Hi There and Welcome to Frankie Vintage Downtown!
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Thursday, December 15, 2011
Welcome to Frankie Vintage Downtown!
If you ever find yourself lost in Plaza de Colon in Old San Juan then look no further! Frankie Vintage Downtown is located in the corner of Calle San Francisco and Calle O'Donnell - Right in the heart of the Old City and by the main entrance into the 500-year-old capital of the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, Viejo San Juan.
Have you ever seen the movie Assasins with Antonio Banderas and Sylvester Stallone? If so, then you must have seen our building which was used in the sniper scene of the movie. Frankie Vintage Downtown has helped numerous filming companies for the past 20 years by providing props. The props that we have available for rental have been seen in low-budget films to blocksbusters movies all across the globe, movies which were all filmed here in Puerto Rico!
Frankie Vintage Downtown has evolved tremendously over the decades, when it first got it start as a record shop called Downtown Records on 119th Worth Street, on lower Manhattan. Downtown Records, as it was called back then , was home to the hottest DJ's New York City had to offer during the early 80's -Famous DJ's such as Michael Rasafi, Albert Morrero, Joey Gomez, Flea, Tony Moran, and David Ortiz all collected their music from Downtown Records. Frankie Vintage Downtown has been able to provide first-rate satisfaction for the entertainment industry by treating our clients not only as friends but also as family. Love is the secret to our success. : )
Throughout the 80's Downtown Records expanded and owner, Frankie along with his brother Cisco, began to open more stores. Downtown Records other famous locations includeda 27th st & Broadway & 23rd street & 6th ave; 125th street & & Broadway, 45th street in Brooklyn, and 25th street between 6th & 7th avenue.
Throughout the 80's Downtown Records expanded and owner, Frankie along with his brother Cisco, began to open more stores. Downtown Records other famous locations includeda 27th st & Broadway & 23rd street & 6th ave; 125th street & & Broadway, 45th street in Brooklyn, and 25th street between 6th & 7th avenue.
After the 90's, Downtown Records then moved to old San Juan where Hector Fort, Joey Soltero, and DJ Kemit ran the store during the start of the reggaeton movement in the island. Unreleased cassettes of underground reggaeton artists became very popular and DJs such as DJ Playero, DJ Nelson, DJ Chiklin, DJ Joe, and DJ Negro helped reggaeton become a mainstream movement. They also sold imports from Europe before they were released on american labels and reggaeton from Panama along with all the latests American 12-inch dance records.
Right after 9/11, Downtown Records reinvented itself where it became a prop supplier for the movie industry and a collectible/vintage seller for the main public.
"The idea was given to me," Frankie Ramos relates, owner of Downtown Records in New York and now owner of Frankie Vintage Downtown, "by two girls that I met that came to my store one day and gave me an idea: Instead of selling the merchandise, why not rent it? There are not many places in the island where the movie industry can get props in Puerto Rico. These two girls opened my mind, Gladys and Monica, which are still in the movie industry. They come to our store to rent and always know what to take for the movies. The first movie that we worked with, by supplying them with our unique merchandise and even the use of our building, was the movie Assassin starring Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Bandera. We also did Bad Boys I and Bad Boys II. We have had the privilege of renting for many filming companies that have come to our beautiful island to shoot their work. One of the latest was the Rum Diary with Johnny Deep. And we also rent for commercials, plays, schools, weddings, and many more, and many more yet."
"It's not easy to keep all this merchandise in order because we have so much of it and as the movies return the stuff, we sell to the public. We also take things on consignment. We are told that we are one of the best stores in Old San Juan. The tourists love our store and people leave very happy with the merchandise they buy. We have inspired other people to do the same thing. When they come to our store, they like our store, get ideas, and make them better, and we are very happy that they can do what we do every day. We are happy that young people are going to continue the tradition of what we do."
When you come to Frankie Vintage Downtown ask for Frankie or Hector and we will gladly assist you and help you in whatever you need -From that perfect piece to shoot for your commercial to that unique piece that you want to decorate your home.
This blog is under heavy construction, so please check back frequently as we evolve Frankie Vintage Downtown online
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