Zabars Heiress Makes Leap From Lox To Vintage Couture

Rachel Zabar Image by twitter

By Daniel J. Solomon August 28, 2017

Rachel Zabar has gone from serving up caviar at her family’s famous Upper West Side grocery store to selling vintage clothes to the stars.

That’s according to a Sunday profile in The New York Times that takes a look at the Jewish grocery store heiress’ masterful move into the competitive world of second-hand clothes dealing.

“We had a family friend who was a designer, and she used to take me to the flea markets when I was nine or 10,” Zabar told the Times, discussing her early interest in fashion.

“I started wearing the treasures I found. I’m talking stripes and flowers and rows of pearls and a weird hat. If my mom told me I couldn’t wear anything to school, there would be tantrums and screaming.”

As the piece recalls, there was a long road to success, with stints in other areas of the arts – like photography and documentary making – having failed.

But living in Los Angeles, she has stumbled on success peddling vintage clothes and accoutrements to stars, including Rihanna and Tracee Ellis Ross.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

Daniel J. Solomon is the former Assistant to the Editor/News Writer at the Forward. Originally from Queens, he attended Harvard as an undergraduate, where he wrote his senior thesis on French-Jewish intellectual history. He is excited to have returned to New York after his time in Massachusetts. Daniel’s passions include folk music, cycling, and pointed argument.

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