Montclair's Magical Speakeasy

Johnny Petrozzino likes old things. And by old, I mean vintage. And by things, I mean OMG. Which is what I (and most everyone else has) said upon stepping for the first time inside Speakeasy Vintage, a clothing boutique that I have lately been referring to as Montclair’s Best Kept Secret.

Speakeasy is not Petrozzino’s first clothing store—he had a place in Bloomfield in the late 80’s—but it’s his first foray into vintage. “With vintage, you have to be patient. The pieces we carry are one-of-a-kind. They come in one color. One size.  It’s a little like a Cinderella experience. It has to be exactly the right fit,” he says.

Cinderella is a good analogy, because the experience of walking into Speakeasy can feel magical.

The store is located at 465 Bloomfield Avenue on the 2nd Floor. Their window sits above Johari’s new location and the street-level door looks like it goes up to apartments. A small sign on the door directs you into a vestibule where there are several doorbells. You need to get “buzzed in,” almost as if you were going to a—well—speakeasy. 

“We had a hard time finding space,” says Petrozzino, who’s partnered with his brother Frankie on this endeavor. “Most landlords thought this kind of store wouldn’t be right for the area.” 

He finds this idea both puzzling and ironic. Petrozzino used to own a hair salon just steps away from the site of his current store. “I opened Bohemian Studio in 1996 and ran it until 2004,” he explains. “I renovated the space and created a GothVic atmosphere—part cathedral, part castle.” Although the place was technically for haircuts, Petrozzino describes it as a cool and inviting place where people would just come to hang out. His salon opened at a time when downtown Montclair was faltering, and places like Bohemian Studio (and others) served to inject some life into the area. Since then, downtown has seen a big retail boom and the vibe that Petrozzino and his cohorts created resulted in a rental scene that they no longer could afford to be a part of. 

“In the long run, I love being on the second floor,” he says. “I love that you get to be buzzed in and that it’s like a secret place you can discover. New York has a lot of second floor establishments but I was told we were the first retail space in Montclair to inhabit the second floor. [The zoning board] had to look up—or sometimes make up—laws for us about signage and sidewalk usage.”

The store itself is full of other people’s old stuff, but it feels like a high-end boutique rather than a second-hand store. It’s spacious and organized, and elegant without being the least bit stuffy.

“I love when people find their way here for the very first time. They walk through the door and they all have the exact same look on their faces,” he says, mimicking the wide-eyed, dropped-jaw expression that I remember on my own face when I walked in and felt as if I’d suddenly stepped into the wardrobe wing for MadMen.   

There are breathtaking dresses from the twenties that line the walls behind the counter and a hat collection that even Jackie O. would have coveted. Music plays low in the background, one of the many details that Petrozzino is meticulous about. “I always put on three records that go together,” he says, describing the process of stacking the vinyl discs that drop one after another on the console turntable in the back of the store. He only plays vinyl, but the selection is eclectic. “They have to work together. Yesterday I had on Bessie Smith, then Rolling Stones, then a Blues compilation.”

Petrozzino thinks of himself as much a curator as a retailer. He finds clothing and accessories from estate sales or through private calls and spends much of his time back and forth between the tailor, the dry-cleaner and the store. “It’s like being a personal stylist for everyone. I have a Request Book on the counter. I look for things for people.”

I assumed that Speakeasy’s customer base would be comprised solely of uber-hip 20-somethings that can wear almost anything with their Doc Martens. But Petrozzino says his customers range in age from ten to 80. “Moms will discover us and then come back with their teenaged daughters. High school kids find us and then come back with their parents. I have every type of person in here, from every walk of life,” he says. “Yes, there are the True Vintage people who will buy anything in here that fits, but regular people come in all the time just to find interesting pieces. Clothes were made really well a few decades ago. A lot of this stuff will just last forever.”

Speakeasy Vintage carries both seasonal and year-round apparel for men, women and children—clothing and accessories from the 1920’s to the 1980’s. You can find wool blend sweaters for $25 and faux fur-collared coats for $150. Cocktail dresses, casual skirts, blazers, shoes….slips, evening bags, jewelry, shoes…slacks, jeans, cords, scarves…ties, negligees, suits, gloves…and no small assortment of hats. 

The store is open Wednesday through Friday from noon(ish) to 8 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Currently, their Facebook page serves as their website.  465 Bloomfield Ave, 2nd Floor, 973-783-4911.