The Cats and the Berries: Bobby From Boston

Come one and come all! – Chaps, mostly.

Last week I went to check out Bobby From Boston, a vintage shop in Boston I had read good reviews about online, via Yelp. And I was certainly not disappointed.

I should note up front that the store is mostly for the fellas – about 85% of the stock there is for men, but there’s a small women’s section that is very well selected. I would be annoyed about how small it is, but I realize that most vintage vendors focus on the ladies, so this is a nice change. Also, Bobby has a warehouse nearby in Massachusetts and that is apparently very well stocked in women’s items – I plan to visit there as soon as I can.

Anyway, back to Bobby’s in Boston. Walking into this place was like a dream – its wonderful to see a place that presents guys with a chance to dapper-ify themselves. And any guy that dresses himself here would have no choice but to walk out dapper as hell, to borrow the title of Solanah’s husband's (Samuel's) blog. I never before gave much thought to men’s clothing, except to ruminate on the sad state of most modern guy’s wardrobes. But Bobby’s made me wish I had a fella to dress up – there was absolutely everything here. Shirts, ties, suits, bags, cuff links, shorts, pants, suspenders, shoes, and hats-a-plenty. I can guarantee you I’m forgetting a lot of the stock, since again, I am not well versed in men’s clothing, but I could tell this place was a haven for the Well Dressed Chap. The chronological range of vintage runs from turn of the century military garb to 60s menswear, and it is all in very clean and new-looking condition.

One thing I especially like about Bobby’s – a lot of shops that call themselves vintage are really consignment, or stock mostly 70s and 80s stuff and think that this qualifies as vintage. I suppose you could stretch it and say 70s is vintage (even though I really don’t like it), but 80s absolutely is not, not at this point. Bobby, the owner of Bobby From Boston (whodathunk?) told me that he tries not to go past the 60s, but stocks a wee bit of 70s as it is somewhat in demand.

So, my final verdict? I recommend – no, I implore – any and all guys who would like to step up their daily spiffiness factor to head over to Bobby’s whenever in the Boston area and contribute to the beautification of the world by dapper-ify themselves in clean, quality, vintage garb. Preferably from the 40s and before. But you know, whatever floats your boat. Just stick a hat on top of it to doff, and you’ll catch the world’s (and my) eye.

Now I’ll let the photos do the talking. I had to cut out a LOT, so this is really just a peek at what lies within...