Goodwill - Davis Square
Mon - Sat 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Sunday 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.
230 Elm St., Somerville
The holy grail of low-cost clothing and the mecca of all thrift stores, Goodwill is a staple for the most price-conscious of shoppers. The Davis Square location spans two floors, with women’s clothing and shoes on the first floor, and menswear and home in the basement. The lighting may be harsh, and the Obama posters and abundance of pleated jean skirts may make you feel like it’s 2008, but it’s hard to argue with the amount of clothing you get for your dollar. The store regularly has extra markdowns, and encourages you to embrace your inner gambler and buy scratch cards that promise potential extra discounts. You may have to kiss some proverbial frogs before you find your perfect match, but there are plenty of gems to be found among the mom jeans and tie dye.
Arranged by color rather than by item, this store isn’t the easiest to navigate if you have a specific list of clothing you’re looking for. It’s great place to go if you’re just browsing, trying to put together a costume, or just really feel like wearing yellow. There’s currently a section dedicated to Halloween which has a good selection of ready-made outfits, but you can just as easily create something fun from the rainbow array of racks. On a recent visit, one male shopper put together a Disney princess outfit (for himself) in three minutes flat. “Once I get the gold braid on it, you’ll never know it wasn’t official,” he said. We had to agree.
Buffalo Exchange
Mon- Sat 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sun 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.
238 Elm St., Somerville
A couple of doors down from Goodwill lies the younger and more curated Buffalo Exchange. Also spread across two floors, the store offers women’s clothing, accessories, and shoes, and is mainly populated by self-aware hipster college students. There’s a strangely competitive atmosphere among the store’s clientele, like a pack of lions stalking a few BCBG gazelles. But if you’re looking to embrace your inner hunter, Buffalo Exchange will reward you with some decently priced designer merchandise and...uh...buffalos?
Prices are mid-range for a thrift shop—dresses cost between $15 - $20, sweaters between $10 and $30. Prices are pretty dependent on the brand. If you’re hoping to save extra money and have a load of clothes you never wear hanging around in your closet, you can trade in unwanted items for 35% of the value they will resell it for in cash, or 50% of that value in a gift card towards your next purchase in the store. The buyers, though, are notoriously picky about what they’ll take--you’ll have to resign to donating the pleated jean skirts to Goodwill. While you might be upset they don’t want a lot of your stuff, you’ll probably be thankful when you’re not wading through a slew of whatever was popular in 2010 when browsing the rails.
Oona’s Experienced Clothing
Mon. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
1210 Mass. Ave.
Nestled in a quiet corner of Mass. Ave., it’s difficult to spot Oona’s inset, ivy-swathed door unless you’re actively looking for the store. However, if you do manage to stumble upon this gem, we promise you won’t be disappointed.
The warm, low-ceilinged interior is crowded with gilded mirrors and antique wooden furniture overflowing with silk scarves, wool hats, and elaborately embellished jewelry. From lambswool to cashmere to alpaca, their vast sweater selection is impressive, to say the least. With high quality fabric blends and reasonable prices, we couldn’t help but snag a few.
To our pleasant surprise, the men’s section was also quite sizable, overflowing with vintage Penfield and Woolrich jackets. And no, you’re not imagining it, there is a slight eau de marijuana lingering in the lining. Not to fear, a good dry cleaning will take care of that. In three words: sophisticated, quality, hipsterish.
Second Time Around
Mon. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sun. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
8 Eliot St.
With Balenciaga, Tory Burch, and Badgley Mischka lining the shelves, if your desire is to go designer, look no further than this bright, boutique-like thrift located on the far end of the Square. This store has an incredible two-story selection of high-end fashion pieces that have been marked down anywhere from $100 to $800 off their original price. Granted, some of the items look pretty dated—as in straight from grandma’s closet dated—but honestly, it’s YSL, so who cares?
Second Time Around can get pretty pricey with some of its more rare finds in the upper hundreds, but if you’re willing to dig a little deeper in your pockets and cut out those late night Insomnia runs for the next month (or twenty), it can be worth it.
