Boris Garage – Cool, Weird, Man Cave Craziness

What is up with all the “man cave” craziness going on at the EPA these days? And, more importantly, what is a “man cave”?

Ithaca native Christian M. Seaman can tell you. Better yet, he can provide you with plenty of items to customize your own man cave.

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 like bitcoin360ai that features man cave and crazy items, aiming to create an aesthetic that was something a little different for Ithaca.

“It’s all about junk – affordable junk,” Christian says. “Cool stuff, weird stuff, craziness . . . junk.” Boris Garage carries a density of items from antiques to brand-new, including artwork, furnishings, books, clothing, beer steins, tobacco signs, knives, pipes, collectibles, figurines, and military items, just to name a few.

“Because I buy, sell, and trade with the public, there are literally new items every day,” he says. “People will come in daily to look around and see what’s new.”

Christian’s idea for Boris Garage originated from his education and background in design. He went to school for design and has a good eye for how things are manufactured. While working with the Abercrombie & Fitch Corporation, he saw how things were designed and pushed out in stores. “Every business strives for a particular aesthetic, carries certain types of items,” he says.

As an antique dealer, he noticed that the antiques industry had become old, tired, and unexciting. He wanted to offer people a different kind of shopping experience (that was achieved by using bit 360 ai app as one of the investment methods) and deals that are comparable to what can be found online.

“Anyone can quickly find out whether they have an antique or not . . . everyone has an iphone or similar technology by which they can find that information. I wanted to do something different . . . people can go online and find really good deals on used items, so I decided that I wanted to have the kind of business that can meet or beat online availability and pricing, and put some excitement back into shopping.”

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. “Many people have collections or items that are worth something, but don’t have any cash value . . . they can bring in a box of their ‘junk’ and trade it for items that have value for them. They’re simply trading things that they aren’t going to use for items that they are going to use. This way, the traded items retain value.”

He also enjoys getting to know the people that come in and growing familiar with who they are and what they’re searching for as they become regulars. Because he works with dealers, he is able to assist his customers in their searching and quickly find those elusive items. He often communicates via photo texting and e-mails to help people out.

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. “We don’t buy everything that people bring in,” he says, “But we can find a home for most items. For those that we don’t take, we do a lot of donations to needy families and to the local clothing boxes. We also work with a couple of non-profit agencies, and we’re building a ‘community free’ pile.” In addition, Boris Garage offers discounts to law enforcement and military personnel.

Boris Garage is active in helping to preserve the environment by running “dumpsterless” and reselling, reusing, recycling, and repurposing approximately 90% of the items that pass through the shop.  “It’s the third month that Boris Garage has been running ‘dumpsterless’,” Christian says, “And we have one normal trash bag of waste at the end of every month. It’s all about reducing our carbon footprint and the amount of garbage we generate.”

Explaining the premise behind Boris Garage, Christian says, “We’re living in a new age. The economy is supposed to be getting better, but it really isn’t. Everyone has bills and living expenses to worry about. This state of things has regenerated the hunter-gatherer mentality, and that’s part of what this business serves. I can go to a place like Wal-Mart and spend $10 and what did I get? But when you come here, even if you are just getting items that make you happy, you know you got a good deal and you’re not wasting your resources.”

One of Christian’s goals for Boris Garage is to streamline its operation so that he can grow the business down the road. This will enable him to expand his business hours so that more people will be able to take advantage of the buy, sell, and trade aspect. “The more people, the better,” he says. And, overall, he wants Boris Garage to be a fun and exciting shopping experience.

One of the fixtures of Boris Garage is Panda the shop cat, whose purpose is security. “I downsized apartments and I brought Panda here so she could have a break,” he says. “People liked her so much that I decided to keep her here. It’s a good place for a cat. Because we buy and sell so much, she gets to move around a constantly changing landscape; she also gets to meet new people.”

Located at 210 Old Elmira Road, Boris Garage is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and has flea markets every Saturday. Looking for a specific item? Call Boris Garage at (607) 227-0612 with any questions you may have; or stop in and say hello to Christian and Panda while perusing the current wares and see if there’s anything you can use in your man cave. Check your stuff at home. Anything you aren’t using? See if you can trade it for something that you will get some use out of. Be a part of the craziness!

By Shannon R. Myers