Taryn's Thrifty Tips

So I love a great deal! The thrill of digging through racks to find something awesome, on figuring out which days places have additional discounts, of finding that perfect item that fits a costume you're putting together or an article of clothing that isn't included in the current racks at the mall but is the style that you like to wear.
Knowing that I didn't have to pay an arm and a leg to get a favorite piece of clothing that fits me and my fashion sense is always satisfying.

A lot of my clothes come from discount stores like Ross or the clearance racks from the malls stores and places like Target. It's hard to write a whole blog about these type or sales since the clothes I find  are usually ones currently in season. Best advice would be to pay attention to items you like and then try back in a couple weeks because things constantly go on clearance to make way for new styles.

It's a lot harder to figure out the flow of Thrift Stores and clothing exchanges. I'm going to be dealing with stores in my area so for any of my friends reading this who live near me, message me on facebook and I can get you addresses and/or phone numbers. The idea is to describe the type of items you're likely to find at each individual thrift store and which ones have the best additional discounts. For example, a thrift store with ball room dresses attracts more donations of that type or one that currently has nice shoes will tend to continue to get more nice shoes in.  Also, I'll make sure to note when one of these places don't take credit/debit cards.

I'll start off with the clothing exchange stores. There are several Plato's Closet in the area and after checking the website, there are locations in every state! They deal with gently used clothes and shoes - focusing on name brands. I've been VERY happy with the shoes I've found there. Shoes and dresses are my favorite things to get there. I especially appreciate that they have the shoes sorted by size. The dresses can get a little pricey but are still cheaper than the average price at a Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe. They have a pretty nice pants/shorts/skirts and tops sections but the styles aren't always my wardrobe's cup of tea.
There's also a place called Off the Rack that is similar in style but not a franchise. I've only had a chance to go once, but it was pretty cool. I don't have pics of the clothes from here.

Here are some pics of the shoes and clothing I've found at Plato's:

Ok now onto the full fledged thrift stores!

I just discovered 2 that are amazing! So we'll start with them and end with the ones that have fallen from grace.

Super Thrift is one of the newest ones in the area. I fell in love with this place! It's a huge store that's looks pretty well taken care of. They have tons of shoes - I was a little annoyed that they followed the trend of having the shoes just thrown out, covering the tops of the racks holding shirts, with no real size order. I didn't really find anything I liked until I found the dress section! Just wait until you see the pics! There were tons of Victorian area and English tea dresses there. :D

I was also impressed with their toy section. My sister and I needed some props for a couple of characters we were putting together costumes for and this was the ONLY store that had any selection of the items we needed and more than enough so that we could actually choose the ones that would fit best.

One down side is that they don't really have great additional discounts - or don't widely advertise when they do. They had the "This color tag" is ... 30% off I think but we didn't find any items with those colors. 

So it was a little pricier but I knew I couldn't find these styles at any of the other stores. 

Pictures!

               

The Dark Green one is a dress that looks like a jump suit - 

it has a hood on the back too

The next one is Second Image. I knew of them a while back when it was hard to reach due to major construction on the main road they were located at. They moved to a more accessible location and it looks great. They have a boutique section which is sometimes excluded from the extra discounts they have going on. The discounts is a huge bonus at this place - you can sign up for their e-mail to be notified of the upcoming deals. My inbox is constantly getting detailed accounts of when the next time I can get a great additional discount on nice clothes! My sister found the perfect pieces for the aforementioned costume. I was estatic to find a black skirt. That doesn't sound like a big deal but trust me, it was amazing! The skirt I always used at swing dance wasn't that great of quality and always needed alteration. Ever since I've been looking for that Goldilocks skirt - can't be too short, too long, too tight ... also matching black tops to a skirt can be the biggest headache. And it has to have twirling powers. I think it's been a 2 year search, finally realized!

They screen all their donations to make sure that they're only putting out items that are still in good quality. There's also a vintage section that's pretty nice. I think they have some of the best accessories I've seen at a thrift store. It's a great overall store.

The unveiling of the perfect skirt, a cute jacket, and Rosie the Riveter:

Just up the road from Second Image is Friends of Strays - another one I've recently been impressed with. All proceeds go to taking care of stray animals. They did have a cat roaming around so if you have allergies, it might not be the best place to visit.

