Photos courtesy of Stuart Zamsky & @WhiteTrashNYC
Owner Stuart Zamsky said the shop's last day is expected to be around Aug. 10. To help clear inventory, White Trash is holding its first-ever 25%-off storewide sale.
A bittersweet decision
"It's definitely a bittersweet moment," Zamsky told us.
Several factors led to the decision.
"Yes, the rent is going up, but not so much that it would be impossible — enough so that it makes work that much harder," he said. "I'm 65 and wasn't sure that I wanted to be grinding even more to make the business profitable."
He also cited the building itself, noting that the shop gets extremely cold in the winter and needs significant renovation.
"When I added up those factors, it seemed that this would be a good time to retire," he said.
Zamsky and his wife, Kim Wurster, who co-founded White Trash in 1995 (below), hope to travel more. While they expect to remain involved in the resale business in some capacity, they're not yet sure what that will look like.
A furniture store — and more
White Trash began with two actors who loved vintage furniture and hoped to leave behind survival jobs.
"We never thought it would become a multi-decade endeavor that would provide enough stability to raise a family," Zamsky said.
Their two sons grew up in the shop, spending afternoons there after school before eventually becoming part-time employees.
"The people we've met whose places we've helped furnish have been one of our great joys," he said. "We're still friends with our very first workers — now adults with their own children."
A neighborhood gathering place
Over the years, White Trash became more than a place to buy mid-century furniture.
"It became a 'third space' for us and our neighbors," Zamsky said.
After becoming active in the Fifth Street Block Association, he said the shop evolved into an informal meeting place where neighbors discussed local issues, organized around neighborhood concerns and simply caught up with one another.
"It was about as small-town as one could get."
But the sense of community extended beyond Fifth Street.
"Whether it was famous actors, writers, comedians, musicians or folks just looking for some good shopping, our greatest pleasure was extending some hospitality, sharing our knowledge of stuff and where to get it, where to have it refinished or reupholstered."
A lasting memory
Among Zamsky's favorite memories is creating the shop's distinctive Airstream trailer sign with his late father, a former mechanical engineer.
"He helped me source the metal, construct it and hang it," Zamsky recalled. "He was fearless.
"I can still see him up there on the ladder at the top of the second-floor windows hanging the supports."
White Trash is open Monday-Saturday from 2-8 p.m.
9 comments:
Stuart and Kim will be missed. The EV appreciate Stuart’’s years of civil service to the neighborhood. I’m very sad to see one of the last of the creative mom and pop shops go. Their store was always a pleasure to see.
Good retirement, man! You're lucky you can do this.
Sigh. Got our couch and chairs there. We literally go out of our way to walk down Fifth Street just to look at the wares in their windows. They will be missed! Good luck with retirement!
Congratulations on your retirement! You have certainly earned it. The best of luck in this new chapter of your life ❤️
So very sad to see the closing of White Trash. Besides being an oasis of beautiful items and good taste (I always got a lift looking at Stuart's artful window displays as I passed by),, it was indeed a cherished meeting place for East 5th Street. Neighborhood issues were discussed,, plans were formed, resident's news was shared and yes we even exchanged gossip (occasionally). Stuart and Kim,, White Trash will be missed but our friendship will carry on.
Sad, but understood - after 31 years, it's fair to want to retire. This place was fairly new when I moved into the neighborhood and it's been a pleasure to see what items have come and gone over nearly 30 years.
Beloved spaces like this define just how distinctive a neighbourhood can be with the right tenants. When businesses are consistently shutting down around us due to this bloody awful economy, it truly feels like a loss because they were a part of our lives. That spark is somehow gone now. Wishing these two and their sons the very best. Cheers!
The last of the great mid century shops in the EV. Thanks for holding on... and expanding into the service of the community.
I hate to say goodbye to this treasured store (“store-as-museum,” I called it!). I bought lovely things there from Stuart. And on days when I couldn’t go far out of the neighborhood and just needed to take in some conversation and some art, a visit to his carefully curated shop gave me the peace and beauty I was longing for!
And when we needed to build our tenants coalition(TTC) to fight the 2015 East Village invasion of speculator landlords, Stuart’s good will, skill at writing press releases, and contacts helped us tremendously as we worked to draw together 26 buildings in what eventually led to the NYS renter protection laws of 2019. Thank you, Stuart! And thank you, Kim! Wishing you the very best, with love and appreciation!
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