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.