This is an incredibly strange, wild and tumultuous year. With the pandemic looming in the background and political uprisings taking over the streets of the United States, we can confidently say that 2020 has been a year like no other. Therefore, as we began to plan for the new semester, we felt it was important we switch some things around to reflect the current moment we’re in and provide a new way to engage in the NYU community. 

We present to you the Three C’s of Consumption: Caring, Considerate, and Conscious. While in the past, the Food and Fun Guide has been dedicated to providing you a list with places to discover in the city as a pleasurable experience, this year we decided to get you to engage with the businesses around you to become a devoted patron of their service. 

In this guide, we have included Black-owned businesses to support as a way to uplift their voices and demonstrate our support for Black Lives Matter. Secondly, we have compiled a list of local businesses around the NYU community that are currently suffering due to the pandemic and need a little extra love. Lastly, we are providing you a list of student-owned Depop and Poshmark shops so that you may engage in sustainable fashion and maybe snag a cute fit here or there. 

With businesses slowly re-opening, we realized that it was important to include safety precautions when visiting these local businesses. We made sure to compile a list that details how each business is currently functioning under the pandemic.

In doing this, we hope to show that not only do we care about preserving the presence of local businesses but that we are actively trying to disengage in supporting large corporations by investing in our communities instead. Enjoy this lovely guide made with love by the UTA staff for you.

From bookstores to restaurants to thrift shops, here is a compiled list of local and Black-owned business surrounding the NYU community to support.

In these Q&As, two Liberal Studies sophomores discuss their fashion journeys, how they run their independent businesses via Depop and the way they use their shops to fight for the causes they hold dear.

Q&A with New York City thrifter and aspiring model on thrifting and second-hand fashion in the city, defining his own personal style, and his advice on exploring the thrifting scene.

A list of Depop and Poshmark stores owned by NYU students that sell everything from clothes to books to handmade jewelry. You can access each of these stores by clicking on the photo of the shop.