Thrift Store Review: Grime Clothing 100 Grove St. Worcester, MA

Grime is one of the newest editions to the Worcester thrift store scene. I first heard about it when Worcester Magazine did a feature article on the area thrift stores. You can check out the article here: I’ve been to Grime twice, and plan to return many more times.  Here’s why:

Quality over Quantity
The shop itself is rather small, but what it lacks in square footage it makes up in quality. I’ve already talked about how at large thrift stores like Goodwill or Savers, the gems are hidden between racks of junk. This is because they collect donations and put almost everything they take in out on the floor to sell.  At Grime, each item is hand selected by the store’s owner, a twenty-something entrepreneur with a great eye for vintage.  She takes donations, scours other thrift stores for items to resell, and and even puts items from her own closet up for sale.  The result of this process is a store stocked with only quality items, most of them vintage or name brand, and all of them in great condition.  All the glory of finding great thrift store pieces, with none of the hassle.

Because of the high level of selection, you’ll spend a little more at Grime than you would at a big thrift store, but the prices are still lower than a consignment or a vintage shop.  I noticed that most garments were priced between $8 and $25. For the quality of the inventory, these prices are great.



Grime has a great social media presence

Grime is on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, and the store’s owner is always posting great pictures of new inventory. I find this really helpful, because thrifting tends to be hit or miss: you show up at a store, dig around, and hope that you find something you like in your size.  Because Grime posts so many pictures of their clothes and accessories online, you can scope out what you might like before you even leave the house.


Great Atmosphere
The small room packed with fun and interesting pieces gives the customer the feeling of being in a really cool person’s closet.  The walls are covered with funky art, including a large framed poster of Elvis in front of which visitors to the store are often photographed posing. Garments and accessories are organized in baskets and antique shelving units. And, the store sells consignment jewelry and artwork from local artists! The atmosphere of the store is much more like what you’d find in the artsy neighborhood of a big city than in Worcester.


If I could afford it (and if everything were in my size) I would buy everything in that store. But, here’s what I got at Grime during my last visit: Salmon Party Dress: $18. I'm pretty much in love with it. I haven't had a chance to wear it yet, but I think in honor of this post, I'll wear it tonight.

This picture is not of me.

All photographs are used with permission from the Grime Facebook page.

Video Blog: Top Five Thrifting Tips

In lieu of a regular post this week, I have done a Video Blog!

Check out my Top Five Thrifting Tips:

Thrift Store Shopping for Halloween Costumes

Halloween! It’s October! Which means if you haven’t yet figured out your Halloween costume, it’s time to get on that. Seriously, it’s only a couple weeks away. Don’t panic. I can help.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays.  My mother was a seamstress, so growing up she always made my sister’s and my costumes from scratch. We got to watch our fantasies come alive piece by piece, and the results were always much better quality than the polyester costumes other kids had to pick off of racks at the store. The love of homemade costumes has left me with a deep-seated resentment for store-bought costumes: they look cheap, they are expensive, and they are rarely creative.

I'd never be caught dead in a costume like these.

Unfortunately, I do not know how to sew like my mother. Sure, I can hand stitch, fix a hem or a button, but I have nowhere near the capabilities of the woman who raised me. But you still won’t see me picking my Halloween costume off a rack. At least not the party store rack.

The thrift store is your destination for unique costumes that have that homemade and authentic look at a cost you can afford.

Deciding what you want to be is the first step. For me, this is always the hardest. Should my costume be Funny? Punny? Topical? Sexy? Political? Cute? Scary? Classic? The possibilities are endless. Usually my requirements are: clever, recognizable, and something I can realistically make and pull off. I don’t want to be a Nurse Sexy like half the women at the party, but I also don’t want to spend the entire night explaining what my costume is. And, I want it to look good and well made.


