This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Business & Tech

Thrifty Fashion on Fifth Avenue

Exploring Park Slope's used clothing paradise.

As an inveterate cheapskate and admirer of pretty, old things, I depend mightily on thrift stores and vintage shops to keep myself clothed.  

New York has more than its fair share of vintage boutiques selling artfully-arranged, sherbet-colored tennis dresses for $200 a pop, but I’ve always felt that this is basically cheating in the great sport of getting dressed. It has therefore been a delight to see the northern end of Park Slope’s Fifth Avenue develop one of the city’s best concentrations of high-quality, well-priced vintage and thrift stores over the last couple of years. A friend and I recently embarked on an expedition to see what was on the racks.

opened its second Brooklyn thrift store branch on Fifth Avenue and Garfield just a few weeks ago. With multiple locations in Manhattan, as well as its truly great bookstore café in SoHo, Housing Works has long been turning the city’s cast-offs into hot meals and more for the needy. The shop on Fifth Avenue is bright and airy, with some great deals on furniture. A rose-colored velvet armchair was just $125 and a pair of ornately carved 1950s dressers were $165 and $185. The small shelf of bric-a-brac held an intriguing set of “Heroes of the Torah” juice glasses, for a buck a piece. The clothes are mostly newish and fairly conservative, with a few higher-end brands like Ella Moss and 7 for All Mankind. “Not funky,” my partner in the expedition noted. Housing Works can also get pricey for a thrift store – $30 for their fancier jeans, $15 for a plain green American Apparel t-shirt. But it’s a small and pleasant space, and it doesn’t take too much time to pop in and see if there’s some treasure worth snatching up for a good cause.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Our next stop was , which opened about a year ago. The store’s name fittingly conjures up a drunk and dissolute butler, cajoling passersby into having a look through its warren of bright patterns and sparkling threads. The selection is great and the prices are exceedingly fair for a New York vintage shop, though you might run into some disappointing stains and rips. A wall of boots ranges in price from about $25 to $65, and there were some serious gems, including a pair of stitched oxblood cowboy boots ($54.94). Some 1950s shirtwaist dresses in great condition looked perfect for spring, and were nicely priced at $35-45. If clothing that has touched other folks’ netherparts doesn’t give you the willies, Guvnor’s also has a fine selection of vintage bathing suits. I saw a lovely rose-colored ruched 1950s number ($68.99) that almost perfectly matched the armchair at Housing Works. The store hosts events like band performances and their famous “,” and even offers in-house tailoring, with hems starting at just $3.99.

Making our way down the block, we came to Odd Twin, the fanciest and most carefully curated of the Fifth Avenue shops. It’s a warm, inviting space with burnished lighting that makes even the most heinous three-piece leisure suit look like a distinct possibility. Dolly Parton played on the sound system and a friendly clerk sporting a mop of Phil Spector curls solicited our advice on sunglasses. The clothes are pleasingly arranged by color, with a great array of everyday dresses, delicate lace blouses, and party frocks. We found a stunning maxi skirt embroidered with huge raffia flowers for $75, and a red tiki-print 1960s shift dress for $52. A lemony-yellow trench coat ($62) would be perfect to wear to your job at the umbrella shop in Cherbourg. The men’s side of the shop has a selection of vintage suits, including a 1950s wool tuxedo for $125 and a springy tan 1960s three-piece for $175.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

We ended the day at Fifth Avenue’s thrifty anchor, , which describes its specialties as “vintage and ultra-modern.” A smaller and more manageable branch of the gigantic Williamsburg emporium, Beacon’s has been in Park Slope since 2002. The huge selection includes H&M and J. Crew basics starting at about $8, oddball vintage dresses at $15-$20, and designer pieces from about $15 to $30. I can’t seem to enter the place without coming away with yet another 1970s lady-blouse to cram into my closet (yes, I go there much too often), but I’ve also found some righteous deals by Marc Jacobs, APC, and 7 for All Mankind. This week’s visit turned up two Built By Wendy items — a gauzy, lilac-colored minidress ($14.95) and a band-leaderesque black blouse with gold rickrack trim ($13.95). In addition to the men’s and women’s clothes, Beacon’s Closet also sells new tights, sunglasses, pretty little notebooks, and wallets, as well as new and used CDs. 

And if one day you find you’ve indulged too much in the used goods on Fifth Avenue (or you just need to make room for more), you’re in luck. Housing Works takes walk-in donations and Guvnor’s and Beacon’s Closet both buy clothes in exchange for either cash or store credit.

Then you can start all over again.   

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?