Thrift Store Shopping, Name Brands, Cheap Price!

A few weeks ago my coworker told me about the thrift stores on 23rd St (Thanks, Kirtley!). I was in desperate need for some new clothing, but I am on quite a tight budget. Thus, this weekend, I ventured to 23rd St (btwn Lexington and 1st Ave) to go find some treasures.

Boy, did I hit the jackpot!!!

First, I stopped by the Salvation Army.
212 E 23rd St, New York, NY‎ (btwn 3rd Ave & 2nd Ave)
(212) 532-8115
‎

In terms of thrift stores, it's not the cleanest or the most organized (except for the clothing). Also, if you walk in and are wondering where all the clothes are, they are 1 floor below in the dimly lit basement (and yes the only mode of transportation is a rickety elevator. Looking for the perfect location for a Horror film in NYC?). If you are willing to dig you might come up with some treasures (They did have a great selection of cowboy boots. However at $30 it was still out of my price range.). I did find this gorgeous, gray, GAP shift for work and at $6.99 (tax included) it is a great addition to my work wardrobe. The only major issue I had with the place, was the lack of dressing room. I wanted to try on more things, but I didn't really feel like showing the other shoppers my bright, red Super girl boyshorts.

The next stop was Goodwill Industries.
220 E 23rd Street, New York, NY (btwn 3rd Ave & 2nd Ave)
(212) 447-7270‎


This store is like the Mecca of thrift stores in NYC. First, the store is bright (like fluorescent, Wal-mart lighting bright), big and well organized. Clothing is separated by color and type. I went straight to the sweaters. One of my first picks was a chic, black, Banana Republic sweater. Perfect for work or a first date: classic, but slightly salacious. At $9.99, it made the cut.

Next I headed over to the jeans. I think the final count for the number of jeans I tried on was 40 pairs. However, with over 100 jeans on the rack, it wasn't hard to pick a few out. Another great thing about this store- it HAS A DRESSING ROOM! And on a busy Saturday afternoon, there was never more than a 4 minute wait. I finally settled on 3 pairs, in excellent condition and all name brand: Gap, Express and Guess. At $7.99 a pair, you can't beat it!

Final total:

3 pairs of jeans, 1 sweater and 1 shift = $40.95
(which doesn't even cover the cost for one pair of jeans at the mall).