My love for all things vintage has grown immensely in the past year especially in the past few months as I’ve dug deep into the history of these vintage and retro fashions. However, as my love grew, I found my usual shopping spots less than adequate in filing my need for quality vintage clothing at an affordable price.

So, you can only imagine how happy I was to find Black Bear Vintage! In today’s post, I’m wearing the newest addition to my vintage catalog courtesy of Black Bear Vintage.

Outfit Details:

Shoes: Diba

Dress: Orvis c. 1856

Bag: (Unmarked) thrift piece

Earrings: (Unmarked) vintage piece from Mercari

In regards to the vintage authenticity of my pieces, the only piece that I can 100% speak for is the dress. Based on my research, it’s circa 1960-1970 because that’s the time period in which this company actually sold dresses. They deal mainly in hunting/fishing gears these days. It’s kind of cool to know that not too many people have this dress and you can’t buy it from any manufacturers these days.

The earrings are unmarked but they scream 1960’s/mod era to me. However, because they are marked, it can’t be verified and that’s alright with me.

Piece by piece, I’m putting together my funky retro wardrobe of my dreams and I’ll be sharing all my shopping stops (the good & bad) along the way.

Keep reading for my review of Black Bear Vintage.

Black Bear Vintage is a mom & pop vintage store located in Brooklyn that has an impressive vintage catalog for an affordable price.

I will be rating Black Bear Vintage on five categories with a maximum of two stars for each category: Staff/Atmosphere, Variety, Uniqueness, Prices and Quality.

For the sake of my fingers, I’ll be referring to Black Bear Vintage as BBV for the rest of this post.

Staff/Atmosphere: 🌟

The staff at BBV is great, especially in relation to other thrift/vintage/used stores. The store assistant/clerk and the owner were readily available to assist with whatever pieces I was interested in and looking for. In additional to that, my pieces were carefully wrapped and packaged after I got them. While those are minor things, it speaks to the level of customer service offered at Black Bear Vintage.

The overall atmosphere is a bit whimsical and grandma-ish and while it’s not the trendiest, it fits the theme of clothing that is sold.

On the negative side, the store is a bit small and the dressing room seems like it used to be a bathroom/closet hybrid but it has a cute vintage mirror & chair setup to make up for that.

Variety: 🌟

BBV has a wide variety of clothing ranging from vintage dresses to locally made crafts. A majority of their merchandise is geared towards women with smaller sections for men, children, and home goods. In regards to sizing, they carry from about small to large. I wear a large and some of my favorite pieces were a no-go for me because of the lack of variety in sizing.

If you’re on the heavier side, please keep that in mind.

It’s vintage y’know?

Uniqueness: 🌟 🌟

No two pieces are alike at BBV. You’re guaranteed to stand out with the pieces in this lil shop. Let my “ladybug” dress be a shining testament to that!

Prices: 🌟

On average, most pieces are about $20 - $70. The higher end designer pieces went for $100+. For the average thrift shopper, this is pricey but when it comes to vintage, these prices are relatively standard.

With that being said, expect to spend at least $50 - $100 when going here and prayyyy that they are having a sale. I happened to go on a 50% off of clothing sale day so I was a happy camper 😁

Quality: 🌟🌟

I was delighted by the quality of the clothing at BBV, When you wear vintage, you’re basically wearing history and there is expected wear and tear with that. Therefore, I always inspect my pieces and try them on to ensure that everything is where and how it should be.

Give or take a missing button or two, most of the clothing at BBV was in pristine quality. I was happy to shop with confidence in this establishment.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, Black Bear Vintage holds it own with 7 out of 10 stars. High points for this store are the wonderful customer service and the uniqueness of their pieces.

If you’re new to the vintage lifestyle life and happen to live on the F/G line in Brooklyn, you’re in for one helluva treat.

If you want to support a small business with great merchandise, you’ll love this cute shop.

However, if you live in any other Borough than Brooklyn, I’d advise passing on this store for something nearer to home with a similar variety, if you don’t like travelling.

For those that make the trip, you won’t regret it.

See for yourself!

469 16th St
Brooklyn, NY 11215

b/t 10th Ave & W Prospect Park
Windsor Terrace

Bit by the vintage bug?

Watch my latest video on “Five Things to Know Before Shopping Vintage”

Love & Light,

Rachel.