Came in this afternoon shopping around the area. Usually don’t find much here but stumbled upon an olive green trench that fit me perfectly—so much so that other patrons were stopping shopping to tell me how good it looks and that I have to buy it, even asking if there were more in different sizes. Noticing the attention it was getting, the woman running the floor came over and abruptly ripped off the tag, telling me it was mispriced and tried to upsell me on it for x10 the price. Even if that were the case, it was in poor taste and not how to run a shop. I won’t be coming back.
Kindly asked the woman working if there was a men’s / women’s section and she responded with the most condescending answer, without actually answering my question outright. I just let her talk and quickly exited. Would never waste my time or money at this place filled with bitter employees. It also smelled like mothballs.
They have a very specific vibe when it comes to their clothes and that’s a lot of army stuff. They have army jackets and helmets and pants. Lots of things are the green or camo pattern. It gives the vibes of an old costume closet. I liked their bin of $25 handbags at the front. I found a genuine leather bag that I got and will wear a lot
A True NYC Gem for Vintage Military Style
Church Street Surplus is a treasure trove for anyone into vintage military clothing or authentic workwear. The shop has an old-school, no-nonsense vibe — racks packed with real-deal army jackets, flight suits, camo pants, and even naval peacoats. Everything feels rugged, timeless, and built to last. Prices are fair, the selection is deep, and the atmosphere is pure downtown New York grit. Whether you’re hunting for fashion or function, this place delivers.
I walked into Church Street Surplus curious to check out the store, as I’d heard good things. While a few other customers were greeted and acknowledged by the staff, I was completely ignored. Not a single hello, nod, or offer of assistance. It’s disappointing when a store makes you feel invisible—especially when you walk in ready to support a local business. Unfortunately, this left a really negative impression, and I won’t be returning.
Okay selection with some fun (very expensive) oddities. Prices are WAY too high, especially for issued garments. Stick to surplus sites for European camos, you can get unissued for the same price if Church St. and if you want nice wear and tear you can instead pay half the price for issues on a surplus site.
Unless if you want some true vintage surplus, just use surplus sites, a pair of woodlands not older than 20 years old should never be more than $20 anywhere.
Selection was definitely wide but the pricing was delusional, especially for military surplus. Some jackets ran over $1800, your average coat cost $100+. Seems like another example of thrifting's gentrification but with prices so high it's hard to chalk it up to catering to trust fund babies from the village, definitely seems gougy. Definitely nothing thrifty about it. I'd suggest L Train Vintage Urban Jungle. you can find a lot of the same stuff for literally 40x less expensive.
A really nice shop packed full of army & military stuff
You name it they’ll have it
Jackets, pants, shirts, boiler suits, coats , bags, boots, shoes etc…….
Fantastic selection of vintage military surplus—great coats, bags, leather goods etc. That being said, the customer service could be way better. The owner was unfortunately not very welcoming; while I was there, he accused other customers of trying to take photos, told me an item was “too small for me to try on” (it was not), and, when I finally became so uncomfortable I decided to leave, commented on my not having bought anything. The other man working the till was incredibly kind and knowledgeable, and it’s unfortunate that I had to cut my trip here short because they have some seriously cool pieces!
Absolutely love this place and the employees with it. You can’t go wrong with Church Street Surplus, all of their clothes are high quality and rare. Truly a NYC hidden gem.
I have purchased some amazing zippers from Church Street Surplus through their eBay store and they arrived quickly and exactly as described. I have also had the opportunity to stop by the store in-person a few times and love the atmosphere of the place - its very cool and worth checking out if you're in town/local. The owners/employees are warm and welcoming and I will definitely stop by again in the near future. Thank you again for the zippers!
Really unhappy with this place. Came in thinking I could get good grabs during my visit to NYC. Only to get overcharged crazy prices for objects I thought was from an earlier period. They literally search up the cost on Google while you stand there, totally unprofessional in my opinion..
Paid almost 3 times what the total sum of objects really cost, just cause I wanted something to bring back home.. Bad mistake. Seem like nice people but the prices are no way acceptable. What a bad taste in my mouth for the remainder of my trip
PLEASE AVOID.
Nothing quite like this anywhere in ... the world? Such a great space to get lost in, and the staff will entertain you with stories about where certain garments come from. One of the few remaining curiosity shops in NYC.
Large selection, but still have to look around for something for something worth your while. Pay a lot of attention to what you get because they'll charge the same price for real surplus and second hand stuff like rothco/miltec products which are lower quality.
