Garment District

Today I had the unexpected pleasure of thrift-store shopping. I spent my morning at the Writing Center, having volunteered to cover a shift for one of my coworkers. Afterward, I had lunch in the Fens (main campus eating place) and found some of my dorm fellows at a table. As we were dispersing, Christina mentioned that she and a friend (also in the archives program) were going shopping at a thrift store in Somerville. Well, I had to ask to tag along! So Christina, Marta and I excitedly hopped on the T to go in search of bargains.

Our first--and only planned--stop was the Poor Little Rich Girl store at Davis Square. There were fun things there, but it was more vintage than thrift, and we left without buying anything. Mostly, we tried on hats, since both Marta and I were looking for warm winter hats. Alas, nothing was to be found in our price range. We looked around for another thrift store we thought was in the area, but to no avail. At this point, we decided to head to the Garment District, which was almost guaranteed to be a success.

It was only a few stops down the line, but a long chilly walk from the station to the store itself. By the time we got there, we were more determined than ever to find warm hats to wear for the trip back. But first, we attacked the dollar-a-pound pile on the first floor. I'm serious about calling it a pile, too. they really just throw the clothes on the floor in a heap and let you dig through it. I'm not even sure how they differentiate these clothing items from the vintage stuff they sell on the upper level. Granted, some of the things in the pile are not worth even that small price, but if you look hard enough, you can find real treasures. I managed to come out of the pile with a pair of dressy shorts (which I can wear to look professional this summer), a retro-esque cardigan (yes, mom, I broke down and bought a cardigan), and a sweater made in Ireland of 100% merino wool (very warm and classy). All of this totaled only $3.40. Granted, sweaters are rather heavy, so if I had chosen other items the total would have been much lower. After selecting these things and leaving them behind the counter for safe-keeping, I headed upstairs to browse the "nicer" racks. I ended up finding a beret-type hat that's actually warmer than I thought it would be. Yes, I bought it. And yes, it cost as much as the rest of my items combined. But that still means my total for the trip was less than $7, which is rather impressive, if I do say so myself. I also considered some nice brown shoes, but they were a half size too small and would have been problematic. All things considered, I'd say it was a good day. Here's the hat I found:


-Kim