Back in the spring of 2018, Indiana University alum Nick Ayala had a dream to bring a new kind of shopping experience here to Bloomington. That dream was realized when SLCT Stock first opened its doors to the public in March of that year.

Ayala and SLCT Stock began humbly in a small hole in the wall shop right next to the local staple restaurant Buffalouies. The smell of wings was always in the air but according to SLCT associate Paul Centanni “it was home.”

“Nick really just wanted to bring something to Bloomington that had never been done before,” said Cetanni. “Something that was new, unique, something that people could come around. He wanted to bring IU gear to the school and to the students.”

Ayala was unavailable for comment.

SLCT Stock has three locations now, including two that are located in Boulder, Colorado and the ultimate dream destination for the brand, East Village in Manhattan. The original shop in Bloomington served its purpose long enough however, leading to a brand new store in the heart of downtown Bloomington.

“It was uh, it was a change. It was something that was very big, everyone was excited for it,” said Centanni.

The goal was to move the shop to a spot in town that would attract more foot traffic and give more people the chance to come in and shop with the added space according to Centanni.

“It was something that was unique and we knew that we could take over a space that would bring more foot traffic to the students and get that mix of students, people who live in Bloomington, and even visitors in town.”

The shop itself carries an extensive amount of vintage clothing with the staple of the Bloomington store being vintage IU clothing that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else. The stores in Colorado and New York also have staple pieces, ranging from Colorado University gear in Boulder to extremely rare Seinfeld items personally curated by Ayala at the New York location.

Ayala himself is known to be a bit obsessed with Seinfeld, the show is a common theme in each store.

“Nick is obsessed with Seinfeld and Vintage, with Seinfeld being number one amongst those,” said Centanni, who makes sure to keep episodes of the legendary sitcom in the shop television rotation here in Bloomington.

One of the charms of the SLCT Stock brand is the openness for anyone to come in and simply shop or hang out on the in-store couch watching Seinfeld, sports, or whatever is on that day and just chat with whoever is working.

Ayala is taking that to another level in the New York location however, hosting comedy shows and events every month bringing in Indiana University alums and big names from the world of comedy such as Michael Rapaport. “The shop is on the smaller side, but he’s hosting great events, a great comedy event almost every month,” said Centanni.

As for where SLCT Stock goes in the future however, it’s up in the air and inside of the mind of Ayala.

“I think after another 2 years he’ll be on to his next dream of opening up another shop, that seems to be how he’s going with things,” said Centanni.

You can find SLCT Stock online SLCT Stock Homepage and on social media SLCT Stock Instagram