Clothes Thrift Store

Clothes Thrift Store by angelsover – Pixabay

10 Best Thrift Stores in Boston


 

Thrifting is one of the cheapest and most sustainable ways to shop for clothes, and Boston has no shortage of great thrift shops where you can browse around. With effects from a pandemic still ongoing and increased interest in environmentally responsible living. There’s a renewed appeal to shop previously owned goods. Items sold at resale stores are readily available and curated, meaning they’re less expensive but maintain good quality. Though thrift shopping was once highly stigmatized, customers are growing more comfortable buying used instead of new.

In an earlier era nothing went to waste,” explains historian Jennifer Le Zotte, author of From Goodwill to Grunge: A History of Secondhand Styles and Alternative Economies.  The industrial revolution in the 19th century introduced the mass-production of clothing, changing the game. The more affordable it became to buy new clothes, the more people thought of clothes as disposable. Le Zotte points out that as urban populations grew, the size of living spaces shrunk, and more possessions were being thrown away. In addition to improved waste management systems, pawnshops and scrap materials sprung up during this period to find new uses for these items.

Let’s look at the 10 best thrift stores in Boston

1. The Goodwill Store

Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries was founded in Boston’s South End in 1895. Today, stores supporting nonprofits can be found throughout the world.

The long-standing nonprofit chain has a range of pre-owned clothing, housewares & many other items in store. It is located at 965 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA. It opens ​​from Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm.

Clothes are organized by type and color, and most have a set price. There’s also a pricier boutique section of higher-end brands and noteworthy vintage items. An ongoing weekly tag sale offers special discounts, and college students get a 15 percent discount every Thursday.

2. Buffalo Exchange

Vintage thrift store

Vintage thrift store by Viviane – Pixabay

The store occupies that magical space between a thrift store and a consignment shop. Their items which are both men’s and women’s clothing have a youthful vibe. They also have low and high-end brands, ranging from H&M and Urban Outfitters to more expensive labels like Calvin Klein.

The store opens seven days a week, Monday to Saturday from 11 am to 8 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm. The address of 312 Harvard St, Brookline, MA. 

The store has a newsletter that sends out offers on great deals like student discount day. Buffalo Exchange donates money to local charities instead of providing shopping bags. Customers are encouraged to bring their bags.

3. Boomerangs 

This is regarded as one of Boston’s most popular chain of thrift stores. This is because of its lavishly decorated windows, especially during the holidays.

The thrift shop has three stores at 563 Massachusetts Ave Cambridge; Central, Jamaican plain, and South End Washington Street. The Boston store opens from Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm.

Boomerangs store offers plenty of cheap bargains on a variety of items. The stores offer clothing, kitchenware, art, furniture, books, and jewelry. The proceeds benefit the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts.

4. 40 South Street

Second Hand Clothing

Second-Hand Clothing by LindaLioe – Pixabay

40 South Street has a down-to-earth vibe, with a fun selection. The store has a vintage feel like a museum, with the store managers encouraging their clientele to look but not touch without asking for assistance.

The store is located at 40 South St, Jamaica Plain, MA. It opens on select days, being ​​Thursday and Friday, 1 to 7 pm, Saturday, 11 am to 6 pm and Sunday, noon to 5 pm.

The store offers a  range of items from vintage denim, pleated skirts, leather vests, sparkly evening dresses, and sweatshirts. They have men’s and women’s pieces from the ’60s to the ’80s, ranging from the basics to the statement-making ones.

5. Raspberry Beret 

Raspberry Beret retails both new and consigned pieces of women’s fashion, carrying mostly mid-range women’s apparel. It has a cocktail of higher-end designer items and more low-end trendy merchandise.

The store is located at 2302 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge. They open from Tuesday to Sunday, 11 am to 7 pm. 

​​Most of the merchandise is on crowded, non-color-coordinated racks, meaning you may have to dig a bit harder to find what you’re looking for but you’re guaranteed it’ll be worth your while.

Raspberry Beret invites local nonprofits to open consignment accounts that any seller can opt to donate items to help support a local charity. 

6. Vivant Vintage

A collection of shoes in a shop

A collection of shoes in a shop by Megan Lee – Unsplash

When you walk into Vivant Vintage, it feels like you entered a ​​collector’s attic, with items from vintage cameras and old typewriters to an elk head with a gas lantern dangling from its antler. There’s plenty of outerwear, dresses, leather bags, boots, wingtips, sunglasses, jewelry, and ties.

The store is located at 318 Lincoln St, Allston, MA. It opens seven days a week from ​​11 am to 6 pm.

It can be hard to tell what’s for sale and what’s part of the permanent decor, but owner Justin Pomerleau is always available to clarify. The clothes vibe is rock ’n’ roll bohemian with lots of leather jackets, vintage graphic T-shirts, and button-downs with big ’70s collars. 

7. Great Eastern Trading Company

The store was founded in 1969, as one of the first vintage stores in the Boston area. Today, it’s known for its unique clothing for all genders, binary and nonbinary. 

The store opens from ​​Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 7 pm, Sunday, 1 to 6 pm. It is located at 49 River St, Cambridge, MA.

With vintage items from the 1920s through the 1980s, it’s also a good place to find a Halloween costume or an outfit for a costume party. The store also carries statement items.

8. We Thieves

Thrift Ceramic store

Thrift Ceramic store by Magnalia Kuo – Pixabay

The thrift store is a woman-owned small business enterprise. It is an intimate boutique with a well-curated selection of vintage, independent artists, and one-of-a-kind finds.

The store is located at 1307 Cambridge Street, East Cambridge, and opens from Tuesday to Friday, noon to 7 pm, Saturday, 11 am to 7 pm and on Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm.

When shopping at the store, you expect to find vintage clothing, jewelry, and shoes. However, in addition, there is ​​​​an apothecary section, with salts, salves, creams, body washes, and oils for some pampering and self-care.

Customers can venture into the store for an in-person look, or shop from their online store on their website

9. The Garment District

The store boasts of the biggest selection of vintage clothing in the Boston area. It offers one-stop shopping for both vintage and contemporary secondhand clothes. 

The shop is located at 200 Broadway, Cambridge at Kendall Square. The shop opens from Sunday through Friday, 11 am to 8 pm and Saturdays, from 10 am to 8 pm.

The pieces range primarily from the ’50s to the ’90s era and include women’s blouses and ​​men will find items from business suits and button-downs to T-shirts and jeans. The Garment District also sells kids’ clothing, used designer duds, and brand-new clothing as well. 

10. High Energy Vintage 

The store is a tucked-away gem with a retro-futuristic vibe and a ton of vintage treasures. It is located in Union Square 429 Somerville Avenue Somerville. The store opens on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, noon to 6 pm, Friday and Saturday, noon to 7 pm.

Their merchandise ranges from men’s and women’s vintage clothing and shoes, vintage video games, cameras to other electronics, and vinyl records.

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