The Hobbyist #14: An Interview with Intramural Shop Founder Bijan Shahvali

The king of NYC vintage on estate sales, cruisin’ with the sibs, and clothes as stories

photo by Gabi Lamb; graphic design by Thomas Euyang

The first 11 times I tried to write this intro all I could muster was “afdsvsdfjgvfdjkvkdvdlvdsnvnds” thanks to the late-game heroics (ONCE AGAIN) of the New York Knickerbockers. I have finally settled down enough to form words and am equally stoked to introduce this week’s newsletter guest, Bijan Shahvali, the owner/founder/curator/purveyor of the best dang vintage goods brand around, Intramural Shop.

I think what makes Intramural the top of the mountain, and Bijan the best sourcer (vintage sourcers should for real call themselves sorcerers) in the game, is that there’s intent behind each piece he uploads to the site and puts up for sale. The aesthetic is coherent and the vision clear. When I asked what that guiding principle may be, Bijan explained: “The stuff that I'm really interested in curating and sourcing and selling is objects and clothes that speak to the multiple dimensions of people. I like intersections.”

For us dudes and dudettes who want to be cool, who are actively trying to put forth our coolness into the world, clothing is the clearest way to express who you are and what you’re about. For instance, I’m wearing an adorable Gabriel Alcala Brian Eno Here Come the Warm Jets shirt. If you see me walking down the street strutting my stuff with this bad boy on, you probably assume a few things: a) I’m an Eno head and b) I’m up on cool art — Alcala is certified bonkers.

Outside of the fundamental operating procedure of his curatorial style, Bijan also had some really stellar advice for anyone looking to break into this world; I think this is becoming the bread and butter of The Hobbyist. We get cool people to reveal how they do what they do. Bijan, for instance, said something that is not only applicable for his business, but for all creative endeavors: “I think being open is key for anyone starting out. It’s fluid. I know I'm going to do the thing, so I just have to try stuff. If that doesn't work, disregard that thought. I think you have to be open to this vision, this business model you have, shifting and evolving. You move with that.” You heard the man. Try stuff!

What was your introduction to the world of vintage clothing?

Bijan Shahvali: My introduction was through my older siblings. I would go with them to thrift stores—whether it was more Goodwill types or the more curated ones. They're a little older than me and they thankfully let me tag along. It was ingrained in me when I was pretty young, eight, nine years old. What drew me to it was about the hunt of unearthing a gem or the process of discovery. That was really appealing. It was something I already knew about or would then learn about. It was all really interesting for me.

Where'd you grow up?

BJ: I grew up in LA on the West Side, in the Santa Monica/Brentwood area. There's a spot called Wasteland that they would do these sales. Maybe they still do 'em, but it was either by the pound or each thing was $1. I just remember going super early with my older sister and just digging through clothes as a younger sibling. I was stoked to be along for the ride, but it stuck with me in my mind.

Do you come from a fashion oriented family or was it mostly just like, ‘old shit is cooler than new shit, let’s buy vintage.’

BS: My family in general is into style and looking nice. I wouldn't say my parents were necessarily like, ‘Let's go thrifting.’ It was more from my siblings, but when we were driving around town and they’d have garage sales, I think my parents had that curiosity of, ‘what do these people have?’

After college, what does your early professional life look like?

BS: I was always interested in clothing. In college I did an internship at Freshjive. After graduating, I didn't really work in that space. I just did random uninteresting office jobs and then did some sales jobs. It wasn't until I decided to make this hobby a job or see if it could be a full-time thing that I returned to it in a way.

I know the brand started in 2019. How long was the idea of doing something like this percolating before that?

BS: To do it as a job? Maybe a couple years, but I had a good job. I ended up getting let go and then that was the moment, ‘if I'm going to try it, now is the time’ type thing.

So you weren't really building it while you were working, it was after you left your job that led to its beginning?

BS: Yeah, and I worked part-time while I was building it and figuring it out.

What were the first steps that you took to get the brand off the ground? Was it inventory? Was it branding?

BS: It was probably a mix of those. It's perspective in the sense of, ‘What's my curation? What's my angle here that's going to make me stand out?’ You just have to put yourself out there and then you just keep doing it. I won't lie, it was very freaky. I had never really put myself out there before. That's the first bullet you have to bite. People find you, and that's the beauty of social media. People can share your stuff and then you should also be talking to people who do it. You should be trying to understand how they work and figure out if they have any tips for you.

I think being open is key for anyone starting out. It’s fluid. I know I'm going to do the thing, so I just have to try stuff. If that doesn't work, disregard that thought. I think you have to be open to this vision, this business model you have, shifting and evolving. You move with that.

When was the first moment where you were like, ‘Oh, this is working. I can maybe turn this into a career.’

BS: I think it was when I started to do Hester Street Fair, which is this flea market that they do in New York. I did that and then people would come out. Some people that followed me on Instagram would come, and then there were people who I didn't know who would stop by and then they were stoked on it. It made me realize that I was resonating with people. The stuff that I'm interested in, other people are interested in. It builds from there. I don't think people should seek a big moment. It takes little wins to give you a boost of confidence that what you're doing, what you're building, there's a market for.

Do you have an operating angle that you think makes Intramural stand out from other brands in this space?

