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I got introduced to thrift shopping by my best friend Erica during a trip to Atlanta, GA back December in 2010. Atlanta has so much to offer when it comes to thrifting. There are a variety of stores from GoodWill [which my bff and I like to call Neiman Marcus! LOL] to Value Village, and even Flea Markets [another one of my favorites]. During that trip, I fell in love with thrifting and was disgusted with all of the money I had spent buying new clothes, and vowed to add thrifting as one of my shopping options. Much to my surprise, Huntsville has quite a few of the same stores [maybe not as much selection, but the same all together]. Luckily, fashion comes back around so many of the styles and trends of the past decades are back in, we just call it vintage [in my most bourgeoisie voice]. Another reason I love thrifting is because you can get as much as you want and not feel guilty about price tags! That is a blessing for a shopaholic fashionista like me.
A few tips for Thrift shopping:
1. Take your time. Find a rack and take your time to look at the clothes. Racks in thrift stores are usually packed and you can miss some great pieces rushing through or assuming there won’t be anything you’ll like on a particular rack.
2. Keep an open mind. Sometimes the store isn’t so appealing, but keep looking. Is there something in your closet now that would be fabulous with it? Can it item be repurposed? Lengthened? shortened? The best outfits are the unique ones.
Purple pleated midi skirt turned high-waisted midi skirt- $1
3. Dry Clean and Tailor. After purchasing thrifted items I always have them cleaned and tailored if needed. Good tailoring can make all the difference when it comes to thrifting. I love it when I get a pair of fantastic pants for $1.50 and tailor them to look like a million bucks. Tailor! Tailor! Tailor your clothes!
High-waisted wide leg wool pants with belt tailored at the ankle to Harem pants- $1.50 for the pants, $10 for tailoring! #winning [My Favorite! :-)]
4. TRY IT ON!!!! If you can, always try on the clothing items you buy from a thrift store. Trying it on will help you make a decision to buy or not to buy. Who knows, you can be on the fence about an item and find that it looks great or not so great on you when you try it on.
5. ALWAYS INSPECT IT!!! This is probably the most important tip for thrifting. Inspect everything you buy from housewares to clothing for breaks, tears, rips, holes and anything else. Check the hem lines, seams underneath the arm holes and neck lines for rips. Don’t forget to check all over for stains and moth holes.
6. Bring a Friend. I like to bring a friend with me when thrift shopping to bounce ideas off of one another. A view from the outside is always good when trying on thrifted items, thinking of ways to style something or even looking for damages in clothing.
I found my beloved elephant table from GoodWill for $6.
It retailed for $40 at Pier One.
Some other things I’ve found but aren’t pictured are a charcoal J. Crew pea coat I purchased for $6 [what a steal!], retailing at $255.00 and a set of 6 designer bamboo bowls for $3, retailing at $30. Huntsville has quiet a few thrift stores to check out here’s a list!
New Life Thrift Mart
3801 Pulaski Pike Huntsville 858-0840
Our Secret
411 Hughes Rd. Madison 830-0400
Thrift Plus
819 N Memorial Pkwy Huntsville, AL 35801-5847
(256) 533-2990 Monday-Friday 9 am-7 pm; Sunday 12-5 pm
The Thrift Shop
8554 Hwy 72 W Madison 864-0008
Watchman Ministry Thrift Shop
3001 Hood Road SW Huntsville, AL 35805 (256) 880-0782
Off the Hook Thrift & Boutique
807 Oakwood Avenue Northwest Huntsville (256) 489-1224
Rags to Riches Thrift Store
1650 Jordan Lane Northwest, Huntsville, AL
King City Thrift Store
526 Jordan Lane Northwest Huntsville, AL 35805
Thrift Store II
2408 Memorial Parkway Northwest Huntsville, AL 35810
Old To New Thrift Shop
1405 Winchester Road Northeast Huntsville (256) 858-6577
Village Marketplace Thrift Store
1000 Meridian Street North Huntsville (256) 518-6104
Breaking Free Rescue Mission
2007 Memorial Parkway Northwest Huntsville (256) 851-1688
Find more Thrift stores at TheThriftShopper.com!
Have Fun!
Lina