Physical Stores you can Buy Gothic Goods in, by Morticia Fattyms
Okay you Spooks,
Let me just state that you should always wear what feels comfortable *on you* and looks good *to you*. To be Goth isn't the clothes you wear, strictly speaking, and there isn't a Defined Look. Have FUN with yourself! If you think you look good and you feel good like that, that's all that matters.
Gothic Aesthetic and Fashion is colloquially referred to as "Goth" all of the time. Goth is a term used to describe some songs, and has many musical genres that find their audience under the name of "goths". Anyone with Google-Fu understands that sometimes the simplest tag is the most effective for reaching a larger audience. To keep our wonderful community of Artists and Creators thriving, growing, and easier to navigate, I'm saying Goth, Gothic, and Alternative interchangeably or where appropriate.
The loaded question,
"What makes something Goth?/Why do Goths like these things?" (Surprise, it's actually 2 questions!)
There isn't a predisposed rule about Bats, Bauhaus, and Halloween being Goth, we just happen to like them as individual people and found people that ALSO liked them. Its a surprisingly, almost singular circle, Venn Diagram. That being said, we do tend to appreciate a lot of the same design elements, and can thus comfortably find items we enjoy by engaging with the use of word "goth". We enjoy symbolism, creative use of colors, and recycling older designs to create newer ones. We definitely take inspiration from thousands of sources, like Victorian fashion, fetish gear, and Punk's DIY attitude. Your look should be personal to you, inspired by the things you love to engage with, and feels comfortable for you to enjoy wearing while dancing.
That said, not everything I list in my endeavors to support the growth of our community will be strictly gothic, because there isn't a defined look to being Goth. I hope you'll still check it out, and, if you like it, support it!
It's pretty easy to find "Gothic style" online, but do you really trust that "gothic mall online" drop shipper? Are you on a budget and shopping fast fashion apps that send clothes you end up not liking? It's okay if that's what you do, it really is. There is something to admire about the convenience and lack of social anxiety we enjoy from Online shopping. However, I want to talk about Physical Stores.
While my favorite store, Anarchists Closet, has closed, my love for that shop, it's amazing owner, and the community it brought together, is undying. Anarchist's was loudly inclusive of it's customer base, was active in the community through events, ticket sales, and fashion shows, and ensured we'd see our favorite pieces at events again and again. Their Mission was always clear: We Dress Everyone! The world needs more Anarchist's Closets, and I'm going to Find them!
Here's a few stores you can stomp your stacks into and play dress up in for an hour or two. Please, buy something from them. Hell, get a gift card for your friend you thought of in there if you can't find anything for yourself. The Community needs these stores to thrive so that more can be inspired to start up! Be inspired to start your own wildly unique and wonderful Alternative store for us to explore!
This is Definitely NOT a COMPLETE list. (In fact, I got overwhelmed writing this and took forever to publish haha)
Email [email protected] when you find places! World Wide Accepted! Please include a full street address with business' name!
Clothing Shops
Coven Dark Boutique- 63B Wharf St, Salem, Massachusetts 01970
Die with Your Boots On - 9 Church St, Salem, Massachusetts
Gothic Renaissance NYC- 110 4th Ave, New York ,New York, 10003
The House of Goth- 19014 Gulf Freeway Friendswood, Texas 77546
The Ossuary -77 Wharf Street, Salem, Massachusetts 01970
Ravens and Rockers- 14815 N. Florida Ave. Tampa, Florida
Rumors - 3 locations: Virginia & North Carolina
Spark Pretty- 333 East 9th Street New York, New York 10003
Subculture Corsets & Clothing (BY APPT ONLY)-2604 Powers Avenue Jacksonville, Florida
Witch Bitch Thrift -105 Whitney Ave New Haven, Connecticut
Home Decor and More
Cemetery Pulp- 3950 E Sunset Rd, Suite 106 Las Vegas, Nevada 89120
Hail Dark Aesthetics- 2410 Gallatin Ave. Nashville, Tennessee 37206
Hail Records & Oddities- 720 Main Street Covington, Kentucky 41011
Hidden South -7124 Saint Claude Avenue Arabi, Louisiana 70032
The Weeping Glass- 746 East Warrington Ave Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15210
I want to end this on a small love note to a new found source of community for me:
Alternative Markets.
We have to keep them going, to keep the Community going.
Whatever you want to call yourself, an Alternative, or Punk Rock Flea Market, Faire, or Festival is where you want to go to find the people hand-making intricate, meaningful, and life saving products. To be clear: you would be the life saver in this situation, where you buy something from a creator, offsetting the cost of the booth rental and travel costs that can really cut into budgets. Many people have conditions that make working regular jobs difficult, vending at markets are often a good source of income for them. Additionally, they're a fantastic opportunity to find a new favorite Local Band to support as well! Whoa! That's a 2 for One, Pal! Score!
Many are free, or have free parking but charge entry. I do suggest taking enough cash for your daily purchases, just in case there's bad signal in the area, a Food truck can't take digital payments, or you decide to buy a local band a drink.
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you find any local physical shops I should add to future blog posts.
Also, let me know about events happening near you! Gothic. Info. 666 is building a network of event promotion for the Goth/Alternative communities, and we'd love to have your help!
We'll be posting submission guidelines soon!
