THIS IS THE ULTIMATE THRIFT STORE GUIDE FOR NEW YORK CITY
Hey guys! So today is an exciting day, for me at least—it’s National Thrift Shop Day! You guys know how big of a fan of thrift shopping I am (it’s legit the only way I shop now) and I’ve written about why I thrift (you can read that here), which is why I’m so excited about today. I was already planning on going thrifting today (I’m in search of more authentic vintage band tees), and this just gives me more of an excuse.
But because today is National Thrift Shop Day, you can also expect that some thrift stores (especially those run by organizations and have multiple locations) are going to be offering special deals. And some shops will even be donating proceeds to good causes. For example, at Goodwill proceeds will contribute to programs that provide education, skills training and career development that help people earn jobs in communities nationwide. So not only will you be helping out small businesses and the environment by shopping thrift, you’re going to be helping out communities and charities as well.
It’s been a while since we’ve heard from our boy Macklemore, but I’ll be popping some tags with $20 in my pocket today. And you guys should, too! I came up with the Ultimate NYC Thrift Store Guide (using the handy dandy tool that is Google Maps), so now you can’t use the excuse that you don’t know where any thrift shops are. I definitely know I missed a few, so if I missed any that are your faves let me know so I can keep adding them to this list.
If you guys want any recommendations, here are a few of my favorite thrift/vintage stores to shop at (their location info is far below):
- Buffalo Exchange – There are multiple locations across Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn and this shop is great for finding on-trend stuff that is cheaper than retail. A lot of it is fast fashion items, but you will find some designer pieces. You can also find pieces from design student’s final collections here, which is really unique. NOTE: bring a bag, you have to provide your own or buy a reusable one there.
- Beacon’s Closet – You will find a good mix of stuff here. It is quite a scavenger hunt sometimes to find something good, but the search is so worth it. You will find some fast fashion items, but majority of their selection is vintage. You will also find designer things here, especially bags and shoes.
- L Train Vintage – If you want an authentic vintage shopping experience, go here. It’s like taking a step into 80s and 90s fashion. This is my personal absolute favorite vintage shop in the city. Everything is available for great prices, and the carry stuff that is so unique. I’m a sucker for good denim, and their selection is unparalleled. Also a huge fan of their sister store, No Relation Vintage, in the East Village.
- Housing Works – A mixture of fashion fashion and contemporary brands, this shop is good for inexpensive secondhand fashion. They have a great selection of every category. This shop is also good if you’re looking for home décor items and books. They do have some furniture, and everything is very reasonably priced.
- Rags-A-Gogo – This place looks very kitschy from the outside because it has multicolored cowboy boots hanging outside it’s store, but it’s definitely worth going insdie. Everythign is authentic vintage, and they have a great selection. They have lots of old tees, their denim selection is always great, as is their leather jacket selection. And if you want cowboy boots, they got those too. Once spotted Cindi Lauper here. And yes I did get to talk to her.
- Brooklyn Junk – This place might give you claustrophobia/clean freak heart attack but it’s worth it. It’s great for finding those vintage pieces for your home/apartment. They have everything from knickknacks to furniture to old pictures to frames to glass bottles. They do have some clothes, but they are pushed to the back. It is definitely an experience to shop here, but it’s one I recommend.
- AuH2O – This is another small store, but I always walk out of here with something. It’s mixture of thrifted contemporary items and vintage. They have amazing prices that you honestly can’t beat, especially for the area it’s in. And they usually have a really good selection of vintage jewelry as well. The people who work there are super friendly, so don’t be afraid to ask for their opinion. NOTE: their dressing room is quite small, and they only have one.
- Loveday 31 – Unfortunately there aren’t that many thrift/vintage stores in Queens, but this one is one I keep coming back to. It’s quite a small store, but they always have a good selection of vintage items that are in really good condition. The lady who own the shop is always extremely helpful and will help you find exactly what you’re looking for. Also good for accessories like belts and purses.
