Growing up a born and bred New York City fashionista, I never went shopping at Thrift Stores.  Just the thought of it would make my lip curl up self-righteously with the thought, “I don’t need to wear someone else’s clothes.  Gross!”  Here’s the thing though: some of these thrift shops have fabulous clothes in there – and I do mean fabulous! – for bargain basement prices, and many of them have never been worn.  I went along with a friend to a few Thrift Shops because she wanted to hit up a couple of the city’s best ones, and while outwardly I seemed supportive of this endeavor, inwardly I was wondering how such a fashion diva like her could shop at places like that.  So, we went into the first shop in our Thrift Shop Crawl and I eyed everything suspiciously.  And then I found a pair of black DKNY pumps that had never been worn, in my size, being sold for $39.

My life will never be the same again.

While there really is nothing wrong with wearing gently used clothes after you have washed them yourself, the staggering amount of never used clothes with the original tags still on them being sold at Thrift Shops was beyond surprising.  Why that should be surprising to me of all people remains to be understood, as I have a few items in my own closet that still have tags on them from past purchases.  It just never dawned on me that these stores would have high-end, designer items for sale that had never been used because I always associated Thrift Shops with previously used garments.  I’m sure many of you have made that assumption as well, so I’m happy to dispel that myth.

Below is a listing of some of the best Thrift Shops in New York City (the first shop listed is where I had my life-altering experience), although I suggest that you go into any of the ones you should happen across – you’ll likely be amazed at what you find in them, and with the economy the way it is why shouldn’t we get more for less?  Also, if you see a fabulous pair of never-worn shoes in size 8, please drop me a line – if I like them I’ll get you a latte as a finder’s fee.

Best NYC Thrift Shops:

BEACON’S CLOSET

92 Fifth Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11217

#718-230-1630

HOUSING WORKS THRIFT SHOP (3 locations)

143 West 17^th Street

New York, NY 10011

#212-366-0820

and

245 West 10^th Street

New York, NY 10014

#212-579-7566

and

155 East 23^rd Street

New York, NY 10010

#212-529-5955

BOUTIQUE RESALE

1045 Madison Avenue

New York, NY 10021

#212-517-8099

SWEET TATER

280 Mulberry Street

New York, NY 10012

#212-219-6400

GOOD-BYES CHILDREN’S RESALE SHOP

230 East 78^th Street

New York, NY 10021

#212-794-2301

Happy shopping!