One of my favorite activities on a quiet Saturday afternoon is to hit up the vintage shops on 19th Street in the Houston Heights. Here, you will find thrift stores, resale shops, antique stores, vintage stores and a variety of other boutiques and galleries. As I mentioned in a previous post, buying pre-worn clothes and accessories is one of the greenest ways to enjoy fashion. Besides reducing landfill waste, you’re also reducing the environmental impact and demand of making new clothes. Vintage fashions add to your personal style; you can’t find some of these pieces at the local mall. You’re also supporting your community by contributing to your local economy.
Every week I want to highlight a cool resale shop on 19th Street. I’d like to start my Heights shopping tour with a stop at The Sand Dollar Thrift Store on Yale and 19th. The clothes are organized by type and by color, making it easy to navigate through this huge store. They also sell house ware items, appliances, furniture, books, records, VHS cassettes, art, jewelry, bags …. just about everything.
Most of the clothes are in pretty good condition. Usually, it’s middle class families who are donating to the Sand Dollar. Families that can afford to give away slightly worn clothes to replace with trendier items. I’ve dropped off several bags of my own barely worn (very stylish) clothes because they didn’t fit me anymore.
And unlike most vintage shops, the styles at this thrift store are pretty contemporary and trendy. Think dresses from the Gap, 2 seasons old. My best find? A gold Betsey Johnson cocktail dress for $6. And that’s one of the more expensive pieces!
The key to shopping at a store like this is to be patient and to have an open mind. Cute Betsey Johnson numbers don’t always jump out at you. There’s no pretty display or well styled mannequins to help you pick out what to wear. You need to dig, dig, dig, dig and dig through all the racks of clothing to catch the really good finds. Don’t walk in expecting to find something specific. Bring your creativity with you. Dress too long? Get it hemmed. Blouse too wide? Belt it. When you think this way, every piece has potential. To increase your chances of finding amazing clothes, go in as often as possible. Remember: new items are stocked everyday.
You’ll probably find a lot of great things for very cheap, but remember to keep your personal style in mind. Don’t clutter your closet with clothes you don’t need. That was my biggest mistake when I first went to the Sand Dollar. I bought too many things; most were never worn. In fact, I donated them right back to the store several months later.
While most thrift stores don’t have dressing rooms, The Sand Dollar (thankfully) does. Make sure to try on your finds, keeping your tailor or sewing skills in mind. Examine all your clothes for tears, stains, and holes and remember these can be fixed.
The Sand Dollar takes credit/debit and cash. Bring your own reusable shopping bag since they still use platic bags at check-out.
I recommend shopping at the Sand Dollar for any adventurous fashionista who loves to rummage. You’ll never know what treasures you can find.
Picture found at http://heightsblog.wordpress.com/
Some tips for Successful Thrifting:
34 Tips to Thrift Store Shopping
Tags: 19th Street, Houston, Sand Dollar Thrift Store, The Heights, Thrift Stores, Vintage
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As well as colors, you will also want to consider the type of fabric which she likes. Does she love the feel of lace on her skin or is she more comfortable with satin. Does she like her lingerie with frills or without? Understanding these things will ensure that you buy an outfit that she not only likes but is comfortable in.
There are several advantages to shopping online, the first one being the ability to shop at a time that is convenient to you, not just when the shops are open. The second advantage of shopping online is that goods are often cheaper as the seller does not have the costs of running a shop and having to pay wages to salespeople, insurance and all of the other running costs of a real world business.
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