SoWa Vintage Market (1 of 4)
There are plenty of amazing finds under $50 at the SoWa Vintage Market! If you haven’t been, I highly recommend you go. It is a great Sunday outing, no matter what the weather! The indoor market is located in Boston’s South End at 460 Harrison Avenue and is open every Sunday and the first Friday of every month. The entire market is made up over a dozen vendors selling vintage jewelry, clothing, luggage, old maps, housewares, shoes and interesting knick knacks.
Throughout the week I will be sharing specific items that caught my eye from vendors including Gypsy and Disco Vision Vintage, among others.
Special thanks to Stephanie Pernice, the creator of SoWa Vintage Market, for inviting me to take photos and feature the market on the blog. Enjoy these few photos and watch for more posts throughout the week!
Great hats and hairpieces for affordable prices!
Cowgirl and cowboy boots galore!
Nice luggage for prices as low as $15.
Looking for something fun/free to do today?
It’s Sunday and you know what that means! SoWa Vintage Market is open from 10am to 4pm today in Boston’s South End. I will be going with a friend and plan to do a blog post after about our finds!
Here are the details:
- Location: 460C Harrison Avenue (GPS address right to the lot: 365 Albany Street)
- What they have: vintage + antiques: fashion + home furnishings + upcycled from vintage, mid century modern, industrial, french, swedish, italian, danish decor, urban chic, fashion, jewelry + accessories
- Free Admission. $5 Parking
pinecone+chickadee (portland, me)
On a weekend trip to Portland, Maine, I found pinecone+chickadee, a super cool store that sells vintage cameras, housewares, purses and other knick knacks. Their prices were reasonable and their selection was quite interesting…if you are looking for a Polaroid camera, look no further. I actually splurged and bought a 1964 Canon FX with an awesome 28mm lens for $90…I couldn’t pass it up!
Can’t make it to Portland? Check out Pineconeandchickadee.com or their Etsy store for silkscreened greeting cards, apparel and vintage goodies.
For daily updates on store inventory check out pinecone+chickadee on Facebook!
$5 Chairs in Elkview, West Virginia
I am home for the holidays and stumbled upon these awesome $5 chairs at the Elkview Goodwill!
Los Angeles
Last weekend, I traveled to Los Angeles for an awards ceremony for The Lower 9, a documentary I co-directed/produced. Because it was such a rushed trip I didn’t have alot of time to check out the thrift stores but I did manage to make it to two places and snap some photos.
Crossroads Trading Co.
Crossroads Trading Co. is very similar to a Buffalo Exchange–they buy/sell/trade women and men’s clothing. I went to the Crossroads on Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood (get directions here). The store had some interesting items, especially shoes and purses, but it was so disorganized and messy I was overwhelmed. What was interesting was to see how the merchandise in the store varied from consignment stores in Boston–more bright colors, mini dresses, higher heels and definitely no coats/scarves. Although I didn’t find anything I couldn’t live without, I would recommend checking out the store. I’m sure if I had more time I could have really found some cute items.
Amoeba Music
Looking for records/cds/tapes/posters starting at $1…look no further than Amoeba Music on Sunset Blvd. This place is a phenomenal place to find records to play OR frame. I bought 6 albums for $7 and will post a photo of them when I get them framed.
Out of the Closet
Although I didn’t get a chance to go to an Out of the Closet Thrift Store they were everywhere in LA! Probably worth checking out!
$10 Chairs at Savers
I spotted a pair of super cute yellow chairs today at Savers in West Roxbury for $10 each! Hurry up before someone snatches these up…they’re in good condition!
Artifaktori: Davis Square
I recently posted about Artifaktori in Beacon Hill, so I felt it was only appropriate to head over to Davis Square and give the original store a spin. To my surprise, the two stores couldn’t be more different. Going to the Davis Square store is like going on a treasure hunt. The items are less selective and are sometimes more worn but you can’t beat the phenomenal prices and eclectic inventory. The two stores do have some things in common–they sell men’s and women’s clothing/shoes/accessories and have a wide selection of vintage items from several decades. Amanda, who was working that day, gave me a rundown on all the items under $50 and I have to say there were many! I bought an adorable pair of vintage, fringe leather boots ($40) and a vintage, brown leather Coach purse ($30). They even have some housewares and records…and actually now that I think about it, they have a little bit of everything in this store!
The Greek Hollywood-Style Slip (left) was only $20; the fitted black dress (middle) with adorned neck was only $50, and the 60s Mod Animal Print wool dress was $48!
$40 Leather Boots
They even have a $5 jewelry chest.
Unique Selection of Hats!
$60 and in awesome condition
Click here for store hours and contact info. Also stay updated on new merchandise and Artifaktori events by following their blog!
Looking for a Saturday Activity? Go to Church!
The Boylston Congregational Church in Jamaica Plain has a thrift store the first Saturday of every month and guess what today is! I am unclear about what time they close (I think 3 p.m.) but I know they open at 10 a.m.! According to their website, they have “provide a good selection of men’s, women’s and children’s apparel and shoes at a fraction of their original cost. You’ll also find furniture, electronics, kitchenware and a host of other quality items.” And if you’re interested, they are always looking for volunteers! If you want to know more information about their stock and hours call: 617-524-0554. Get directions here
$20 Nine West Wedges
Found these black-leather puppies a couple weeks ago at the Buffalo Exchange in Allston! They are getting their debut tonight with some bright turqouise tights and a black and white polka-dotted dress.