Use the Thrift Store as a Source of Inspiration
Head to the thrift store for inspiration. Sift through racks of shirts, dresses, and shoes hoping to be inspired by an item.  Usually something will give you an idea. Maybe a character on an old tee shirt reminds you of a cartoon from childhood.  Maybe a gold Lamé dress reminds you of an Oscar trophy. Or maybe that hideous sweater reminds you of Bill Cosby. Chances are, just getting out and digging will open up your creativity. If you find something that works as a costume on that first trip, great! Buy it!  But just finding inspiration is a success.  

Use the thrift store to Narrow Down the Options
Hopefully by now you’ve come up with a few ideas. Make a list of all the items you would need to make each of those costumes. Can you reasonably find all of the items before Halloween? Thrift stores have pretty much everything, but you need time to look. If any pieces of the costume need to be sewn or constructed, do you have the time and skills to do it?

Go to the thrift store.  Look around. Try to find the pieces for all the costumes on your list. Obviously you can go back next week or try a different thrift shop if that particular store doesn’t have exactly what you need, but you should be able to find something relatively close.  Pick the costume that you have the greatest success finding the pieces for.

Never Have to Sew Anything from Scratch
If you know how to hand stitch, anything at a thrift store is alterable.  If you’re only spending $2-15 on a garment, you shouldn’t be afraid to take some scissors to it and make it your own. Plus, since you’re only wearing it that one night, you can use quick fix shortcuts like iron on hem tape or fabric glue.

Basic adjustments like shortening a hem are easy. But you can think even more creatively! Looking for a snake to go with that Eve costume? Get a green long sleeve shirt, cut off the arms, sew them together and stuff them! Long black circle skirts can become a cape just by slicing up one of the sides.

Some Thrift Stores Have Halloween Sections
Thrift Stores know that people use them for Halloween costumes and some have stepped up their game by offering traditional party store costumes and accessories. Chances are, there are certain items for your costume you will not be able to find second hand (Harry Potter glasses? Wigs?) The Savers near me has a Halloween section with wigs, face paint, accessories, and costumes, and they sell them at a fraction of the price of traditional party stores.

And because I'm sure you're all wondering....
My Halloween Costume: Daria Morgendorffer from Daria

I already owned the skirt and the boots.

I went to Savers and got:

Orange T-shirt (second hand): $1.99

Green Jacket (second hand): $7.99

Wig (new from Halloween section): $6.99

All I still need to get are the glasses!

Have you ever made a costume from thrift store finds? I’d love to hear your story! Share it in the comments section. Have a Happy Halloween!

Review: Goodwill Worcester

This is the fifth year that I have been living (and thrifting!) in Worcester, but I have only recently come to be an frequent shopper of Goodwill at 25 Park Avenue in Worcester, MA. This is because the Park Ave location just recently underwent some wonderful renovations.  The store now has a more open layout, convenient registers, and well-organized racks.  Organization is key in good thrift store: thrifting is a time-consuming process of sifting through thousands of unique items, and mess can make the difference between an enjoyable hunt and an overwhelming headache of a shopping experience. 

Reasons I love Goodwill:
Everything is organized by garment type and color!
All the short sleeved shirts will be on one rack, and within that rack, all the red pieces will be together, all the blues together, and so on. Although I am rarely searching for a specific colored garment so it does little to help me locate a particular piece, the color system is a way of maintaining organization and keeping the store welcoming and easy to shop in.

There are no price tags: just different colored tag fasteners
Price tags don’t get ripped off and lost: Often thrift stores won’t sell items that don’t have their tag attached, because there is no other way of verifying the item came from that store. The absence of paper tags means this is never a problem at Goodwill, so you will never be denied buying that awesome garment you found

You can wash the clothes and return them: No paper tags means that you can wash the clothes and bring them back! So if you find an amazing shirt, but it has a small stain on it, you can bring the shirt home and try to remove the stain. If the stain doesn’t come out, you can bring it back.

Their mission is to provide people with meaningful employment
The job market is horrendous. Goodwill provides disadvantaged people with job training, support, and placement.

