thrift stores

[saechalyn]

Okay, since I first stumbled into this scene over 10 years ago, people far and wide have proclaimed their love of thrift stores/the salvation army/value village/insert other cheap place for gothy-type clothing. I have searched these kinds of places countless times, in cities and suburbs, and have not once found anything that was even worth trying on, let alone buying.

I understand that thrift store finds often require a little (or a lot) of alteration. I'm no seamstress but I have dyed/slashed up/added lace/cut off sleeves off of many ostensibly "normal" garments. What is now one of my favorite club outfits was originally purchased at Kohl's.

So, beyond "think of how you could alter it" is there something I'm missing? Any places around more likely to be good sources?

[unchaste]

Not really. You just have to search. I have a tendancy to head towards the sections containing black clothing. My favorite skirt is one that I bought at Fashion Cents (a store geared towards folk of the darker persuasion), and I pixied the ends ans added some Frankensteiny stitches to it. Imagination, honey!

[Guest Game of Chance]

I've never found anything either. But I'm going to get my halloween costume there this year. Think Halloween USA will have the makeup for me to go in blackface?

[Onyx]

For me it seems to be mostly luck. Sometimes I hit the jackpot, sometimes come up empty. I have noticed the Detroit area stores or the Chicago stores are the only ones I find anything good in though.

[An_Incomplete_heart]

For me it seems to be mostly luck.  Sometimes I hit the jackpot, sometimes come up empty.  I have noticed the Detroit area stores or the Chicago stores are the only ones I find anything good in though.

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When I go looking I just do a run through 1 in 10 times I find something but you just have to keep looking kind of like garage sales

[Fierce Critter]

Ditto on the "search".

I find the goth/punk selections available for us of the plus-sized persuasion even more elusive.

When I hit up a thrift store, the first thing I do is ask the clerk if they separate the plus-sizes, and make my way over there and go through everything.

Then, I hit up the skirt section. That's 'cause stretch skirts in "normal" sizes can work, too. I found a mermaid-hem full-length skirt in one store that I would never have found if it hadn't been in a thrift store - it had a "Wet Seal" label on it, and I know better than to walk my fat ass into a "skinny" store like that in an actual mall. Not without getting looks of, "she doesn't really think she's going to fit anything here is she? She's even too fat for our earrings."

Then I hit up the t-shirt section, often just all lumped into the men's section (occasionally stores will have a separate section for women's t-shirts, though they're pretty bad at separating the two). In this way, I got one of my favorite (and most popular) "clubbing" shirts - a black shirt with a classic Mickey Mouse in shades of white & gray. I "punked" it by adding real jewelry, silver beads, & safety pins to "pierce" him on his nipples, ears, nose, tongue, etc. Yeah, imagination (and a fair amount of skill with craft & sewing tools) helps.

Check out the lingerie section, too. Dresses as well. You never know...

For pants (again, sort of catering to the plus-sized here), check the men's section, too. Often the clerks can't distinguish between men's sizes and women's, or brands. I often find Lane Bryant Venezia jeans in sizes 22-36 in the men's section - quite often, actually. Also Avenue, Chic, etc.

You have to go back frequently, too. Jon and I would hit them up every weekend if money/gas allowed.

And you have to go to a lot, too. We generally hit up the Value World stores in Taylor & Southgate, as well as the Salvation Armies in Romulus, Southgate, Dearborn, Redford, Livonia, Farmington &, when on that side of town, Royal Oak.

[Homicidalheathen]

Take a drag queen and go to a RO or Bloomfield hills Salvation Army. Do you see the awesome dress in my avatar pic?

5 bucks brand new. Nuff said.

[Crazed Vampyress]

i think you also have to have the luck of the draw. ive gone a couple weeks where i found a ton of stuff i loved and coudlnt believe my luck only to spend the next 8 months dry with nothing even close to what i would want.

its a lot of chance and patience at times.

[saechalyn]

That is basically what I figured. Damn me and my complete lack of patience. Thanks all!

[gothicmom]

Fierce Critter!! So thats where they hide the pants!!!

[holliwood66]

Ebay is great for vintage items: a savy shopper does the sifting for you, and the gear is still way less than a department or specialty store.

I like sellers from Canada for vintage clothing on ebay - do a search for clothing in canadian dollars is one way of finding neato stuff.