Olde Dutch Cottage Candy: Not What You’re Expecting
Olde Dutch Cottage Candy is not exactly a candy store. The South End establishment is more like going through the basement of a man who has hoarded random things–baskets, pennants, jewelry, books, records, pillows, silverware, lamps, cookie jars, globes, stuffed animals, trinkets, old photographs, art and furniture–for 25 years without EVER thinking twice about the things he brings in. Oh yeah, and about 15% of the store is full of candy…why? I really don’t know but this place is among one of my favorite places to dig (literally) for antiques in Boston. I have a feeling that most people who enter the store will immediately be overwhelmed and will want to run away screaming but for me, I felt like a kid in a candy shop. You could literally spend an hour just looking in one corner of the store.
This place is packed with random antiques from the ceiling to the floor. Dust covers many objects and the store is so dark you worry you might stumble and break something. I found an awesome 1960s kitchen linen and a photo book of Marilyn Monroe. He has a whole collection of Marilyn Monroe photo books and is willing to negotiate for prices. I offered him $40 for the linen and the book–each priced at $25 each– and he agreed.
While the selection is expansive and insane his prices are a bit inflated. Matt spent nearly an hour going through the hundreds of records there and walked away with a Neil Young, Cat Stevens, and Dean Martin album that are all in mint condition and sound amazing. Basically the only thing you won’t find in this store is clothing–with the exception of a few strange dresses. I recommend taking aside an hour of your day to spend in Olde Dutch Cottage Candy located here in the South End.
Looking for a globe? There are over a dozen here!
Artifaktori: Beacon Hill
I want to preface this article by saying that most of the items in the store are not under $50 (the “beans in a can” standard), however I feel that any thrifter values beautiful and unique clothing and will save a couple paychecks to invest in a classic peacoat or pair of boots.
Artifaktori is a boutique vintage shop with origins in Davis Square. Earlier this year they opened their newest location on Beacon Hill (click here for directions). 
Their selection of men’s and women’s clothing is quite wide with items ranging from the 1940s to 1980s. Everything is neatly arranged and priced accordingly, making the experience less of a scavenger hunt than their Davis Square store. The selection of shoes, dresses, coats and vintage sunglasses are really quite stunning. There are vibrant patterns, interesting textures and eye-popping colors on every rack and shelf. The best part about the store–besides the rare vintage duds–is LAYAWAY! I highly encourage planning a trip to the newest location, or the Davis Square location, but note that neither store is open on Monday. And don’t forget the layaway option, a great way to afford unique vintage clothing on a budget. Click here for store hours and contact info. Also stay updated on new merchandise and Artifaktori events by following their blog!
These boots are $$ but in mint condition!
The men’s section has some awesome vintage shirts and boots.
I’m a sucker for vintage sunglasses and usually find mine on Ebay.
New Directory Listings & Sneak Peek to Tomorrow’s Post
I added three new listings on the directory (link above), including Rick Walkers in Back Bay and two locations of Artifaktori Vintage. Their original location is in Davis Square but I will be posting photos from their newest location, in Beacon Hill, tomorrow! Stay tuned for more.
Urban Renewals: Allston/Brighton
Bean Rating
I finally made it over to Urban Renewals located here on Brighton Avenue in Allston. Although the store is huge and fairly well organized, I was slightly dissapointed in their selection. Alot of the things for sale are not in great condition but if you like digging through racks of clothing and shelves of junk you can find some inexpensive and unique items.
- Women’s Clothing: 3 beans (well organized and wide selection but somewhat low quality)
- Men’s clothing: 3 beans (ditto)
- Books: 2 beans
- Shoes: 1 bean (alot of shoes but most are very worn)
- Records/LP’s: 1/2 bean
- Housewares/Furniture/Frames: 4 beans (they have alot of antique dishes and glassware)
- Jewelry/Scarves: 1 bean
Matt digging for records…sadly there was only one crate of them.
The store boasts some unique pillows, blankets and housewares for great prices.
They have alot of winter coats right now.
Andrea sifted through racks of dresses and spotted these two for under $4 each.
Need a suitcase?
They have all these random plastic bags of items for a $1 in each section…kinda weird but if you look hard enough you might find some cool things.
Halloween Costumes for Cheap
Today, I went down to Goodwill and Boomerangs on Centre Street in JP to find some cheap costumes for a birthday photo booth I am setting up tomorrow for my backyard party. First, I went to Goodwill and was shocked at how OVERPRICED all of their “Halloween” items were. They are asking $15 and up for some items that they would normally sell for $3. I then headed down the street to Boomerangs where I found a smaller selection but great prices. I bought over 12 random costumes for $50, including some awesome hats and wigs. Stay tuned: I will be posting pics Sunday of the thrifty-Halloween photo booth!
It’s My Birthday!
Happy 24th birthday to me! Today-in addition to celebrating my birthday–I bring to you recent news about thrift store’s major boom season: Halloween. Check out the article here “Halloween is basically thrift store Christmas. Americans spent $6 billion on costumes, decorations and treats last Halloween, according to market research firm IBISWorld, and thrift stores are taking home an increasingly large portion of the loot.”