Kalimera — Local services in New York

Profiling incident

Debated for months about posting this and finally landed on doing so. Back in January on the 16th, I visited for the first (and last time) after seeing someone post about their brief visit here on tiktok. The clothes looked cute and I enjoy vintage shopping so wanted to just check it out. Upon walking in things were fine, however, I went up the the person at the front register twice to ask a question and she refused to make eye contact with me (not sure if she was the owner?). I understand that some people experience social anxiety, but seeing her engage in a friendly manner with other non-Black customers left me with an unsettled feeling. I immediately knew after trying on the pieces it would be time for me to exit the shop as I clearly wasn’t wanted there. I thought hm maybe I’m being a bit paranoid but unfortunately my last encounter with this person at the front honestly solidified everything for me. When I went outside to look at the sales rack, I felt eyes on me which was proven not only to be a feeling but a reality. I turned and saw the same person who had given such poor customer service literally standing behind me near the door watching me, and as soon as I turned acted as though she wasn’t. She clearly was. And keep in mind she’d previously been by the register which is a bit far from the entrance. It absolutely ruined my day as this isn’t something you get used to unfortunately.

I honestly posted this for the sake of other Black patrons really. I am a dark-skinned Black woman and understand my experiences definitely vary from others in terms of treatment, but regardless I wanted to share. Hope no one else has to...

OVERPRICED / GENERIC + RUDE

I came to Kalimera with my girlfriend, after she had seen it on several “best vintage store” videos online. We both left with the firm conviction that was a demonstrably false label.

The selection is bland and uninspired - like a store brand toothpaste. Not even Crest, something worse. It’s like the owners are just copy / pasting generic vintage store tropes. And not to mention OVERPRICED - super generic, random-branded shirts pushing $80 and most items over $100. Keep on mind, not vintage designer - random brands, sometimes with no tags even available. I felt like I was eating pasta without any sauce - for the price of prime rib. And all while listening to the most horrible and loud music. This experience is in stark contrast, it might be mentioned, to some of the actually well curated stores in the area, such as Kosuge Bachman in Greenpoint.

On top of this blah blah blah put me to sleep selection, the owners / workers were super rude. My girlfriend couldn’t reach a pair of shoes that were hanging and the retail assistant clearly saw this and didn’t offer to help. In addition, we nicely asked if it was possible to put things on hold. She rudely responded “no” without any explanation. I understand the policy, and respect if that’s the case, but there’s no reason to be so rude.

We ended up leaving without purchasing anything and shocked at the customer service. I recommend staying WELL CLEAR of Kalimera. Not worth any...

The person who has worked every time I come in (like today- not sure if she is the owner or not) has been utterly unpleasant, glares at customers, seems pissed if you talk to her or need her. I have purchased things a few times because I love to support small businesses, love being in community with them — I work for one myself, and trust me I WANT to be convinced otherwise that this place is anything other than so cold and unfriendly. I tried talking to her and smiling and that ended up in further rudeness and short communication.

The kicker is I work for a vintage store and have worked in retail for a decade -- I GET how hard retail / service is. But this is really unsettling and disappointing. I have an incredibly low bar for how service staff act because laborers shouldn’t have to perform to earn low wages, but this bothered me enough times I feel completely put off as a repeat customer who has tried multiple times to have a different experience. Cute stuff,...