They often have 50% off all clothes -which they did while we were there - and at the time of our visit they had 75% off all jackets! And it was a great selection to choose from. We got a $50 leather jacket for $12.50! And I got a jacket that looks straight out of the 40's!! :D I guess people with great fashion sense also like supporting animals. The dress and skirt section was also versatile. Found a leather skirt to use for costumes that didn't look trampy.

The great Jacket find of 2011:

The next two are consistent locations that may not have what you want every time but they get enough incoming donations that you can usually find gems.

Thrift City USA has additional 50% off sales 2 Wednesdays a month. They said it's not always every other week (I guess this disclaimer is for months with 5 Weds?) and they said they don't mind people calling to check when the sales will fall. I've had a few times of walking out of this store without anything and then the next time I go I've got more than I can carry. They have a "vintage" section that mostly consists of  things that look like they're from the 60's/70's ... a little disappointing when you want 20's through 50's. They also have a pretty big toy section and a nice book collection. Overall a pretty reliable shop.

There's a thrift store across the street from this one that I haven't had a chance to check out called "One More Time Around." It looks like a great one but they don't have late hours so I always manage to show-up after they've already closed. :(

A vast array of outfits from this place:

Salvation Army is well known for it's half price Wednesdays EVERY week. I think the other stores that do Weds sales take their cues from this place to try and attract those already in thrift mode. I've only gone to the one next to Parc(which I will write about later) but I think every location has this deal. They often have great dresses and shirts here. I think they have one of the bigger men's sections. 

I do get a headache from the way they put the clothes out - all items of the same color are put together. I guess this is great when you need a plain colored shirt for a specific event but it makes everything start looking the same and becomes one big blob in my head. They have 2 sections for dresses - ultra-fancy are in the middle of the woman's clothing section. Those not made for prom, bridesmaids, or the like are along the very back wall. In the midst of all the worn-out sundresses there are often great dresses that work for swing dance, Holidays, weddings, church events, and other parties. The lines can get crazy for check-out but I feel it's worth the extra 50% off.

A small portion of the many outfits I've gotten from here:

Ok now the ones that both rearranged their layout and somehow lost all their greatness.

Parc - next door to S.A. - used to have the best dress boutique in the area! And they'd do sales where I'd skip home with like 5 dresses at $10 a piece. One day I walked in and everything was rearranged and noticeably absent was all the beautiful dresses that once put a sparkle in my eye :( They still have a small section of nice items. Also, a big part in the back is full of misc items that are great for art projects. But I'm definitely unhappy with the lack of dresses.

A few dresses from their glory days:

North of Parc and S.A. is Northside Thrift Store. They still have a somewhat nice dress selection but everything seems condensed from what it used to be. Less racks overall so less choices. They DO NOT take plastic - cash only I think. So that kind of adds to the reluctance of taking a chance shopping there. The dress sizes run small so I recommend it to all my friends size 4 and under. ;)

Pretty dresses that I found there once upon a time:

Now onto a few other stores I've only recently discovered and haven't had much time to explore.

Pathways the Buzz is up the road from Off the Rack and it looks like a pretty nice store. We stopped by a half hour before closing so couldn't do alot of digging but I was impressed with what I saw. I give it an "A" for intrigue.

New Life Thrift store is one where all proceeds go to single parents. The had a boutique section but nothing that really caught me eye. In the very back of the store I found an amazing dress and it was only a $1!! There's potential for this place but I think it's one of the lower on the scale of consistancy.

Pics of the awesome dress!

Ok there are a few stores I've seen when driving around that I haven't had a chance to check out. So I may do another update. 

One place to avoid is the one for Hospice on 49th. It's great that the proceeds from purchases goes to Hospice, but I've never found anything wearable there.

And I close with a vest and a dress that I know I got at thrifts stores but can't remember which ones.

and that dress shows once again one of my favorite non-thrift purchases. I got this lace shrug from Wet Seal.  Even with a 25% off coupon it was a little pricey but it's one of the best investments ever. So I end with the advice of finding a great piece like this to help keep whatever thrift store items you might find modest ;D