The Vortex

Vortex is closed, y’all. Too bad nobody noticed before it ended up in the Unilocal newsletter.

LOVE this place! The Vortex is a very fitting name. From old furniture, to random knick knacks, to vintage clothes and shoes. They also have a very nice collection of vinyl records (this is what I was most excited about!).
Very good prices. I just took a quick peak in but I’m sure I’d spend a few hours if I could.

As good as it gets! Great prices on records, books and clothes! And check out larry da junk man (the owner) on youtube — a laff’ riot!

Stopped in on the last day of my trip to Brooklyn but didn’t have nearly enough time to dig through everything I wanted to. and by «stopped in» I mean we stayed for an hour.

After walking in, you quickly realize why this place has been dubbed The Vortex. It has just sucked all sorts of wonderful, useless, fascinating, unwanted crap into its grasp.
If I had any criticism, it would be that they seem to have something against easy browsing. Perhaps this is largely due to the sheer amount of junk in here, but there are stacks of CDs with the labels facing inward, blocking other stacks of CDs. There are shelves upon shelves of random magazines, seemingly with no system for ordering; the only way to discover what they are is to pull one out. It could be a tattoo periodical, Mad Magazine, or a photography circular.
Or it could be porn.
Oh yeah. Be warned: Stay away if such things offend your delicate sensibilities, because there is a definite sexual tinge to the stock. I suspected as much when I saw the topless Mona Lisa on the wall, and the other paintings with strategically placed electrical tape to preserve my virgin eyes.
They also have an impressive collection of the worst movies you’ve never heard of.* And we’re not just talking DVDs here; they even have the largest collection of Star Trek: The Next Generation I’ve ever seen on VHS.**
But as far as I know, this is the only one-​stop shop for a Hootie and the Blowfish CD, a martini glass ($ 2), a picture of some random guy and Vanessa Williams, a copy of Hot Tub Harlots on VHS, a Paul Smith jacket, Cub Scout patches…
I could go on all day. Essentially, this is a great place to waste some time, and if you’re lucky, discover something special.
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*Did you even know they MADE a Roadhouse 2?
**That is to say, the only one I’ve ever seen.

I love this store, they are loaded with cool oddities and vintage for a cheap price, I have found a lot of treasures in the store. It used to be piles and piles of stuff, it was messy. Lately the have been organizing and now they have everything even by category. among my finding: several knives (about 7) Several Vintage coca cola items and some old Galilean googles. everything Cheap and in fair condition. If I could I would go everyday to the vortex. I always take 3 to 4 items home and never spend mor than 25 $.

Ever need some racist salt & pepper shakers, a big foam cowboy hat, or a giant waxed canvas McDonalds poster? Yes, well nobody really needs this stuff, we just want it.
This great little store packed to the max with all kinds of great crap. Where does this stuff come from? Lots of good books and vinyl, some clothing, old photos, knives, and other random thrift store goodness. I spent two weeks in here one day…
Prices are sorta high on some things, but probably appropriate for the most part… who knows, you might find steal.

The best and cheapest spot for rare books and vinyl. Hope you possess the knack for «digging». The book selection at this location is better than the one in Greenpoint, but the one in Greenpoint has the huge record basement.

A little out of the way, but an amazing place to get great vinyl for cheap. There’s no rhyme or reason to the milk crates and shelves full of records, but I’d much rather dig for treasure for hours and be happily surprised that I found an old almost pristine Elvis Costello album for $ 2 than spend $ 15 at another place. People there are a little stoner-​y, but still super friendly and not at all uppity.

This Junk spot is pretty cool. They have a mish mosh of crap loaded to the ceiling. Looking at the unframed art is always a good time. More of a knickknack, vinyl, book spot. You won’t really see much furniture or good clothes here. A huge bonus is they have a huge fat tabby cat roaming the joint who will most likely great you as you walk in.

This sister of G-point’s The Thing may be alright for the vinyl, but less so for the rest. Tough to walk through it, and a bit more disorganized than its sibling, I’ve found a few records here but I don’t frequent it nearly as much as I’d like to. Maybe a little variety here and there and I’d be around more.

A surprisingly decent secondhand store right across from the Montrose L-​stop. The shop is stuffed to the brim with all sorts of used clothing, music, books, etc. Worth taking a look if happen to be in the area, but don’t go out of your way.
Among the cool things I’ve gotten or seen out of this place: a huge, funky gold photo frame for $ 5, a pair of pretty heart-​shaped ceramic serving bowls and a little book entitled, «The Wisdom of Charlie Brown.»
Some of the merchandise is overpriced and others are a deal. This could be a great store to find something with a little history. Just make sure you take some time to browse through and you might find something you’ll want to take home.

They’ve since moved to the corner of Montrose and Bushwick. I never went to it when it was still in Greenpoint, but I’ve had great shopping experiences at its new location.
Everything is jumbled and precariously perched on shelves and tables and anything else with a flat surface. If you’ve got a little extra time to spend rummaging through mis-​matched shoes, old photo albums (with pictures still in them!) and half finished books of Mad-​Libs, you can definitely score some sweet thrifty finds. I found an old Polaroid (The Button) that actually works for $ 3. Also found a great black web belt that fits perfectly for $ 1. Went here to sift through the old magazines when I decoupaged my kitchen table and scored 20 issues of Popular Photography from the early 1960s for only $ 10.
My fella’s had pretty good luck finding cool jackets and hats, but I haven’t had the patience to attack the clothing section that takes up the back half of the store.
Check it out on a Sunday after brunch when you feel like spending an hour or so lazily picking through other people’s junk.