You’ve probably heard some winning horror stories from your friends here in Hoboken about the roommates or apartments they found online. But what happened to the owners of Vintage on First {the awesome new vintage shop that we were all super excited about} probably takes the cake. Before we get into it, it’s important to note that one of the things we love about Hoboken is the sense of community surrounding us, which certainly did not fail our friends at Vintage on First.
^Lady V, outside Vintage on 1st
On May 1st, Hoboken’s new vintage shop, Vintage on First, opened its doors. The grand opening was a hit and the community was getting to know and love it. “This is exactly what Hoboken needs,” customers were saying. And then, just three weeks later, Vintage on First was forced to shut down.
Owner Mark Rosado, who also owns shops in Boston and Providence, was at his Boston location when he received an unexpected call from a shop worker around 1PM. “The sheriff is here with the REAL landlord saying we need to leave the premises. They’re taking the keys and we need to leave right now,” the worker explained.
Stunned, Rosado scrambled to comply with the sheriff’s orders: “I called my main guys. They got everything out, and put it in storage. And we’re probably never going back there again.”
Rosado came to discover that the man he believed to be his landlord was actually a tenant himself who had fallen substantially behind on rent. He was illegally renting the space to Vintage on First.
The situation was upsetting for both Rosado and his customers. But, what’s come of it so far is pretty awesome. Vintage on First is receiving a lot of support from locals, particularly some of the other business owners who share the neighborhood around 1st Street.
“Mike {from Tony Boloney’s} and Joe {from Antique Bakery} loved what was going on. They thought it really brought 1st Street together because it was something different. And, Jessie at Prime. All those guys… they’ve come together to help me find a place.” Thanks to the community support, Vintage on First will be reopening its doors — soon. In fact, they may be temporarily popping up this week at Antique Bakery while they find a new location. We’ll keep you updated as details emerge!
Our EIC, Jen, is just wild about vintage on first! {punny, we know}
“Vintage is my life. It’s gotten me through everything,” explains Rosado. In fact, vintage is how this Hoboken local met his wife.
They were each vendors at a street fair on the Lower East Side. Now, the two have a son, and live on 1st Street, as well.
The path that led Rosado and his wife to Hoboken is an interesting one — originally from New York, he had been traveling and living around the world. He found himself back in New York with a bunch of cool stuff he had collected during his travels. After meeting his wife, they continued traveling, selling their findings and “creating [their] little love story. The clothing is what we bonded over.”
Eventually, he found himself outfitting musicians, including Macklemore, when he dropped the song Thrift Shop.
[This] isn’t going to take my down,” says Rosado. “This story is part of the layers of my fabric.”
Stay tuned for updates on when and where Vintage on First will reopen so you can pop some tags!
