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New York’s bohemian culture has always copped its fashion cues from the ample amount of thrift stores this city has to offer. But as time has gone on and rents dramatically increased, many thrift stores have transformed into “vintage shops,” where items of used clothing are handpicked and sold for high fashion prices. We love them too, as evidenced by our list of 25 Favorite Vintage Stores in NYC, but here is our list of New York City’s great “legitimate” thrift stores which will help you stay ahead of the curve and look good for way less. Happy shopping!
Located on 771 Metropolitan Avenue, this Greenpoint thrift shop has a great selection of nearly everything. Notable among its collection is a huge amount of army apparel, which includes coats, jackets, and button downs of all sorts. Besides, where else in Brooklyn could you find a leather jacket for $20?
This growing chain of thrift stores has locations in both Brooklyn and the Bronx. The Prospect Lefferts location on 321 Clarkson Avenue is especially good, qualifying Le Point Value as one of Brooklyn’s soon-to-be best kept secrets. The prices are hard to beat and the amount of quirky clothes and designer brands that grace the racks warrant a look through the enormous floorspace.
This thrift store brings us to Sunnyside, Queens, which is an area not know for its vintage stores despite the abundance of hidden gems in and around the neighborhood. ClosetDash on 45-50 30th St. is one such gem. This all women’s clothing store is most notable for its selection of value priced jewelry, not to mention the store’s friendly and helpful owner Jennifer.
These thrift shops are part of a group called Housing Works, which uses their business as a way to raise money and benefit their HIV/AIDS advocacy efforts. To date, Housing Works has a total of twelve locations around the Brooklyn and Manhattan. The Gramercy location 157 East 23rd Street is one of the best locations and has been around for decades. It is also one of the cheapest locations, though it doesn’t lack in great finds. You might also remember Housing Works as one of the spots in Banksy’s 31 Day Residency in NYC.
This Bushwick favorite is located on 118 Knickerbocker street and has one of the best (and cheapest) selections of used clothing in the city. Here you can purchase everything from letterman jackets to vintage t-shirts and button downs for a fraction of what the same clothes would be going for at vintage boutique. Although the selection is dominated by menswear, there are plenty of women’s clothing to, not to mention great unisex furs and coats.
Like some of the other stores on the list, Monk has several locations in both Manhattan and Brooklyn. The Manhattan location on 175 MacDougal Street happens to be one of the cheapest thrift stores left in the borough, not to mention a treasure trove of awesome clothes. Monk’s wardrobe is mainly dominated by sixties inspired apparel, which includes frilly suede jackets, bell bottoms, and cool paisley button downs.
Many readers may not be familiar with this spot because of its out of the way location. But many Staten Island residents will attest to the fact that this thrift shop is actually one of the best in the city. Like most of the stores on this list, Everything Goes on 140 Bay Street is great for two reasons, cheap prices and a great selection. What makes Everything Goes better than a lot of other thrift stores is the fact that it doesn’t get picked clean like more accessible shops in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Learn more by contacting the author @DouglasCapraro
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