{"id":210498,"date":"2026-03-08T16:08:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T16:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/210498\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T16:08:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T16:08:08","slug":"the-biz-beat-black-brown-brings-vintage-stylings-to-san-jose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/210498\/","title":{"rendered":"The Biz Beat: Black & Brown brings vintage stylings to San Jose"},"content":{"rendered":"

A native of San Jose, Monisha Murray\u2019s journey in the buy-and-sell world of vintage clothing began long before she opened her own storefront, Black & Brown. Over the last 21 years, the business has grown from a 2,000-square-foot startup to two side-by-side stores showcasing women\u2019s and men\u2019s classic clothing stretching back to the 1940s.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I try to hit every angle and stay true to the eras and the times,\u201d Murray told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cI believe that if you have a good product, people will keep coming back. I don\u2019t have a plan B \u2014 this is what I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fresh out of high school, Murray started working for a local buy-sell-trade shop called Crossroads, part of a 40-store chain. Over the next seven years, she became a manager, opened the store\u2019s Santa Cruz location and became a buyer trainer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always thrifted,\u201d she said. \u201cI was a little raver kid, and when Crossroads came here, it was exciting. We didn\u2019t have many vintage stores, and it had an alternative vibe that made me feel like I needed to work there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Sweaters on display at Black & Brown. Photo by Robert Eliason.<\/p>\n

She then took her Crossroads\u2019 knowledge east. Murray moved to New York for a job at Beacon\u2019s Closet, an upscale buy-and-sell with locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan, which lasted a year and a half.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was working too hard,\u201d Murray said, \u201cand realized at age 26 that I could open my own place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking the idea back home to San Jose, she opened Black & Brown in partnership with some friends. It was all love, she said, but she also learned that business is business.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was also working at a coffee shop at 3:30 or 4 in the morning,\u201d Murray said, \u201cand would go to the shop from noon until 7 p.m. Sometimes we would stay until midnight. Those first three years were a struggle, and we weren\u2019t getting paid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, as now, the inventory ranged from the 1940s through more contemporary clothes. The lower limit is out of practicality: Murray said anything earlier than that starts to become more collectible and needs more attention because \u201cthings get really delicate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"When Murray outgrew her space she found an old two-story co-op built in the 1920s on West San Carlos Street. Photo by Robert Eliason.<\/p>\n

There is another limit within the more recent vintages on \u201cfast fashion,\u201d a modern trend toward clothes that are mass produced rapidly from cheaper materials.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not really made to last,\u201d Murray said. \u201cSo the quality is just not there.\u201d<\/p>\n

By year five, the business had outgrown its space and moved to a 5,500-square-foot location on The Alameda. The business continued to grow over the next five years, but when Whole Foods opened nearby, the rent suddenly tripled, and it was time for another move.<\/p>\n

The building Murray found was an old two-story co-op built in the 1920s on West San Carlos Street, with retail space on the ground floor and 13 rooms on the second that had been rented out to different shops. Her first step was hiring a contractor to open up the walls to form larger spaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe building was really creepy at first,\u201d Murray said. \u201cEvery spot had this different pool of energy, and it hadn\u2019t had much love. Once we blasted it with white paint, it was beautiful. My mom came and blessed it, and it\u2019s been our home for 11 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally, Murray said, Black & Brown was intended to symbolize the old and the new: The black is the \u201ccrispy,\u201d and the brown is the drab that is left behind but still has life. But now, as sole owner, she finds there is a certain providence in the name.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just me now,\u201d she said, \u201cand my background is Mexican and Black. So it\u2019s like the universe was already doing something that I didn\u2019t quite see. It\u2019s literally me with the name. I think it\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n

Murray said that when she buys, she is looking for things that are \u201ctimeless,\u201d such as linens and silks with \u201cgreat fabric flow and structure,\u201d\u00a0 but with an eye to the newest trends as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always question my team, asking \u2018What do the kids want?’\u201d she said. \u201cI think the blessing of it is that you are always shifting and adjusting to trends. I feel like I\u2019m watching that trajectory even as I\u2019m getting older and I\u2019m trying to find this happy balance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Black & Brown\u2019s display of purses and belts. Photo by Robert Eliason.<\/p>\n

Although she has staff buyers, Murray is still hands-on when selecting inventory for her shop. And unlike some buy-sell establishments, she trains her workers to rely on their instincts and fashion knowledge rather than to only consult the marketplace.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tell them, \u2018I was buying in the 90s,’\u201d she said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t go online to find things. It was retention. I had to know brands and keep their price brackets in my head. My brain was the database, and that\u2019s where I had to pick and pull.\u201d<\/p>\n

Customer Zerreen Kazi was introduced to the store by a friend eight years ago and still prizes a 1980s vintage suede jacket she found there.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came in, I was really impressed with how distinctive the pieces were,\u201d Kazi told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cMuch more than the traditional thrift shops I\u2019d been to in San Jose. All the employees there were really excited about the clothes which got me really excited, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kazi said going there regularly was a real education in styles and fabrics \u2014 and is the reason she still shops there.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an experience you won\u2019t find anywhere else in San Jose,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a fascinating mix of fashion and culture and it\u2019s always a great time going there.\u201d
\"In-line
<\/a>Murray has recently taken over the adjacent space, the delightfully named \u201cBlack Cat Licorice\u201d building, formerly the home of the American Improv Theatre. The entire shop is devoted to the full range of men\u2019s fashion, from the 1940s to the present, as with women\u2019s styles.<\/p>\n

But even as the business expands, with the inclusion of home decor items from local designers, Murray keeps to her principles of the finest quality and selection.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs businesses grow, they tend to make a lot of changes,\u201d she told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cI\u2019m a big believer in \u2018stick to your roots.\u2019 Stick to how you started. That\u2019ll always be what your customers fell in love with in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Contact Robert Eliason at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: The Biz Beat is a series highlighting local small businesses and restaurants in Silicon Valley. Know a business you\u2019d like to see featured? Let us know at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Black & Brown<\/p>\n

Located at 751 W. San Carlos St. in San Jose<\/p>\n

(408) 298-1970<\/p>\n

Open daily 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Buying hours are Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to\u00a0 6 p.m.<\/p>\n

Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n

Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n