BS: I don't know if I have anything. It's sort of hard to say that I have something that's really differentiating. The stuff that I'm really interested in curating and sourcing and selling is objects and clothes that speak to the multiple dimensions of people. I like intersections. Like, there's a basketball shirt, but it's designed by this cool graphic artist from the 90s. If you're into basketball and you're into art, you're going to love that piece. None of us are one dimensional. We like all these different things, we have different hobbies.

That's the stuff I really like. When I started, I focused on objects, stuff like home goods. I really like that moment when you're at dinner at someone's house or at a cocktail party and you're like, ‘Hey, tell me about this mug,’ and then they tell you about it. That's a cool interaction and a cool connection that you just made.There are people who love to hear those stories and there are people who love to tell them. I think the stuff in your house and the stuff that you wear should be stuff that you're stoked to talk about. I wanted Intramural to be involved in that story, like, ‘Oh yeah, I bought it from Intramural.’ That's a feather in my cap.

If I were doing what you were doing, my chief concern would be keeping too much of it for myself. How do you balance your personal fashion with the things that you sell?

BS: There’s definitely stuff, but over time you’re like, ‘I enjoyed this for a couple years and maybe I should let it go back into the world.’ The stuff that I don't sell is very personally nostalgic, so personal that I don't think anyone would care. I recently got a t-shirt from this painting school that I went to when I was seven years old. I needed to have it and no one else would care. It's a cool shirt, but I don't think it’s going to mean as much to someone unless they went there. It’s super niche stuff that I keep.

Are you mostly collecting things or searching for things? I don't want you to give away too many secrets, but are you scouring online? At flea markets? What's the balance look like?

BS: It's all over. I've been lucky to become friends with other people that do vintage. I really like their eye and how they source stuff or what they source. Sometimes I'll buy from friends or other dealers and then yeah, we'll be online at the usual spots and usual sites. A Lot of times it's like I'll be watching a movie and then something in that movie will make me think, ‘Oh, huh, lemme search this,’ I'm constantly looking. I'll go to estate sales a lot.

What does the average day look like for you running this company?

BS: I try to spend a little time in the morning doing online searching because that's when the emails come in from eBay. I'll spend a little time doing that in the morning if I don't have anything else. Then if I need to go shoot stuff, I'll make sure it's clean and prep it, steam it, all that. Then I try to shoot in the mornings as well, just because the lighting is best then. Then I'll upload stuff to the website. That’s sort of the day, honestly. Every day is different because if there’s an estate sale on a Thursday, that's going to be your Thursday. I have a newsletter that I put out for updates on the website, so that's Thursdays as well. Maybe that morning I'm finalizing that or adding some more things. The average day is hunting for something new to share, something cool that I haven't seen before. There are no real average days, but that’s an encapsulation.

Do you shoot at home or do you go to a studio?

BS: I have a little space in my apartment that's an office space, so I'll shoot there.

Did you have to learn photography a little bit?

BS: Not really. It was mostly based on what I thought would look good, and I haven’t changed the style.

When you are not doing something related to Intramural, what do you like doing?

BS: I love to cook. So hopefully a couple days a week we'll be able to cook. From that, I also love to have people over for dinner. I’ve also been into tennis, so when the weather's good, I try and play as much as I can. I’ve been trying to get better at going first thing in the morning instead of waiting. I’ve also been on a real movie kick lately. Watching movies, whether it's at home or in the theater, but I’ve been trying to go to the theater more. That's a perfect night out, going to a movie and then going out for a drink to discuss the movie.

Tennis wise, are you into the apparel side of things? Have you gotten into vintage tennis gear or even modern tennis gear? Has that become a fascination of yours at all?

BS: I think my fascination is more with the kind of t-shirts, the US Open stuff and the gear around it. Not gear, but the ephemeral clothing that was released for fans around these tennis moments. I would say I'm getting into the modern gear. I still play in a t-shirt, but I’m trying to get better about wearing good gear and wearing good shoes and using proper rackets. There's a reason why technology evolved. There's some cool vintage playing gear that I would wear casually, but I wouldn't play in it.

I know you've done some stuff with Levi's. How did that come about?

BS: They wanted to do some stuff around vintage jeans, like 501s and 505s. We did a collaboration that was focused on denim, and then we did one that was focused more on the gear that they made for the 84 Olympics in LA. I sourced a bunch of stuff that was Summer

What's one piece of advice you could offer to someone who wants to become a better vintage collector?

BS: I think to keep it in theme of the hobbyist, I’d say to keep your hobbies. Having hobbies keeps you in tune with the soul of the thing that you're sourcing. I go to movies, go to shows, so that way I’m in touch with what's going on, and I can find a t-shirt that would resonate with someone who was also in that scene. You won't know the specialness of an item while you're searching for it, while you're sourcing, unless you’ve lived it.

Apparel is one thing that ties all of these worlds together. Everybody wears clothes, and it's like whether you're playing tennis, golf, acting in films, whatever, everyone wants to wear cool shit. Well, mostly everyone. Not golfers, really. Clothing is a baseline that runs through all of this.

BS: I like to have an element of my personal interests in what I’m wearing. That's why I really gravitate towards the graphic shirt or a cool hat. It's just a nice way to reflect who you are, with a bit of personal style. If you're just wearing a plain white shirt, no one's going to be like, ‘Oh, what's that white shirt?’