Operating Principles

We pay attention to what goes into everything we offer, because we believe you deserve to know exactly what you're consuming. Unlike conventional cafes that rely on menu ingredients and syrups filled with gums, additives, and hidden ingredients, SUBLIME (the in-house cafe at Again Vintage) hand-selects every beverage component with the same care we apply to selecting vintage pieces.

Our Plant Potions feature clean, identifiable ingredients. Our Pantry by SUBLIME is entirely free of gluten, industrialized seed oils, dyes, gums, and processed sugar. When we say something is adaptogenic, immunity-boosting, or microbiome-supporting, those aren't marketing buzzwords—they're the functional properties of herbs and mushrooms we can name and trace.

We prioritize working with organic, local, smaller, family-, women/GNC-, BIPOC-, and LGBTQ-owned farms and brands who share our obsession with ingredient integrity. A thoughtful life starts with knowing what you’re putting in your body. A thoughtful home starts in your kitchen, and a thoughtful kitchen starts with knowing exactly what's in your pantry.

We believe that caring for our planet is not separate from our work—it is our work. From composting at SUBLIME to giving new life to vintage objects, we actively move away from over-production and towards regenerative practices.

SUBLIME maintains a partnership with 429 Halsey Community Garden, where we donate our coffee grounds and compost to nourish local soil. Every espresso pull and pastry crumb becomes part of a closed loop that feeds our neighborhood. We're thrilled by the opportunity to participate in hyperlocal regeneration, transforming what others might call waste into resources for community growing spaces.

Our commitment extends to every corner of our shop. We consciously step away from western culture's busyness and over-production of poorly made pieces, instead prioritizing objects that have already lived full lives and are ready for new chapters. Our found objects prove that the most sustainable item and the most thoughtful gift for a loved one, is often the one that has already been loved before.

Beauty and sustainability are inseparable priorities in how we source both found and new objects. Our newer items come primarily from makers, authors, and craftspeople local to New York, with intentional focus on supporting Queer creatives, women, trans and GNC folks, and artists of color.

We select independent or rare designers who maintain an emphasis on craft and artistry as an ethos, regardless of trend. This means prioritizing those who mill their own grains, hand-throw their own ceramics, or pour their own candles—makers who understand that the process matters as much as the final piece.

From our partnership with Driftaway, an AAPI and woman-owned award-winning roastery, to our baked goods from Sixteen Mill, a woman-owned bakery that mills its own grains, to our weekly seasonal bouquets from our local floral partner Drake Vaccaro who sources directly from city greenmarkets and farms—every offering represents a relationship with someone who cares deeply about their craft.

We believe that a cafe should be a place of belonging for everyone, not just those who can afford the $7 latte. Our "Pay What You Can" board allows guests to purchase an item from our menu as a gift, leaving a note for someone else to redeem. This small act creates a web of anonymous generosity—one person's morning treat becomes another person's moment of unexpected kindness.

The board is always up & available at SUBLIME, and we hope it serves as a quiet reminder that community care doesn't require grand gestures. Sometimes it's just a matcha, offered freely.

Beyond the board, we see our space as a platform for other small businesses and creatives. We host vendor pop-ups, provide venue rental for workshops and readings, and create opportunities for new voices in design and art to share their work. We feel humbled and honored to steward space in such a powerful and historically Black neighborhood, and we take that responsibility seriously.

The people who work at Again Vintage are the heart of this space, and we prioritize building a staffing environment that is welcoming, stable, and rooted in open communication. We believe that when our team feels valued, supported, and heard, that energy radiates outward into every interaction with our guests.

We actively work to create transparent expectations, fair scheduling, and pathways for growth. We encourage our staff to bring their full selves to work—their ideas, their creativity, their feedback. We recognize that the quality of someone's experience at our cafe or in our shop is directly connected to the quality of our team's experience behind the counter and on the floor.

In an industry known for burnout and high turnover, we're committed to doing things differently. Stability, dignity, and mutual respect aren't perks—they're foundational principles that shape how we operate every single day.

We believe that intentional and elevated design, slow quality, joyful living, and the exploration of personal style should be attainable to anyone seeking it. This means celebrating the rituals of daily tasks—the morning coffee, the dinner table set with care, the candle lit for no occasion other than Thursday evening.

We wrap all of our objects with the same attention to detail— whether it’s a gift for your own home or something to console a grieving friend.

Our design philosophy, whether applied to our shop's curation or our interior styling projects, embodies a harmonious balance between new and old. We prioritize beauty, function, intentional craftsmanship, and the understanding that each object can impact the way you experience the energy of a space. When you are surrounded by both function and beauty, your life feels easier and creativity more possible.

This isn't about perfectionism or unattainable aesthetics. It's about honoring the small moments and giving them the attention they deserve. It's about recognizing that your home can be your sanctuary, and that sanctuary is built one thoughtful choice at a time.