FOR BLACK MARKET FOUNDER, IT ALL COMES BACK TO PUNK
John Christmann turned an ’80s wardrobe crisis into an ever-hip empire of ‘dollar-store’ vintage fashion
Born out of the Toronto punk scene in 1982, vintage clothing and odds-and-ends stores Black Market and Public Butter have become fixtures on Queen St. W. Founder John Christmann talked about how adapting to fashion trends and keeping an eye on the economy have kept his businesses alive.
How did Black Market come about?
I was a young punk and couldn’t find any punk clothing at all. The stores here in Toronto were three or four years behind. I realized I was getting great clothes at the church and garage sales. We rented a third-floor studio at Queen and John and just put a sandwich board outside and made sure that it was rewarding for a kid to climb up three flights of stairs. I took some fashion courses, so I was tapering Levi’s, we were dying that same product so it would be black. We were doing very simple printing, skulls on black T-shirts and such.
Did you have any business experience?
I studied physics in university, and in science, you have to look at a situation, analyze it for what it is, decon- struct its problem and then, in order to be successful, reconstruct it properly. So I had no business experience, but had experience in being real and realistic.
Is there anything you would’ve done differently?
I don’t think there’s anything I’d do different. I go out and shop three or four times a week with a crew of four and go to big rag factories and big wholesalers. I go to people’s homes when they’re looking through their closets, so it’s really, really fun. What advice would you give to someone starting a business? I think you have to go in absolutely sure that you’ll be successful. You have to have an unlimited amount of energy and passion for it because entrepreneurs work 12, 14 hours a day sometimes. You do have to start making money right away because unless your mom or dad has backed you up with six months’ rent, the landlord will come knocking soon.
What do you look for in employees?
It’s really difficult for a customer to come into a vintage clothing store and shop. It’s overwhelming. And so our staff has to be personable and friendly. They have to know whether that person wants to be talked to, what that person wants.
What do you think has allowed Black Market to survive for so long?
I think price has a lot to do with it. We’re like a dollar store. You go in there not thinking you want anything and a lot of our customers end up coming out with two, three or four things in their arms because they just can’t believe they got a fur coat for $10.
Black Market was born out of the want for punk clothing. How has that influenced you over the years?
Five years from when I opened, it was New Wave that was fashionable, so instead of everyone dressing in black, everybody was dressing in suits and ties and bright-coloured clothing. And after that it was dance, and after that it was grunge. So as time goes by, you have to remain adaptable if you want to stay in business. Luckily, I’ve stayed in it long enough that it’s come back to punk.
Interview edited for length and clarity.