Mother of Junk — Local services in New York

I’ve never felt compelled to leave a review on Google before, but my experience here was so profoundly negative that I had to warn others. While in the store, I took out my film camera to take a picture. Before I took any shot, an employee - a partially bald, older looking guy - very loudly expressed he did not want to be in any photos and asked me to delete any photos I had taken. OK, that’s all fine and good. I put the camera away immediately since the last thing I want to do is violate any workplace policies or make employees feel uncomfortable. No harm, no foul - right?

Well, apparently not. Even after I had put the camera away, the same employee kept on ranting about how people “like me” were always “ruining the experience” for other people. He repeated variations of the same statement very loudly (the entire store could hear) and with profanity for the next few minutes until the environment felt actively hostile; at that point I decided it was best to cut my visit short and leave immediately. Over the many trips I’ve taken to NYC, my customer service interaction with whichever employee was working the night of Sunday, May 26th stands out as the worst by leaps and bounds, maybe the worst in my entire life. Fellow shoppers, do yourself a favor and avoid this storefront at all costs. You can find other places where the employees will treat you with the respect you deserve. Instead of patronizing this business, I’d recommend checking out Yesterday’s News (also in Brooklyn off the G Subway line).

To the owner/whichever employee was working and felt the need to take out their pent-up anger on me: I understand I may have missed signage about taking photos, and by no means had any intention of violating that policy. Giving me a reminder about the rule was fine and good, but being so rude about it to the point you drive customers like me to A) leave your store altogether instead of purchasing anything & B) warn others about your horrid customer service etiquette online, is probably not a good long-term business strategy. Maybe enroll in an anger management class instead of lashing out at customers? Just a thought. I sincerely hope you do better by your customers...

I'm not blind, I see everyone's bad reviews and I get it, no one wants to be pestered by a grumpy store owner, but I did not have this experience. I've never had that experience here.

I love this shop. I love it enough that if the proprietor did have a bone to pick with me one day, I'd still come back.

My best advice for anyone who decides to visit is to read all the little signs and follow the "rules". For example, the postcard section (my personal favorite that I spend a LOT of time in front of) says to leave your cards at the cashier if you plan to shop around after picking some out. So just do that. Or look through them last. No biggie.

I did hear the woman behind the counter say "no photos" when someone walked in with their phone out. I don't know if this is a store policy, just something to keep in mind. Maybe just ask before you take any shots.

This place is a maze one could easily get lost in... or hide in. I imagine they've seen their fair share of theft over the years which likely explains a few things. I'm not saying a bad attitude is excusable, but I am saying there must be a reason for it.

There's a very friendly and knowledgeable fella who works there as well, I think his name was Tom? He didn't speak with me much, but he spoke with loads of people who came in. He always knew exactly what they were looking for and whether or not they had it in stock, despite the PILES of stuff.

I'm giving the STORE 5 stars because it is a 5 star shop for anyone who loves to hunt through treasure. This is not a modern day thrift shop, it's an old garage filled to the brim with vintage/antique furniture, toys, paintings (second floor), glassware, trinkets, ephemera, etc.

I felt the prices were fair, especially for a shop in New York. Most thrift stores here are way overpriced but I always find a deal in Junk.

Maybe I'm old school, but my attitude is that this is their space and I'm just a visitor. I'd recommend you head there with more of an "I'm going to Grandma's house" mind-set.

It is what it is, a wonderfully eccentric place to find treasure and, apparently, sometimes "grandma" is...

I came here once before and didn’t get anything. But today I tried to buy something and the staff had horrible attitude. I wanted to purchase this small piece of framed etching, and after knocking into someone with it in that crowded space, I left it at the front desk and said I will check out later. Then at check out, this old lady told me that the price tag is wrong. I asked her what is the right price, and she rudely responded that it’s not for sale anymore. I simply walked out because this rude attitude is ridiculous. She acted like I did something wrong in front of a whole line of people behind me, it’s embarrassing. And it is not as if I did not hand her the piece at least 20 minutes before I came back to the check out. If the price is really wrong, she would have said something when I gave it to her for the first time, the price tag was right there on the front. I can’t tell if she was trying to get me to pay more knowing I liked the piece, or if she just looked at me and decided that she doesn’t like me, it is infuriating and confusing. I was just looking for a unique Thanksgiving gift for my mom and felt like I should source it locally instead of getting it from eBay of Etsy. I had the patience to come back here to try again after I didn’t find anything last time, and to tolerate a space that smells like dust and mould, where everything is stacked in a way that’s one touch from falling down. The reviews I’ve seen before really weren’t exaggerating the circumstance. I won’t be coming back here again. I suggest that this lady seriously reflect on her behaviour and adjust her attitude, even just for her own sake. Life is not very great when you project your own bitterness on to others. She needs to go to therapy and touch grass.

Edit: saw another review on this place saying that this woman is racist and targets Asian people as well as folks with service animals. That explains why I was treated the way I was treated, it had nothing to do with the price...