Tuesday, January 29, 2013

A Wish List - Future Thrifting Excursions


The following is a list of the thrift, consignment, and vintage stores I plan to visit and write about in the future. Know of a Chicago or St. Louis area store that I must visit? Let me know! 

Oak Park Stores
Brown Elephant
Old and New Consignment for You

Wicker Park Stores
Kokorokoko
Buffalo Exchange
Ragstock
Lenny and Me
Crossroads Trading

Pilsen Stores
Knee Deep Vintage
Rex Recycled Fashion
Pilsen Vintage and Thrift

Schaumburg Stores
Wings Resale
Clothes Mentor
Salvation Army

Logan Square Stores
Refresh Ease
A Touch of Vintage
Brink Dwellers
Mia Mora

Other Chicago Stores
Seek Vintage - Noble Square
Shangri-La Vintage - Roscoe Village
Green Element Resale - Edgewater
Encore - Hyde Park
Savvy Seconds and 1sts - Ravenswood
Euphoria Resale Boutique - Edgewater
Woolly Mammoth Antiques, Oddities, and Resale - Ravenswood

Saint Louis Area Stores
My dress or yours - Tower Grove
Next - Manchester
Toco Shop -Belleville
Timeless Authentic Garments - The Loop
The Bale Out - City Museum
Avalon Exchange - The Loop
Refabulous - Saint Louis 

Flea Markets
Kane Country Flea Market


Friday, January 25, 2013

Economy Shop - Oak Park

In the interest of full disclosure, the Economy Shop in Oak Park, IL is my favorite thrift store. Beyond all the stuff jammed into this place, there are so many things for which they are to be commended including volunteerism, charity, and of course, great prices! 

The Economy Shop





















A little background: It all started in 1919 and the shop has been at its current location since 1924. It is volunteer run, all the merchandise is donated, and all the proceeds are divided between six Oak Park charities - The Day Nursery of Oak Park and River Forest, The Children's Clinic, Thrive Counseling Center, Hephzibah Children's Association, The Animal Care League, and OPRF Senior Citizens' Center.

 Now to the stuff!

Hats on display in the accessory's room.




















The Economy Shop is housed in a large residence at the corner of South Blvd. and Grove. The stuff is sorted into rooms: women's better clothes, women's leisure clothes, men's clothes, gifts, antiques, housewares, accessories, shoes, books, toys, crafting supplies, and children's clothes, oh my! Each room supports one of the six charities and you pay as you go. Find a cute dress in the women's better clothes room? You pay for it there. Find a birthday card for your mom in the gift's room? Pay for it there.





















They really do have a little of everything which means that you could spend several hours looking through stuff. Like most large thrift stores, you'll have to sift through some of the bad to get to the good. On the plus side, they rotate the clothing by season, so you won't be sifting through winter sweaters in the spring.

The first few times I shopped here, I stayed way too long and bought a few things I didn't need and never used. Now, I always go in with a plan. I decide what I need and what rooms I am willing to look through before I even walk through the door. Otherwise, I risk walking out with an 80s-style party dress (black velvet and teal ruffles!) or over-the-top fur coat (whoa!).




The major downside is that the Economy Shop is not open 7 days a week. It's really only open once a week or every other week. They keep an updated schedule posted on their website, so plan accordingly. It is well worth a visit!

What is this? I have no idea, but it costs $25.

















Sunday, January 13, 2013

Clara Sun Woo Dress

Yesterday evening I stopped by Trends, a upscale consignment shop in Oak Park, IL. Trends is one of my favorite places to thrift. The prices go down the longer items stay on the rack. The pricing is fair to begin with and with a little luck and good timing it gets even better.



My find yesterday was this Clara Sun Woo dress for $11.99. A little online research indicates that this dress would retail in the neighborhood of $80 or $90.


The ruching detail in the front is particularly interesting.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Take off!

Hello, fellow thrifters or wannabe thrifters!

This blog will be a place where I share my thrifting adventures with you and maybe we'll all learn something along the way. Stay tuned!