dress for the resesh: exploring denver thrift stores

we hate talking about the recession just as much as the next gal, but there is no denying the fact that it is time to start thinking about shopping on a tighter budget (not that we don't already!) so today we went on a quest to explore some of denver's more reputable thrift stores. we really only had the time to get down to the south broadway area, but that's where most of the good ones are anyway. here are the four that we hit and what we thought about them:

south broadway ARC--1515 s. broadway. denver, CO.

this arc is interesting. it hovers on the thin line between the hip baker neighborhood and one of the more ghetto areas of denver (close to south federal, santa fe, etc), so the items in the arc can range from amazing finds to disgusting t-shirts that smell faintly like pee. but it is worth the trip, as we both have found some real gems there. this arc is pretty large, so you have to be committed to searching a bit. don't count on the tiny dressing rooms being available.  

k found these hot ankle boots by rampage for $3.99

regal vintage--1866 s. broadway. denver, CO

we were thrilled to happen upon regal vintage (previously called rare bird vintage) at its new, rather unfortunate location (it used to be on 13th ave in the capitol hill area). this vintage store is a real treasure. its spendier of course than your typical thrift store, but its got high quality clothes and accessories as well as vintage furniture, ashtrays, new kids on the block pillows, etc. if you love vintage stores, be sure to make the trip down to south broadway to check this out. judging from the location, they probably don't get a ton of foot traffic. the staff seemed knowledgeable and friendly, and they also buy vintage items so try taking your high quality goods down there if you'd rather be making some cash than spending it.

regal vintage is a colorful oasis on south broadway. check out that cool old luggage in the window!

our favorite find: a fun faux fur collar with a chartreuse tie for $15

flossy mcgrews--1824 s. broadway. denver, CO

this store is best known for being THE spot for halloween costumes, so we weren't sure what to expect on a tuesday afternoon in may. turns out its chock full of all sorts of vintage clothes, accessories, jewelry, hats, and of course, random costumes for that ugly sweater party you rsvp'ed to. we found it a bit off-putting, though, because it was so dirty, unorganized, and cluttered. it looked like no one had taken a broom to the floor since last halloween's busy season, so if you're a vintage clothing lover, be sure to block out a chunk of time to do some serious digging. some of the hats, for instance, looked too dirty and wrinkled for anyone to actually want to wear them, but there are no doubt some gems hidden in flossy's. 

you're going to need to dedicate some serious time to digging through this wall of costume jewelry

safari seconds--422 broadway. denver, CO

there is one word for this store: gnarly.

we traveled here at the behest of the westword's 2009 best of denver edition (westword is our local alternative newspaper) which had this to say about what they called, "the best thrift store deal in denver":

We already like Safari Seconds enough to have raved about it here in 2006 and 2008, but the place, a dirt-cheap, refugee-run thrift store that helps African immigrants get on their feet, just keeps on giving. Since moving last summer to a more visible space on Broadway, the shop has hosted clothing giveaways every last Friday of the month, sometimes with a bit of fanfare and African food and music, but always offering secondhand specials at the best price of all: free. Spring cleaning was never so much fun.

while that's all well and good, it doesn't change the fact that safari seconds is seriously thread bare and has an overall unhygienic smell that makes shopping there unpleasant. after scanning the few racks we didn't even find anything to snap a pic of. so maybe donate money to these folks, but don't spend it there.

overall we are slightly disappointed in denver's thrift store selection. compared to other cities we've been to, there just doesn't exist that same culture of upper echelon thrift. but maybe because of the good ole recession the denver thrift store scene will perk up soon and surprise us all. here's to hoping! let us know if you have any special places in denver you go for great deals, we'd love to hear about it.

cheers!