I don't thrift shop anymore due to time issues and lack of patience - except for consignment shops in wealthy areas (usually have really interesting things for cheeeeep) or when abroad.

[Nienna]

I've never had luck at thrift stores.. (Except for one, amazing dress I got at goodwill my sophmore year in HS and still wear) I have found alot at vintage stores though, Trouble is, the stuff in them is usually small and more expensive than if it were new.... and that sucks.

[Fierce Critter]

Fierce Critter!!  So thats where they hide the pants!!!

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:cheerful

[DisturbedMania]

I found the coolest cape/coat 100% soft wool originally from Jacobson's for under 15. But, I have lots of patience for clothing. You and I should go some time. One of my favorite things is picking out outfits for people, but you have to be willing to spend quite a bit of time watching me search.

[CatsEyeOfTheWiccan]

Way I buy my clothes and accerys here are the places I shop at:

*Salvation Army Thrift

*Hot Topic

*Noir Leather

*Good Will

*Resale Shops

*Berlington Coat Factory

*Khols

*Payless Shoes

*Value City

What couldn't be better for ecleted way to shop.

-CatsEye

[Fierce Critter]

If you buy anything from Burlington CF, make sure you want it before you pay for it. No returns there - exchange only. Learned the hard way.

[pomba gira]

The key to thrift store shopping is patience, having a circuit of stores that you're familiar with, hitting them often, patience, building relationships with the more competent store staff, patience, imagination, and patience.

I used to be a thrift store queen back in the 80s when I was a lil' mohawk wearin' punkette... back when you couldn't waltz into any mall & buy non-mainstream gear, so you HAD to do thrift stores if you wanted any kind of different look. Don't have the patience now, not to mention it's way harder to find stuff to fit a plus 16-18 than a junior 7-9. When I hit thrift stores nowadays it's for collectible-type stuff I can move on eBay. Speaking of eBay, that's tops on my list for unique down & dirty darkness wear. In the past few years an interesting bunch of DIY kiddies have popped up selling helly cool OOAK stuff on there ... most of them are skinny litttle girls so most of their stuff is made in S.L.G. sizes, but some will do custom work for very reasonable prices. And if you're a goth grrl or witchy womyn & don't have anything from HolyClothing, what the hell is wrong with you??!!!

Almost my entire Hallowicked outfit was obtained on eBay, except for a couple accessories from Hot Topic (finally broke down & bought some arm warmers- fuck being too old) & purse from Burlington.

Value City and Burlington are also good, when I have the patience to pick through rack after rack... Value City has a good plus selection, too... you can find Delta Burke & Donna Loren lingerie for a fraction of the retail price. I've heard the Detroit area Value Cities aren't as good as the Lansing one, but I've never been to one so I can't compare. Burlington has a lot of Baby Phat & Roca Wear type stuff, especially purses & accessories.

Good hunting!

[Fierce Critter]

Today was an excellent example of how patience & persistence pays off.

Went to 3 SA stores today. Picked through the plus-sizes, and found nothing. Went to the regular size skirts, and one of the first things I found was a Torrid skirt, the top layer with a cherries motif and the underlayer pinstripe - MY size, hung on the wrong rack and all of $2.00! Also found a great new tight black skirt with bonus slits on both sides, $2.00, a stretch zebra-print skirt with an asymmetrical hem for $2.00, and a near identical replacement for my most-worn black stretch jersey skirt (put two holes in the old one with my fingers recently) - $2.00!

Good day here. Going back to a Value World tomorrow to try on a red, leopard print skirt I saw the other day. Didn't have the right clothes on to try it on before (no fitting rooms, so need to go back in tights & skirt so I can slip on things over the tights while hiking up my skirt at the same time).

[saechalyn]

Congrats on the finds! I have an extremely short fuse for clothes shopping because so little I like will fit me. Ah well.

[Shade Everdark]

To add my two bits, most of the advice I've seen given here is pretty accurate. It's really just...sort of a crap shoot. Sometimes, you can find really great stuff (I found my long coat at the Salvation Army in Troy). Sometimes, you find nothing. I wonder, too, if the season affects the kinds of clothing (not referring to the difference between summer & winter items) that gets left at second-hand stores....

[Ginevra]

I think it more depends on the seasons. People tend to "spring clean" and go through stuff and then as winter approaches, they find that this thing won't fit them anymore or the kid's coat is too small, etc.