they seem cool

The Woman Behind New York’s Favorite Vintage Store

Meet Jessica Gonsalves.

Photo: Shaniqwa Jarvis
Photo: Shaniqwa Jarvis

Once upon a time, there were few places to buy quality vintage hip-hop T-shirts in New York. But then along came Procell, the Lower East Side boutique founded by Jessica Gonsalves and her husband, Brian Procell. Six years later, the store is more relevant than ever (Frank Ocean has a Procell shirt), and Gonsalves and Procell travel the world in search of rare vintage sportswear finds. Most recently, they were in Vietnam looking at dead stock Nikes. We spoke with Gonsalves about sweatpants, Mariah Carey, and teleportation.

What is your most-used emoji?
The rocket ship or the vomiting face. The rocket ship is my way of saying “Positivity! Yay! Amazingnesss!”

What is your favorite holiday?
I don’t really do holidays. Let’s go with the summer solstice. I like the sun, the beach, and the hot weather.

If you could spend three months anywhere, where would it be and why?
I think it would be three months nowhere, like, on a boat traveling all around.

What superpower would you have and why?
I would be able to teleport. At the end of a long day if I could go right into my bed it would be great.

What’s the best album ever made?
Oh wow. I don’t feel qualified to answer this question.

Go-to karaoke song?
I would say anything by Mariah Carey. Not because I can sing well, but because I’m a superfan.

Who do you think is cool?
Anyone who is living their true, authentic life. It’s hard to be who you want to be.

What fictional character would you love to hang out with?
Probably the Bob’s Burgers family.

If you could be a magazine, what magazine would you be?
I would be Apartamento. It’s so cool.

If you could speak to animals, which animals would you want to talk to?Dogs.

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Jeans or sweats?
Sweats, 1,000 percent.

What’s something your social-media followers don’t know about you?
My Instagram name is a riff on the artist Joseph Beuys.

What was the last website you looked at?
I just filed our New York State quarterly sales tax.

If you could be outfitted by one designer for the rest of your life, who would it be?
Alaïa, the person. You can go super dressed up but it can also be super comfortable.

What do you eat for breakfast?
Caffeine in all its forms.

If you could only eat three things for the rest of your life, what would they be?
Pasta. I don’t think I need the other two.

If you were a color, what would it be?
I would be vermilion, which is an orange-y red color.

On Gonsalves: Prada jacket, $1790 at 575 Broadway, New York, New York, 10012; Alison Lou earrings, $145 at Net-a-Porter.

The Woman Behind New York’s Cult-Favorite Vintage Store