Something my mom and I love to do together is going to thrift stores. We love looking around at all the different knick-knacks and finding good deals on designer stuff. So when I was planning our trip to New York City, of course, I had to do some research on thrift stores. We went to both thrift stores and vintage shops while we were in New York City, but I found that a lot of the vintage shops offered truly vintage stuff, like stuff from the 60’s and 70’s at a much higher price point. I was more interested in finding designer stuff and unique knick-knacks. Below are four of my favorite thrift shops I visited well in Manhattan. I also created a Google Map with all of these stores in Manhattan.
Be sure to check out my 7 Sweet Spots in NYC blog post to read about my all my favorite bakeries and desserts in Manhattan! Or check out the travel section of my blog to see all my travel posts!
While we were in New York we stopped at three different Housing Works thrift shops. They have many locations all throughout Manhattan and each location has a variety of items. The first two we went to, we didn’t really find anything worth purchasing. We found a lot of the items to still be expensive. I’m talking like $75 for a visibly used Banana Republic dress. But at the last location we went to, I found a brand new, still with tags, Bloomingville pitcher for only $8 and it was still selling online for almost $30! There was also a set of matching Bloomingville mugs for $3 a piece! I highly recommend checking out Housing Works, but be aware each location is different and some stuff can still be expensive.
The cute Bloomingville pitcher I found and the matching mugs.
We also stopped at Angel Street Thrift Shop and found it to be very similar to Housing Works Thrift Shop. Some stuff was still kind of expensive and other stuff was honestly just junk. Although I will say that while digging through a pile of tops, I was able to find a grey wool Lacoste sweater for only $6! Score!
Only $6 for this wool Lacoste sweater!
I know Chelsea Flea Market isn’t a thrift store and it’s only open on Saturday and Sunday but this place had the coolest stuff. One of the things I loved most about Chelsea Flea Market was that it is a traditional flea market that sells antiques, art, vintage jewelry, and clothes. There were a lot of knick-knacks, artwork, and vintage clothing and jewelry. My mom managed to find a gorgeous Ted Baker London Dress for only $10! I also saw a pair of Tory Burch jeans that were only $12 but unfortunately, they weren’t in my size.
My favorite of all the thrift stores we went to was Goodwill. We went to a location in lower Manhattan but they have locations throughout Manhattan. I swear, I honestly could have spent all day going through the racks of stuff. There were tons of J.Crew and Banana Republic for super cheap. You can find a nice Banana Republic blouse for just $8. I found a really cute Marc Jacobs sweater that was only $30, but I couldn’t justify purchasing it because I live in Florida and it never gets cold. If you have time to go to only one place, I would highly recommend going to Goodwill. Just remember to give yourself time to go through all the clothes!
This Marc Jacobs sweater would have been a steal at $30!