- Brooklyn Flea in Dumbo - So this isn't an actual store, but this flea market is amazing for vintage finds. This market happens every Sunday in Dumbo underneath the arch of the bridge and the amount of vintage clothing that is there every week is amazing. You can definitely score some amazing pieces here, and the best part about flea markets is you can negotiate the prices. There is also some great vintage costume jewelry here, as well as vintage bags and shoes. You can also find furniture and home decor. Basically you will find anything and everything you've ever wanted out of a flea market here.
MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
GOODWILL
Multiple locations | https://www.goodwillnynj.org/shop/store-locator
SALVATION ARMY
Multiple locations | https://satruck.org/
BUFFALO EXCHANGE
Multiple locations | https://www.buffaloexchange.com/location/chelsea-new-york/
HOUSING WORKS
Multiple locations | https://www.housingworks.org/locations
L TRAIN VINTAGE
NO RELATION VINTAGE
URBAN JUNGLE
Multiple locations | https://www.ltrainvintagenyc.com/
BEACON’S CLOSET
Multiple locations | https://beaconscloset.com/pages/locations
CROSSROADS TRADING CO.
Flatiron & Williamsburg, 24 W 26th St. & 135 N 7th St. | https://crossroadstrading.com/
LE POINT VALUE
Multiple locations | https://www.lepointvalue.com/
MANHATTAN
RAGS-A-GOGO
Chelsea, 218 W 14th St. | http://www.rags-a-gogo.com/
SCREAMING MIMI’S
Chelsea, 240 W 14th St. | https://www.screamingmimis.com/
AUH2O
East Village, 84 E 7th St. | https://www.auh2oshop.com/
THE VINTAGE TWIN
Soho, 543 Broadway | https://www.thevintagetwin.com/
HAMLET’S VINTAGE
Greenwich Village, 146 W 4th St. | http://hamletsvintage.com/site/
EAST VILLAGE THRIFT SHOP
East Village, 186 2nd Ave. | https://www.yelp.com/biz/east-village-thrift-shop-new-york
MR. THROWBACK
East Village, 437 E 9th St. | https://mrthrowback.com/
CURE THRIFT SHOP
East Village, 111 E 12th St. | https://www.curethriftshop.com/
ANGELA’S VINTAGE BOUTIQUE
Bowery, 26 2nd Ave. | https://www.yelp.com/biz/angelas-vintage-boutique-new-york
ROUND TWO
East Village, 113 Stanton St. | https://www.yelp.com/biz/round-two-new-york
THE THRIFTY HOG
NoMad, 11 W 25th St. | http://thriftyhog.org/
ST. FRANCIS THRIFT STORE
Upper West Side 217 W 96th St. | https://www.facebook.com/fccthrift/
ANGEL STREET THRIFT SHOP
Flatiron, 48 W 22nd St. | https://angelstreetthrift.org/
SPARK PRETTY
East Village, 333 E 9th St. | http://www.sparkpretty.com/
LOCAL CLOTHING
East Village, 328 E 9th St. | https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Clothing-Store/Local-Clothing-196658291284/
VINTAGE THRIFT
Gramercy & Greenwich Village, 286 3rd Ave. & 242 W 10th St. | http://www.vintagethriftshop.org/
METROPOLIS VINTAGE
Greenwich Village, 803 Broadway | https://www.metropolisvintageonline.com/
STAR STRUCK VINTAGE CLOTHING
West Village, 47 Greenwich Ave. | https://www.starstruckvintage.com/
PROCELL
Bowery, 5 Delancey St. | https://www.instagram.com/procell/
RITUAL VINTAGE
Bowery, 377 Broome St. | https://www.ritualvintage.com/
PIPPIN VINTAGE JEWELRY
Flatiron, 112 W 17th St. | https://pippinvintage.com/
QUEENS
LOVEDAY 31
