What makes a purchase “worth it”? The answer is different for everybody, so we’re asking some of the coolest, most shopping-savvy people we know—from small-business owners to designers, artists, and actors—to tell us the story behind one of their most prized possessions.
Who?
Sometimes you meet people who love vintage. And then you meet people who love vintage so much that they’ve made it their full-time job to make treasure hunting more enjoyable for the rest of us, like Anna Gray. As the founder of Club Vintage—and formerly Object Limited (the peer-to-peer marketplace for vintage enthusiasts)—the circular economy is her greatest passion. The daughter of an architect and an horticulturist with a brother who runs recycled mirror company Glared Goods, being eco-conscious also happens to run in her blood.
Prior to opening her storefront in 2021, Anna worked in styling, modeling, and event production for brands like Opening Ceremony. Operating out of a cobblestoned corner in the Seaport neighborhood, Club Vintage functions as a quasi-department store for rotating vintage clothing and furniture vendors, with an inventory hand-selected entirely by indie entrepreneurs, influencers, or people who are simply cleaning up their closets.
“We organize events and pop-ups around new vendors coming in once a month, and it’s a great way for people to have tactile experiences with brands they only know digitally via Etsy or Instagram,” she explains. “When we launched, it was important that our store carried goods beyond just clothes. That’s why you walk into what feels like an apartment. Whether you’re looking to add to your closet or your room, you’re able to see how your life could be.”
What?
In 2019, when Anna moved into her current apartment with friends on the Lower East Side, finding the right dining table to fit the intricacies of a small space—and multiple big personalities—was imperative. After attempting to look on Facebook Marketplace and consistently coming up empty, Anna decided to consult their woodworker friend Jonah Peterschild to build her dream design from scratch.
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