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An old factory warehouse building with white brick-covered walls and open windows sits on West Fayette Street in downtown Syracuse. Inside the industrial building are the dreamlike landscape of Ex Boyfriend Vintage pop-ups, decorated from floor to ceiling with cotton clouds, fairy lights and plastic pink butterflies.

“The things I’m selling are items you will hold onto for years and your daughters are going to want them,” Holly Ross, owner of Ex Boyfriend Vintage, said. “Finally, some people appreciate vintage clothing, and hopefully, less SHEIN is being purchased.”

Ross launched Ex Boyfriend Vintage in August as a spin-off of her online business Thriftwares Vintage. The series of pop-ups aims to sell trending items at prices that will attract all types of customers, while also alleviating clothing waste. Ross launched the business with her longtime friend and coworker, Nathan Schafer, who’s been the Thriftwares Vintage business manager since 2014.

They decided to launch Ex Boyfriend Vintage as a pop-up to see how another one of their brands would perform. It would have the same feel, while “having that same kind of specialness and newness” of a pop-up.

Since then, the pair has hosted five different Syracuse pop-ups, each revolving around different themes that match seasonal changes or events like “Will you be mine?” for Valentine’s Day and “Ready for our second date?” in October.

Holly Ross launched Ex Boyfriend Vintage in August as a spin off of her online business Thriftwares Vintage. The pop-ups are held inside the old factory warehouse building in downtown Syracuse. Solange Jain | Photo Editor

The brand name comes from a common habit that Ross has noticed among many girls, she said. People break up with their boyfriends and never give back the hoodie they took from their ex, then they donate it to a store like Ex Boyfriend Vintage and their ex-boyfriend’s hoodie gets recycled.

Syracuse University sophomore Jayce Brossman visited an Ex Boyfriend Vintage pop-up for the first time after hearing about their curated selection. Once she saw all the reasonably priced designer items, she knew she’d have to come back. So, on Saturday, that’s what she did.

“The selection of items is amazing, and the prices are even better,” Brossman said. “Everything is quirky and unique. I would come back here every day if I could.”

Brossman’s favorite find was a vintage Dolce & Gabbana graphic T-shirt, which she purchased for only $42. Shopping in person at Ex Boyfriend Vintage was much more seamless than finding items online, Brossman said. She prefers the curated selection offered at the pop-ups over online stories, where she gets lost selecting items and has trouble finding things she likes.

The vintage pop-ups attract not only SU students, but visitors from out-of-town as well.

Deb Galek wasn’t looking to buy anything in Syracuse while visiting for her daughter Maggie’s dance competition. But, when she noticed a sign for Ex Boyfriend Vintage on the way back to her hotel, she decided to stop by the most recent pop-up.

Galek exclusively wears secondhand clothing, though she usually shops at places like Savers, The Salvation Army and Goodwill. While Ex Boyfriend Vintage was pricier than she was used to, she appreciated the range of name brands.

She left her visit with a vintage crochet jacket. While she usually looks for “anything sparkly,” she was happy with her find. The store and its selection were different from where she usually shopped in thrift stores. This was her first time shopping at a “higher-end” thrift business.

“It’s not just stuff that people are dropping off to get rid of because they just got too much,” Galek said. “There is a variety, with a mix of name brands and non-name brands.”

The in-person pop-up business model has attracted more customers for them compared to if they had a permanent store. With a pop-up, customers can plan their schedule around the dates and even save money in advance, as opposed to a permanent location that customers know is always there, Schafer said.

Joe Zhao | Designer Editor

Ex Boyfriend Vintage has gained regular customers from their temporary pop-ups. SU freshman AJ Granata discovered Ex Boyfriend Vintage from a flyer during her first week on campus in August. She said it seemed right up her alley, since she likes not having to dig for trendy pieces.

Instead of secondhand shopping online through platforms like ThredUp or Depop, Granata said that she can still shop secondhand at Ex Boyfriend Vintage. She can try on the clothing before making a purchase, looking at the fabric and fit.

Since then, she’s gone to all five pop-ups and said that she can’t stop coming back.

For Granata, Ex Boyfriend Vintage offers unique pieces in Syracuse, where she said there are limited shopping opportunities.

“I’ve literally asked them to open up a permanent, actual store,” Granata said. “Their stuff is amazing, and they just keep getting more and more inventory whenever I go.”

Though Ex Boyfriend Vintage’s offerings rotate every pop-up, Ross’s personal vintage collection is years in the making. Ross began collecting clothes that she saw potential in over 20 years ago when she opened Thriftwares Vintage in 2004.

Even though Ross purchased many of the items sold at the pop-ups several years ago, she knew the next generations would be attracted to these items.

“At the end of the day, that’s vintage,” Ross said. “Our job is buying clothing and saving it for that next generation.”

Published on April 28, 2025 at 10:15 pm
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