Boris Garage to Participate in Press Bay Market

By Shannon R. Myers

Many of you may now be familiar with Boris Garage, Ithaca’s own cool, weird, crazy, man-cave buy-sell-trade store. Owned and operated by Ithaca native Christian Seaman, Boris Garage will be a vendor at the Press Bay Market, which is scheduled to take place simultaneously with Ithaca’s Apple Festival. Life’s So Sweet Chocolates invited Boris Garage to participate, and the two businesses will be set up next to one another. You can swing by during all of the fall festivities and visit Boris Garage’s booth at 116 W. Green St. on Saturday, October 5th, from 10-6 and Sunday, October 6th from 10-4. Boris Garage’s Old Elmira Road location will also be open.

Christian is now also readying to transition Boris Garage for the winter. “With the cold months coming, I’ll be operating inside. I’m going to have less large items like furniture, and will be changing my inventory over to smaller specialty, seasonal, and holiday items.”

Christian also plans on promoting the brand of the store more as winter progresses and leaving behind the generic “buy-sell-trade” definition and carving a more characterized identity for his business, with a focus on fun to entice customers to linger a little longer in the store.

Christian opened Boris Garage in January 2013. He took the business over from the Ithaca Antique Mall, where it had originally started as a satellite location. Christian changed it into a buy-sell-trade business that features man cave and crazy items, aiming to create an aesthetic that was something a little different for Ithaca.

The trade element of Boris Garage is integral to the business. “One of the most satisfying things about this business is the enjoyment of being in a place where people are comfortable shopping and know that they are getting a good deal without having to worry about whether they are losing or gaining money,” Christian says.

Boris Garage continues to be active in the community in different ways, such as helping to preserve the environment by running “dumpsterless” and reselling, reusing, recycling, and repurposing approximately 90% of the items that pass through the shop. Boris Garage also participates in collecting for donations and food drives, and there are many different products and projects that the business is involved with.

Just a reminder: Boris Garage does not buy or sell precious metals and does not deal in electronics, car parts, or firearms. When people bring in items that he can’t use at Boris Garage, Christian can put them in contact with dealers that look for those kinds of items.

While you’re out and about during Ithaca’s Apple Festival, stop down and say hi to Christian at his booth at 116 W. Green Street next to Life’s So Sweet Chocolates on October 5th and 6th; or visit Boris Garage at 210 Old Elmira Road during regular business hours: Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can also reach Boris Garage by calling (607) 227-0612.