Astoria, 3306 31st Ave | https://www.facebook.com/Loveday31nyc/
BROADWAY THRIFT SHOP
Astoria, 41-14 Broadway | https://www.yelp.com/biz/broadway-thrift-shop-astoria
DITMARS THRIFT SHOP
Ditmars, 3120 Ditmars Blvd. | https://www.yelp.com/biz/ditmars-thrift-shop-donation-center-astoria
BAYSIDE THRIFT SHOP
Flushing, 14402 Norther Blvd. | https://www.yelp.com/biz/bayside-thrift-shop-flushing
HAPPY THRIFT SHOP
North Corona, 40-06 97th St. | https://www.yelp.com/biz/happy-thrift-shop-corona-2
BROOKLYN
MONK VINTAGE
Williamsburg & Greenpoint, 496 Driggs Ave. & Greenpoint Ave. | https://www.facebook.com/monkvintage/
FOX & FAWN
Greenpoint, 570 Manhattan Ave. | http://www.shopfoxandfawn.com/
AWOKE VINTAGE
Williamsburg & Greenpoint, 132 N 5th St. & 688 Manhattan Ave. | https://www.awokevintage.com/
FRONT GENERAL STORE
Dumbo, 143 Front St. | http://www.frontgeneralstore.com/
10 FT SINGLE BY STELLA DALLAS Williamsburg, 285 N 6th St. | https://www.facebook.com/Stelladallasnyc
THE BREAK
Greenpoint, 82 Dobbin St. | https://shopthebreak.com/
OUT OF THE CLOSET
Boerum Hill, 475 Atlantic Ave. | https://outofthecloset.org/
CONSIGNMENT BROOKLYN
Boerum Hill, 371 Atlantic Ave. | https://www.consignmentbrooklyn.com/
FRIENDS NYC
East Williamsburg, 56 Bogart St. | https://friendsnyc.com/
MIRTH VINTAGE
Greenpoint & Bed-Stuy, 606 Manhattan Ave. & 275A Malcom X Blvd. | https://mirth.co/
AMARCORD VINTAGE FASHION
Williamsburg, 223 Bedford Ave. | https://www.amarcordvintagefashion.com/
ANTOINETTE VINTAGE
Williamsburg, 119 Grant St. | http://www.antoinettebrooklyn.com/shop-vintage-1
DUSTY ROSE VINTAGE
Greenpoint, 67 West St. #216 | https://www.dustyrosevintage.com/
ARBOR VITAE VINTAGE
Williamsburg, 309 Bedford Ave. | http://arborvitaevintage.com/
IF YOU'RE LOOKING MORE FOR DESIGNER ITEMS
NEW & ALMOST NEW
Bowery, 171A Mott St. | http://newandalmostnew.com/
THE REALREAL
Soho, 80 Wooster St. | https://www.therealreal.com/soho
REBAG
Multiple locations | https://www.rebag.com/store/
DESINGER REVIVAL
Upper East Side, 324 E 81st St. | https://www.designerrevival.com/
TOKIO 7
East Village, 83 E 7th St. | http://tokio7.net/
INA
Multiple locations | https://inanyc.com/pages/locations
WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND
Soho, 351 W Broadway | https://www.whatgoesaroundnyc.com/
FLEA MARKETS
A lot of flea markets also have vendors that will bring in vintage items to sell. These are great because you can usually negotiate prices and you'll find more unique pieces.
ARTISTS & FLEAS
Multiple locations | https://www.artistsandfleas.com/
BROOKLYN FLEA
Dumbo & Williamsburg, Pearl Plaza & 51 N 6th St. | http://brooklynflea.com/
GRAND BAZAAR NYC
Upper West Side, 100 W 77th St.| https://grandbazaarnyc.org/
LIC FLEA & FOOD
Long Island City, 5-25 46th Ave. | https://www.licflea.com/
IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING ON A MAP
I also came across a thrift store/vintage store map while doing my research (actually I found it after, and it would have been so helpful if I had found it earlier), and it is SOOOO helpful. So if you want to see where all the thrift stores are located on a map, click HERE.
xoxo,
Lex
Comments