Vintage shop @roguegarms is known not only for its vast selection of #90s and #Y2K clothing, but as one of the city's most coveted hangout spots — both online and IRL. On the weekends, the Lower East Side-based shop, whose TikTok channel boasts over 170K followers, hosts pop-up events that draw the city’s Gen-Z crowd en masse. “I didn't really know what to expect,” founder @emmarogue says of the overwhelming response. “I’m still winging everything.” The store’s success is part of a bigger phenomenon happening in New York’s thrift and vintage community. Alongside Rogue, other TikTok-famous stores have also become the most coveted places to shop, network, and hang out in IRL, including @tiredthrift — located in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood, and owned by cousins Lediona Zharku, 23, and Elona Zharku, 22 — and @funnyprettynice — owned by @nataliaspotts, 26, with two locations in Manhattan’s East Village. In their quest to establish go-to spaces for curated vintage shopping, they’ve also reshaped what it means to be a brick-and-mortar store in the era of TikTok, creating communities that exist in the virtual and real worlds. “We like to say that we're a store for Gen Z, by Gen Z,” says Lediona Zharku. As this new fashion community blossoms in New York City, the stores’ Gen Z owners are optimistic — not only about the future of secondhand shopping and the retail scene in New York but how their generation’s social media tools usher in a novel era for the city’s long-standing vintage fashion landscape. “I'm not 100% sure how this sort of boom is going for all of us,” says Spotts, “but hopefully it's going to be a permanent space where we can all stick around.” Swipe 👉 to check out some of the looks we spotted at @roguegarms. For more on TikTok famous #vintage shops, tap the 🔗 in bio. 〰 Photographer: Flordalis Espinal @flordalis R29 Team: Fashion Writer: Frances Solá Santiago @fransolasantiago Fashion Director: Irina Grechko @irinagrechko Senior Executive Director of Photo & Design: Sarah Filippi @sarah_f____ Senior Photo Editor: Kelsey Bennett @kelseybennett333 Intern: Claire Hambrick @claire.hambrick