Nick Norman & His Vintage Clothing Store.

Nick Norman is a man of many personas. An average day for him consists of eating 4 eggs, working out, and posing for a photoshoot, all before 11 Am. By then, he’s ripping open clothing shipments or bargaining prices with customers at his vintage clothing store on 14th Street of New York City, Thrift NYC. Although Nick’s daily routine barely has enough free time to blink, he managed to find time for me to interview him. I sat across from the wooden desk with the store’s name spray painted across it by Nick himself, and asked him, “How would you describe this place to somebody who just got out of the womb 30 minutes ago?” Before we were interrupted 30 seconds into the interview by a customer itching to buy a sweater, Nick described the store as “an experience.” Well put, Nick. 

Any pedestrian of 14th street is immediately drawn to the store either by the extremely vintage jackets in the window from 1970s TV Shows, or perhaps the pirate flag draped across the storefront. As you enter, you’re struck with a stimulus overload of Classic Rock blaring from the speakers, the infamous smell of thrifted clothes, unique antique objects, and some of the coolest grails of fashion for an unbelievable price. Nick then complemented his statement by explaining that the shop doubles as a “place to meet some of the coolest, wildest walks of life.” Nick's addition to his description is what separates his store from the rest. 

Thrift NYC is a hub of young individuals to discuss their opinions on the current state of fashion and youth culture, find artistic minded individuals to collaborate with, chat with people who traveled all the way from Europe and found themselves in the depths of Nick’s clothing racks, or even meet up to hit the boba place next door. Nick’s shop is more than just a vintage clothing shop, it’s the epitome of what it means to be cool on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

The way the skater kids and model girls dress is something that's forever evolving. At the moment, Adidas Sambas and the baggiest pants of all mankind are what’s in, but that could change from one post by Hidden.ny, an extremely popular, fashion-based instagram account. Our friend Nick has capitalized both financially and culturally by putting himself directly into the heart of it all.

“I’ve never felt more connected to a community, let alone this community,” Nick states in regards to his store’s location in the East Village and his customers. Not only has Nick made allies with his fellow store owners on the block, but customers have returned as regulars, whom Nick daps up each time they walk through the sticker covered doorway before he rushes to find the best fitting pants. Nick is single-handedly developing his own sub-community of kids interested in fashion and the arts – who he’s gotten the opportunity to meet, connect via instagram, work with, or even help them find the right button down tee.

Nick was attending Colorado State University before the pandemic hit which led to him taking a gap semester. He explained that the semester turned into a gap year, and he never went back. He got involved with modeling after getting scouted while home in the city, which he juggled between two bartending jobs in order to stay afloat. The work in the modeling industry only increased his interest in fashion, developing a collection of pieces and an overall appreciation for vintage items.

Eventually after stumbling into the original Thrift NYC store on the Upper East Side, Nick became a regular at the store. Eventually he befriended the owner and pitched the idea to open a second shop downtown. They built the store and opened this past Spring. The foot traffic being right on 14th Street has been phenomenal with no signs of slowing down. His idea was to have ideas. Nick is taking what was once a shop, vintage thrift and antique store and is developing it into a company with his business partner. He explained to me his plan to continue expanding, branding themselves, and more that I can’t share with the public yet. The store’s traction and development is only going up from here.

Nick himself works the store everyday, from 11 Am to 7 Pm, staying all the way until Midnight some nights working on the store's interior or a side project with his business partner from the uptown store. This business has required almost all of Nick’s time, but after seeing his absolute enthusiasm for his store while interviewing him it’s obvious his passion for the shop is keeping him more than motivated. Nick stated that rising before the city itself is up, working out and eating 4 eggs with pancakes which he considered a “light” breakfast, shows that the man is a machine with a drive like nobody else. I can’t wait to see what Nick does next with the future of Thrift NYC.