One of Beekman Street’s most popular shops is calling it a day. Vintage clothing and vinyl records store, The Black Circle, which has been a fixture in Saratoga Springs for more than two-and-a-half years, will be closing on Sunday, April 26, as Owner Greer Hamilton has decided to take a step back to focus more on his family. (Hamilton first announced the store’s closing on its Facebook page.)
Hamilton, a native Saratogian and Saratoga High School graduate, first opened The Black Circle in June 2017. The idea for the store grew out of a lively conversation between Hamilton and his friends. One friend suggested opening a store to sell disc golf equipment, considering its apparent “momentum” at the time, but Hamilton felt that the business would need more to make a mark on the Saratoga market. He’d noticed a lack of thrift shops and record stores in the area, and that ultimately drove him to open The Black Circle to fill the void (the name of the store is a reference to the Pearl Jam song, “Spin the Black Circle“).
“When I was in high school, I had my stereo hooked up, so that whenever I turned on the light switch when I walked [into my room], my CD player would kick on and play some Pearl Jam,” Hamilton says. “They’ve always been a constant in my life…since I was 12.”
Hamilton spent nine months prior to the store’s official launch gathering inventory from a number of thrift stores, including bringing an empty backpack with him on a trip to Ireland and filling it up with goodies. Whenever he visited family in Buffalo or Virginia, Hamilton would spend a handful of days finding sales and gathering supplies for his new store at local thrift stores. “I was trying to bring the thrift store closer,” Hamilton says. “I had always had opening the store in the back of my mind. It was just the right timing for my family.” That also included amassing an enviable collection of vinyl, with everything from classic rock and ’80s records to jazz and blues for sale.
With the closing looming, Hamilton says it’s “back to the drawing board” for him. In the meantime, Hamilton will continue adding new inventory, with deals on dresses and racked clothes for the foreseeable future.
