Name: Faith Bowman
Shop Name: SEB Market BK
Years in business: 7
Location of business: Brooklyn
Online, storefront or both: Just online
What attracted you to vintage? Buying it? Wearing it?
When I was 12, I could buy things at the thrift store because they had items for a quarter or fifty cents. I remember one place had a huge box of beaded sweaters from the '50s, and I couldn’t get over how such pretty things were considered garbage.
What inspired you to open your vintage shop?
To be honest, this type of venture runs in my family. I had an aunt who owned a wig store in New Jersey. My cousin had her own vintage shop years later. I actually have a fashion designer for a sister-in-law. I’ve tried a lot of different things but buying and selling vintage is natural for me. I’m saving things from being tossed away and helping buyers express their style.
Tell us a little about your collection? Is it decade specific? Size specific? Themed in any way?
I've notice little trends in what I buy. I love lace and polyester dresses from the '70s and '80s. I love anything that feels punk or new wave. I love a good men’s blazer or coat -- they’re so well made! I love finding things that feel historic like a bandana print '70s shirt that could have started the high-end trend we see now. I buy things like that for collectors, stylists and designers.
I love ethnic items. Finding an authentic kente cloth gown or sparkling Indian sari gives me a chance to study and appreciate the culture’s fashion.
As a Black person in vintage, do you think you offer a different perspective to the vintage marketplace?
I have an outsider’s perspective. I’m not only Black, I’m first generation Guyanese American. When I was growing up, there was no social media and no computers. That informs everything I do. When I go looking for inventory, I think I buy things that express a need for belonging and a desire to be part of the crowd. A good polyester dress with a pussycat bow can take you anywhere.
Have you faced any obstacles as a Black vintage owner? Any notable wins?
The worst was when I did a pop-up weekend in Williamsburg and only sold three things. I felt deeply unwelcome I just hated the whole thing.
Conversely, I did The Thrill (Thrilling's vintage market) and even though everything was going wrong (had to have racks delivered, one rack collapsed, I was a mess!) I loved meeting these beautiful, intelligent, engaged customers. I was in a terror of having to sell in person, but it worked out.
Shop SEB Market BK at shopthrilling.com/collections/seb-market