Welcome to Mr. Throwback Thursday, in which everyone’s favorite connoisseur of all things retro and nostalgic, Mr. Throwback, gives us a weekly blast from the past.
(Photo: Allyson Shiffman)
Like most males who grew up in the ’80s, Mr. Throwback was enamored with the Chicago Bulls. When he came home from college and rediscovered his childhood room, which was lovingly decorated with Bulls paraphernalia, the pleasant feeling of nostalgia prompted him to start poking around the Internet for other nifty finds. He then purchased 1,000 jerseys and 1,000 hats (sure, why not), which he started selling at the Hells Kitchen Flea at 39th and Ninth.
Mr. Throwback. In his element. (Photo: Allyson Shiffman)
He fell in love with the world of retro – the items themselves, the people and the way they reacted to reencountering things from their adolescence – quit his other job (as an instructor at Mommy and Me gymnastics. No, seriously) and fulfilled his destiny of bringing throwback items to the masses. Now with his permanent outpost at 428 East Ninth Street and a legion of fans and followers, Mr. Throwback is well on his way to building his retro empire.
For the inaugural installment of Mr. Throwback Thursday, the vintage curator brings you these Bart Simpson Bow Biters. Introduced by Brookside Enterprises in the late ’80s, Bow Biters were fashioned to keep your shoelaces from coming untied while they added some pizzazz to your kicks.
Let’s throw it to Mr. Throwback:
(Photo: Allyson Shiffman)
You open the mouth of Bart Simpson and you loop, swoop and pull — or bunny ears, whatever — press down and it holds your lace in. To me, it’s nostalgic because I had them as a child and finding them again is just phenomenal. It brings back the memory of putting them on and learning how to tie my shoes. Now I’m wearing them on my Patrick Ewing sneakers. Having stuff as a child and then finding them again is the coolest adventure. It’s pretty much what I wanted in my shop — for people to be able to come in and find things they had as a child. I had a Bart Simpson t-shirt as a kid that I also got back in the store that just said, “Cool your jets, man!”