Inside Alfargo's Marketplace with founder Stephon Carson
Plus some street style from their most recent pop-up
Last month, I attended my first Alfargo’s Marketplace. It’s tough for me to be in the city on weekends, but after promising founder Stephon Carson I’d be there and missing it multiple times, I knew I had to cover it this time around. Unfortunately I didn’t have a ton of time to peruse the gear on offer as I was between commitments, but the energy upon entry was palpable. People were dressed to the nines, trying things on and shopping, chatting with each other with huge smiles on their faces. Plus, it was held at NeueHouse, a gorgeous, clean, modern space in Madison Square. This was the 18th iteration of Alfargo’s, which launched in late September of 2021 in the East Village.
I met the ever-jovial Stephon when he began working at The Armoury as they’ve also been a long-time client of mine. Of the marketplace’s growth, Carson says, “Over time, I’ve added some friends to the team—Elias Marte, Zane Gan and Nick Andry. They all showed keen interest [and when] things started to pick up, I needed help. Zane is our main guy behind all of our photography and social media. Nick and Elias handle all of our merch. They also help operationally, with sourcing new sellers, outreach and planning, set-up. They really bring the dream and vision to life.”
When I was walking through the vendor booths, I stopped at my friend Brian Davis’. You might know him, or his vintage business, Wooden Sleepers. I was curious what drew him to the event, since his showroom is based in south Westchester. He told me he’d met Stephon and Elias a long time ago when they would visit his old Red Hook location. As is tradition, he’d continue to bump into them at menswear events around the city. “When Alfargo’s started, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of. It seemed so pure—something for the menswear community. It wasn’t corporate,” says Davis.
“Vendors were mostly menswear nerds or people that worked in the industry in some capacity.” Davis also said the customer is smart, informed and tasteful, understanding the value of products on offer. “The Alfargo’s team are great hosts. They do a top notch job promoting the event and make a point to bring people around to the different vendors and highlight some of our offerings. The vibe is great. Ten out of ten experience from my perspective.”
Stephon and I continued a brief conversation, and after, I photographed some street style which you can see below. Email will probably clip it, so open the link in Substack to get the full picture.
Tell me about how you got into clothing.
Stephon Carson: It kind of happened by accident. I started to wear some of my parents' older clothes. I wore some to school one day and I loved the reaction that I got from different people.
Do you remember how old you were?
SC: I was in junior year of high school, so I had to have been 17. I thought, “Oh, I actually love clothing!” I just got more and more into clothing and that's also what started me dressing and going to thrift stores. I wanted to find similar items. Plus, the thrift store has great prices. When you’re a high school kid, you don't have too much money. You always want to try to budget.
How did you get to New York?
SC: In an airplane [laughs]. I grew up in Florida and I came to visit the city a couple times and then I just fell in love with the city. I always wanted to live here. After I graduated college, I was working for a couple years. I was financially ready, I was stable and I was like, “I'm ready to make the big jump.”
What is Alfargo’s Marketplace?
SC: I knew that in the city there was something missing in the market. There was no men's popup for new, used and vintage. I wanted to create a space that cater to men who are into clothing, who also would like to sell as well—independent sellers, regular guys like us, who have a lot of clothes. Alfargo is my dad's name. I always used it online, on my eBay or my Tumblr. I made it and named it the marketplace. I feel like it just fit.
Is there anything you'd like to see done differently? Is there any way you want to evolve it?
SC: I like the setup. I like what's going at the moment. Maybe in the future, just a bigger space, but not too big. I like how we are in our space and I like the rate that we're growing at.
How do people get on board to sell with you?
SC: Just hit us up on Instagram, send us a message. We're always looking for new sellers.
Is there a commission structure?
SC: Definitely. We take a percentage off of total sales from that day.
Explain to somebody who wants to get into vintage but doesn't know anything about it what some starting points are. Is there anything that you actually need to know to buy vintage clothing?
SC: Know your sizing. Know what you like and dislike. Try everything on. If you want to get into the secondhand vintage market, those are the three [things to keep in mind].
What do you think about the style here? Because just now as I'm walking around and reflecting on what I'm seeing, I don't see a lot of these people in these really nice outfits. And I'm not really seeing a lot of that in New York at the moment. What walks of life are Alfargo’s attendees coming from?
SC: There are a lot of people in the [fashion] industry, a lot of people who are in the arts, a lot of lawyers, a lot of people who are in television, a little bit of everything. All different walks of life, which is really cool because you see so many people in different industries who like to dress up. It's cool that we get to cultivate this whole environment and they all come in. It's just a good time.
What’s next for Alfargo’s?
SC: You guys just got to stay tuned for what's going on next. Definitely working with different brands and inviting in even more cool independent sellers in the Tri-state area.
I thought I recognized you walking around! I’m a regular seller at Alfargos. You really captured the day so well!