By Kaleigh Werner, Assistant Editor in Chief
No longer are the days of going to the eleven-floor Macy’s in Herald Square or the Century 21 on Broadway for the shopping to be done in New York City. Department stores have fallen victim to the monster trend of thrifting in Manhattan. If you haven’t heard, consignment is in and fast fashion is out!
While you could arguably find a nice leather jacket at either of those humongous stores, and one that looks like its vintage for that matter, the beauty of buying second-hand clothing lies in its sustainability. Well, that and saying, “Oh this old jacket, it’s thrifted actually.”
Fashion staples can be found hiding between a beautiful red blazer with 3-inch shoulder pads and a beaten-up frayed pair of 501 Levi’s that don’t cost as much as a hotel in the city. But, it’s an art to find the trendy, iconic pieces that fast fashion brands are selling. And it’s an art to find those pieces without having to actually overpay.
Now, I’m going to give you some of my advice on where to go thrifting for the best finds, at the best price in NYC.
Don’t go to Soho to thrift.
Soho is a shopping district in the city where you can find any store from Louis Vuitton to Buffalo Exchange. And while Buffalo Exchange is a good spot to find unique second-hand clothes for decent prices, the one in Soho… well, let’s just say it’s the Gucci of all Buffalo Exchanges. Listen, I’m not saying you can’t find a ten-dollar shirt there, because you probably could. But, if you’re not just looking to buy something for the clout, the prices just aren’t it. Soho also has The Vintage Twin, What Goes Around Comes Around, and Funny Pretty Nice (more East Village). All of these are great stores to find sick racer jackets, graphic tees, Y2K pieces, and more. However, these are not the stores you want to thrift at. You will rarely find anything below 35$ and the plastic jewelry rings that are also on Amazon cost at least 15.
Go to Brooklyn to thrift.
Brooklyn lives up to its hype of being the best place to go thrifting. You can find Goodwill, The Salvation Army, Beacon’s Closet, L Train Vintage, and so many more! Goodwill and The Salvation Army are overwhelming, I know trust me. Most of the stores go on for miles with racks of clothes. However, in Brooklyn they’re smaller and so worth the hour and a half you will spend digging when you get checked out and the total is $30 for six things! Beacon’s Closet is a new store I had never heard of, and apparently, it’s a staple in NYC. This store is muahhhhhh, chef’s kiss to the finds. It is a little more pricey than a Goodwill and Salvation Army, but it is worth it for the vintage and consignment gold you can find. L Train Vintage, I would argue the same.
Brooklyn is big and there’s really no one neighborhood that’s best to go where you’ll find a line of thrift stores with the prices you want, so definitely do some research. However, if there is one last piece of advice I can give, please please please don’t go straight to the Tik Tok stores that you’ve seen on your page if you think you are going to spend under $55 for a Harley Davidson sweatshirt!
