear never to have been worn! .

I bought 4 items that Mr. Crowley indicated were indeed rare finds: A vintage 1960's Smoking Jacket/Robe 1970s striped terrycloth jacket A vaudeville'esq, retro, striped jacket (never used) A vintage Ralph Lauren rounded collar shirt

One of the items required a small repair and Mr. Crowley whipped out his thread and needle to make sure it was right. Talent!

I definitely would return if I was in the area. I had a lot of fun spending 2hours there looking around and trying things on (Mr. Crowley - Please invest in one...