Black Citizens Brigade brings more than vintage clothing to downtown Syracuse

SYRACUSE — Vintage-clothing store Black Citizens Brigade is bringing more than just fashion from the 1950s through the 1980s to downtown Syracuse.

The shop, located at 140 Bank Alley, also brings Black culture and art, with a side of education, to the space.

Owner Cjala Surratt brings her background in marketing, public relations, and the arts to the business and weaves them together into a safe and welcoming space that showcases vintage duds along with books and records focused on Black history and culture. Her plans don’t end there.

The business got its start online during the COVID-19 pandemic when many retailers closed up shop temporarily. Surratt and her daughter discovered that thrift stores were still open, and the arts and social-justice activist began collecting things she used as prompts to talk about culture and more.

Eventually, with a need to get some of that inventory out of her house, Surratt began hosting pop-up shops to sell her vintage-clothing finds.

“Doing the pop ups was great,” she recalls. It was a good gauge to let her know that people were interested in her fashion finds.

Surratt worked initially with the Downtown Committee of Syracuse and eventually with Michael John Heagerty of Wildflowers Armory to find a brick-and-mortar location.

Ultimately, she landed with Washington Street Partners, where she leases 500 square feet in the University Building at 120 E. Washington Street. The Black Citizens Brigade shop entrance is around the corner at 140 Bank Alley. It’s the former location of Bradley’s Jewelers.

“I had a soft opening in December [2022] to capitalize on the holiday season,” Surratt says, and the shop officially opened on June 10, 2023, with a focus on high-end fashion in familiar brands. A partnership with the Bank Alley Urban Market provided a “wayfinding” boost that helped people find her shop, and the word continues to spread.

Having a brick-and-mortar store is important, she says, not just to shake off the pandemic isolation, but also to help dispel the notion that downtown Syracuse is devoid of culture, places to shop, or even parking space. All are untrue, Surratt says.

“The downtown economy needs people to walk through doors,” she adds, and Surratt is doing her part to draw people in through her wares. She has seen a diverse array of customers of all ages, backgrounds, religions, and more. 

“It has been a joy to have so many different people come through,” says Surratt. Along with individual shoppers, Black Citizens Brigade is growing a customer base comprised of other retailers and even the local film industry looking for vintage pieces to outfit actors.

She hopes to build on that momentum to grow. “I’d like it to expand into a reading and listening room,” she says of her shop. Surratt has a personal collection of archival materials that aren’t for sale but feels should be shared. That space would allow people to access her collection, which includes a poetry book signed by Langston Hughes, recordings of John Lewis and Malcom X, and more.

Surratt also hopes within the next few years to include a space where she can host events such as reading circles, spoken-word events, and film screenings.

“It’s an ever-evolving story,” she says of her business’s growth.

Currently, Black Citizens Brigade is open Thursdays and Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m., and also offers private shopping by appointment.