A.P.C. Surplus: A Dearth of Excitement

Last Friday, after having traversed most of Soho, my friend and I made decided to make our way to Williamsburg, Brooklyn - home to skinny-jean-clad hipsters, pretentious parenting blogs, and a disconcerting number of empty storefronts next to million dollar condos - for one reason: A.P.C. Surplus. An astute reader last week commented that I visit the outpost and give my impression of their selection and customer service. Excellent suggestion!

Brooklyn is known for it's compartmentalized neighborhood structure and Williamsburg, Green Point, et. al. are the new hot spots in retail. I just love the map to the left, by the way, which is available from Ork Posters. It helps me get my head around where I'm going. And in the case of A.P.C. Surplus, that's way off the beaten path of most retail in Williamsburg. When you start walking and then keep walking and then walk some more and are afraid you're going to plunge into the New York Bay, you're almost there.

I'm not the first fashion blogger to visit A.P.C. Surplus, and I'm sure I won't be the last, but I can tell you that whatever shiny patina first glossed the outlet store of this still-mostly-obscure-but-fiercely-loved French label has worn off. This shopper and her friend were left with a decidedly sour taste in our mouths.

First off, the retail store is tiny; like, Manhattan studio apartment tiny. The ceilings are very high, though, which helps ease the sense of claustrophobia. (Cool Hunting has some good pics. The second one down shows you pretty much the entire store.) And behind the counter one can glimpse a warehouse of denim, which is sold at full price. The remainder of the clothing, though, is all 50% off. If you've heard that the discount is 60%, well, that was just the promotional rate for the first couple of weeks after opening. Now it's just 50% and that's only for the items with a sign over them.

My purchase at right, for example, was a combo of full-priced and sale merch. The olive drab messenger bag (it's about 8" by 10") was regular price and the cat pin was half off. Not too shabby, but I still dropped $80. As for the clothing, there were two racks of women's, one rack of men's, and a table in the center with about a dozen assorted pieces from their Madras collection by Jessica Ogden. Size and color selection are sparse, but that's to be expected for an outlet store. There were maybe four pairs of shoes and three bags available, too. Perhaps 100 sale items were available in all.

But here's the kicker: service was simply awful. There was one main sales clerk and she was ready to leave around 6:30, even though the store stayed open until 7pm (they open at 1pm). When we arrived, two of her friends were there and we didn't get so much as a glance in our direction. Once they left, another guy sauntered out from the warehouse in the back and talked to the sales clerk for about 5 minutes while my friend and I asked lots of questions out loud about the merchandise. When the sales clerk finally wandered over to the dressing room, my friend asked about a dress with a paper-bag waist, "How does this look on?" To which the sales clerk tartly replied, "Like it does on the hanger." Great! That really helped!

It only got worse. As I prepared to purchase my items, she was texting on her cell phone then looked up and said, "Do you want to take these?" No. I'd like to purchase them, though. Ugh, I paid and walked outside. My friend emerged nearly 15 minutes later. She had been pumping the sales clerk for information, something I couldn't do since I had already been chastised for taking a picture in the store, which they apparently don't allow now.

Exact quote from friend: "I want to slap that girl! I just want to slap her!" I won't go on.

Needless to say, a shopper has to really love A.P.C. clothing to trek out to the Surplus store. The selection is very small, the service is very poor, and the discounts are only on select items. I found better deals on eBay for A.P.C. items. Plus, the items currently in stock are most assuredly from the Summer 07 collection, although the sales clerk insisted they were Spring 08. A quick glance at the A.P.C. catalog on the counter confirmed that the merchandise in the regular A.P.C. store in Soho is, indeed, the Spring 08.

Have I sounded too bitter about my shopping experiences in New York? Because I don't mean to do so. We visited tons of great stores and received mostly good to excellent customer service. I loved Uniqlo, where I bought one of their UT's (Uniqlo T-shirts) for under $16. There it is, to the left, on none other than Chloe Sevigny (she's everywhere!), standing next to Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano in another UT.

I loved Lush, where the sales clerks were our best friends by the time we left. And I received a fabulous eyebrow shaping and great make-up application from the gals at the Benefit counter at Bloomingdales in Soho. Oh, and Beacon's Closet, long-ago recommended to me by Panda Head, definitely made the Brooklyn trip a worthwhile shopping excursion. I picked up a Moschino Jeans blazer with peace-sign buttons for $25. 'Nuff said. And a big shout-out to the bartender at Mugs Alehouse on Bedford Avenue, who kept us occupied with delicious Brooklyn Brewery Lager until the kitchen opened at 5.

All and all, it was a very "New York" trip, full of quirky characters, crappy service, high prices, and utterly redeeming moments of graciousness and humor that made it a great adventure. This fashionista hope to go back soon!

Goodwill’s fashion blog provides detailed knowledge and insight on vintage and contemporary clothing and accessories that are valuable to fashion shoppers. The facts and opinions shared present readers with entertaining, exciting and value based information on vintage and contemporary fashion and shopping trends.