New York City, a city of fashion, a city buzzing with hard workers and coffee lovers, is packed with hundreds of unique thrift stores. They are home to numerous fashion icons from models, to fashion directors, to business owners, to influencers, and more. It is a "must visit" place for fashion lovers and holds such an ambiance that so many adore. Every corner you look at, there is something to admire and the streets are pretty much the runway.
We've all seen those "Top 10 Thrift Stores in NYC" articles. Those cliché articles listing a few popular thrift stores and giving simple descriptions about them. They are good places to start and see which thrift stores to go to. However, we consumers need more information. Which thrift stores are actually the best? What are the strengths and weaknesses for each store? How are the prices like? What is the mood of each store? Do they have good stuff? These are some of the many questions that I had, even after reading through numerous articles about NYC thrift stores. This blog will be answering all those questions.
As I was doing some research about thrift stores in NYC, I've noticed that a majority of them were in Brooklyn. So, I've decided to visit each place, make detailed notes about them, and write about them in this exact blog. Enjoy.
Price Level Rating System:
$ = very cheap & mostly on $1-$20 range
$$$$$ = expensive for second hand & mostly $50 and above
L Train Vintage
Price Level: $$
Fluctuates depending on brands but reasonable
Best Items: Jackets (well known brands)
They have a wide variety of clothes, but have the most jackets. A lot of the jacket were well known brands and were priced reasonably.
Pros: clean, good quality, good brands
Cons: couldn't find that much good stuff, rather small
Tip: you need ID to pay with credit/debit, w/o ID you can pay with Apple Pay or cash
Item(s) Purchased:
Brown North Face Puffer
Bought for: $40
Similiar items on Depop/Poshmark: $200+
Quality: Good, has a few feather poking out, no rips, no stains
Monk Vintage
Price Level: $$$$
Higher price of similar things you can get from other places, most items not worth the price
Best Items: Women's Blazer
More women's wear than men's, lovely collection of women's blazers, has lots of jewelry too
Pros: a little more curated, lots of women's wear, has dresses
Cons: some items overpriced, doesn't have that much of men's clothing
Item(s) Purchased:
Uniqlo Navy Knit
Bought for: $12
Speculated retail price: $40-$60
Quality: great, no stains, no rips
Urban Jungle
Price Level: $
Very reasonable pricing, many items by well known brands are still cheap
Best Items: Jackets
Amazing outer wear, sweaters, and sweatshirts (men's and women's)
Pros: humongous, a LOT of clothes, has a few big mirrors, a bang for a buck
Cons: a little crowded, long cashier lines
Tip: you need ID to pay with credit/debit, w/o ID you can pay with Apple Pay or cash
Item(s) Purchased:
Vintage Red Colonia Reebok Jacket
Bought for: $25
Similar items online:~$40
Quality: great, no stains, no rips, all zippers work
Talbots Sweater
Bought for: $6
Similar items on talbots.com: ~$80
Quality: great, no stains, no rips
Covington Cream Corduroy Pants
Bought for: $6
Similar item on Depop/Poshmark: ~$15
Quality: good, no stains, no rip, working zipper
Jezees Navy Sweatshirt
Bought for: $10
Similar items from Jerzees online: $15 - $40
Quality: good, worn out, no rips, no stains
Columbia White Fleece Zip-up
Bought for: $7
Price online: $29.99
Quality: good, no stains, no rips, all zippers work, a little worn out
Buffalo Exchange
Price Level: $$
Reasonable pricing
Best Items: Shoes
They had such an amazing varieties of shoes with many famous brands like Converse, Reebok, Nike, Vans, and Ugg, especially men's shoes.
Pros: phenomenal shoes, lots of fitting rooms
Cons: crowded, rather small, not much men's clothes, has lots of fast fashion brands
Item(s) Purchased:
Reebok x Cardi Coated Club C Double Platform Sneaker
Bought for: $38
Same item on Nordstrom.com: $80
Quality: good as new, clean, no rips, no distressed thread
Summary
Now we have gone through the pros and cons of each of the famous thrift stores in Brooklyn. As much as I want to gate keep this information, this thrift store is way too good to enjoy alone. The best thrift store is... Drum roll please... Urban Jungle! As big as their store was, they had tons and tons of clothes with amazing quality. All of their items from their jackets to sweaters, to sweatshirts, to jeans, to shoes, to pants, to blazers, to vests, and to accessories, were MIRACULOUS. Not only are their items incredible, but their prices are really the deal maker.
According to a survey taken by my peers, it showed that 24% of the people who have taken the survey has not been to a thrift store before. Take this blog as a sign and... What are you waiting for? Go thrifting! If you need more tips and tricks on how to thrift and find gems, go take a look at the first two parts of this sequel, THRIFT THRIFT THRIFT.
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