There’s probably a Goodwill in your area
Seriously, Goodwill is everywhere. Visit their website. They’ve got 165 locations around the country.

From my trip to Goodwill on September 26, 2011
I’m super excited, because I didn’t pay “full price” for anything during this trip. All orange tags were 50% off, and for the items that didn’t have an orange tag, I got a 25% with my student ID for their back to school sale.

100% Silk Diane Von Furstenburg Scarf: $2.99 less 25% student Discount: $2.25

I love the colors. I love the crosshatch patterns. I love that I could totally wear this to a pride parade, but it is subtle enough for everyday wear. I’ve already worn it once as a bandana around my neck. And did I mention it’s 100% silk and DIANE VON FREAKING FURSTENBURG? Total score.

Light pink leopard V-neck: $4.99 less 50% for orange tag: $2.50

When I’m thrifting, I am always drawn to patterns. A lot of time colored leopard print can look cheap or immature, but I think the scale of the spots and the muted rose tone keeps this shirt classy. The cotton is good quality and there is no pilling.

Hi-Line Striped Tee: 4.99 less 50% for orange tag: $2.50

Did I mention I love patterns? I love the beige and black stripes on this shirt, and the interesting cut pattern. Also, Hi-Line is a brand sold out of Madewell, a high-quality store that is owned by J.Crew, so I know it is a well-made product (no pun intended). Nautical stripes are also allegedly in right now. I’d saw this pattern is close enough.

J.Crew Grey Chino: $6.49 less 25% student discount: $4.87

Honestly, I’m not a J.Crew shopper.  Most of their clothes are a little “prep school parent” for my taste. But wide leg trousers are coming back this season (not that I’m throwing out my beloved skinny jeans...) and I have a hard time finding pants that fit at thrift stores. Because I’m nearly 5’10”, I need to buy long length pants, and these are extremely rare at the thrift store. So I snapped these up. Long-legged ladies, listen up: If you find a long length pant that fits at a thrift store... don’t hesitate. They’re a rare find. Lock that down and head to the register.

Black polka dot silk sheath top: 4.99 less 50% for orange tag: $2.50

I know, I know, more patterns.  But again, 100% silk!  Sleeveless silk tops are my new favorite item, because they move flawlessly from day to evening looks.  Pair a top like this with nice jeans and a suit jacket for Casual Friday, and after work just remove the jacket and add  a big piece of colorful jewelry for a night out!

Needless to say, I was extremely satisfied with my trip to Goodwill this week. I found five wonderful pieces and spent about $15.00!  

Coming up: Top Thrifting Tips, and more Thrift Store reviews.

Welcome!

Welcome to Thrift Store Star!
Thrift store shopping, or "thrifting" has been a favorite pastime of mine since high school.  My love of thrifting began when I was looking for costume pieces for plays. While scouring thrift stores for costumes, I started to find pieces that I would wear during my everyday life, and I got hooked.  Now the majority of my trips are just for clothes for my personal wardrobe.

Somewhere between one third and one half of my closet is filled with items I've purchased second hand.  It's not uncommon for me to hit up at least one thrift store a week.  I've always loved shopping, but as a student on a limited budget, sometimes I only have $10-15 a week to spend on clothing, and at the mall, or even at a discount store like TJMAXX or Marshalls, that doesn't go very far.

By Sparklingdawg (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons

Thrift store shopping in the big city is easy: wealthy, fashionable people donate their perfectly good, stylish clothes after barely wearing them. I've been in some fantastic thrift store shopping in Boston, San Francisco, and New York.  But, I live in a small, working class city that would never be described as "fashion forward," and I've still made some awesome finds right here. I'm here to help other people without the fortune of living in the big city become Thrift Store Stars, too.

I've started this blog as a way to pass on some of the thrift tricks I've picked up over the years.  I'll also post some of my finds and reviews of local thrift stores. I hope that other thrifters will share their tips and tricks, so I can learn some new things, too!