I HAVE SHOPPED HERE FOR YEARS. MOSTLY I LOOK FOR EUROPEAN POLICE PANTS, KOREAN WAR ERA CHINOS + BOOTS (DEAD STOCK). I HAVE STRANGE, (UNIQUE- HARD TO FIND- ONE OF A KIND)TREASURES - ITALIAN MILITARY SOCKS, AND GERMAN 1980'S AIR FORCE FLIGHT SUITS - A SWISSE POLICE TIE - WEIRD BITS WHICH WOULD BE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND ANYWHERE ELSE IN NYC. IT TAKES TIME TO POKE AROUND THE STORE, BUT IT'S ALWAYS WORTH THE EFFORT. PLUS THEY USUALLY KNOW THEIR STOCK SO WELL, AND WANT YOU TO LEAVE IN SOMETHING YOU'LL BE ABLE TO WEAR - SOMETHING THAT FITS.
THIS PLACE IS A TREASURE!
same experience as another reviewer: nasty old man that works there will watch you and follow you around. only worth stepping foot in this store if you want to be harassed while you look at overly expensive clothes.
Bought some velcro patches and a bomber jacket in here. Awesome stuff in there. Crazy old jackets and army uniforms.
Prices are good. 2$ per patch. Jacket cost 110$ but it was completely new!
Church Street Surplus is where you go when you want vintage military clothing. there’s a lot packed into this store from jackets, shirts, coveralls, and more! so much stuffed packed in a small space would be chaos normally but everything here is organized well and the store is pretty clean and well lit.
the sheer amount of military jackets from decades past is a reason to stop by Church St Surplus. there are even non-US military clothes. the clothes are in great condition for their age. if you are looking for unique items at competitive prices, then look no further.
the proprietors are friendly and know their stuff.
Small store with a huge selection and a lot of cool vintage stuff. Not only US surplus but also international. Some new. And extremely nice, friendly and helpful staff. Thank you.
They don’t make them like this anymore, they have East German rain drop, bundeswehr flecktarn, flight suits, and rain gear. The employees are friendly, it’s definitely worth the trip.
The items in the store were not what we were looking for but that’s not why I’m giving this place a 1 star.
One of the men at the front who worked at (or maybe he owned) the shop kept watching my friend and I from the time we stepped foot into the store. When we were ready to head out after not finding anything, we stood in the store for a few minutes looking for the directions to the next stop since it was raining out and the same man came over asking us if we needed help. I told him no we’re okay, we were just looking around and he responded while glancing down at my phone, “you’re just looking around on your phone?” in a very sarcastic way. His tone was rude and he sounded like he was insinuating that we were troublemakers. We felt extremely uncomfortable and will never be coming back to this shop after this unpleasant experience of being policed for no reason.
Loved it. Staff was very helpful in finding the jeans we were looking for and the style of clothing is totally up my alley. Prices are on the high end of thrifting, but they are vintage and very good quality.
Great selection of military surplus clothing. The owner was extremely knowledgeable about every product in his store and was great to talk to. I'd recommend church street surplus to anyone looking to purchase vintage/surplus clothing.
A little pricey but the customer service is very warm and welcoming. The stores collection of military and vintage clothing is limited however there is a few really good pieces and a lot of stuff to see.
WONDERFUL Shop if you want to get that very special gift for, an active- retired Armed service member. Items range from retired military, civilian security & metro law inforcement , shirts, coats , hats etc, it's ideal if you need prop costume for an play, tv commercial & tv show.
Plus the vintage shoes, gloves. Hats, wallets/ purses & faix fur coats are sooo FABULOUS!!!!! . I GIVE THIS AWESOME STORE; ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Antique and Military Clothing
Specializing in military collectable and surplus clothing
Large assortment of U.S. Army/Navy and European camouflage pants, shirts and jackets
Original 1960s-1980s leather, denim and suede jackets
Vintage, US made, 100% cotton high-waisted jeans
Vintage dresses and a large selection of antique quilts, chenilles and textiles
Holidays and Vacation day store hours
and up-to-date inventory
Please check our Facebook page and
Instagram @ChurchStreetSurplus
We love to work with:
Costume Designers, Stylists, and Fashion designers
Certain items were a mite overpriced, but the man there was very helpful and friendly. There were actually some items I haven't seen for some time elsewhere. Very nice little shop.
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