Boston Vintage

[ClaraB]

Hey ladies,
This is a thread with rather selfish motivations but I'm sure in the future others may find information gathered here useful. Sorry if a thread of this nature has already been posted.

I have rather unexpectedly been given the opportunity to spend a few days in Boston and thought I would take the time to explore what Boston has to offer in terms of vintage shopping and perhaps try to find that perfect holiday ensemble. My rather non-vintage friends that I will be staying with have recommended the Garment District.....what do you Bostonian ladies recommend?

Thanks,
CB

 

[JupitersDarling]

I'm not a native, but I did live in the general area for 4 years till last year as a college student.

Yes, for guaranteed vintage finds, go to the Garment District. Though, I never had much luck in the Vintage section because the stuff was either too small or too pricey for a student! Most of the vintage selection seem to be scary dresses from the 60's and 70's (lol) but they do have some nice mid century items. The shoe section is fun to go through too, but there will be vintage interspersed with modern shoes. If you feel like wading through the dollah-a pound section, sometimes you get lucky and pull up a perfect shirt or coat. I once found an old muslin of a 50's dress in the piles there(!), that fit me nearly perfectly, and I bought it! (I'm hoping I will be able to use it as a pattern at some point...)

It's pretty hard to consistently find nice vintage stuff in the thrift shops in Boston. For that matter it's hard to find thrift shops, period! (though that might just be my limited experience with the area around Kendall/Central stations (Cambridge), Downtown, and Route 9 west. The best thrift shop I know of is the Urban renewal store (?) (I forget the exact name) in Allston up the road from the Super 88. I found a cute hot pink 50-60's bathing suit there once, and I saw a few pairs of vintage shoes and cute dresses from (none in my size alas) in the few times I was able to stop by.

Others have posted before about Bobby's of Boston, who has a warehouse of vintage open by appointment only, if you have the time to look through boxes and piles of stuff, and a hefty budget. I'm not sure how to contact him/where it is, but Daisy Buchanan or another Bostonian can tell you.

 

[KittyT]

Garment District is OK and has deadstock items sometimes. Nothing really great or unusual, and their prices have gone up. Still worth checking out. I recently got 3 vintage 40s and 50s wool skirts there, none costing over $14.

Bobby From Boston has a retail store on Thayer St off Harrison. His store is worth a trip and is amazingly outfitted. A little pricey - you're looking at $50 and up for a dress, but gorgeous items. Hemingway Jones wrote an article about Bobby in one of the issues of Classic Style.

Better for women's clothes is Cafe Society in Brookline. Mostly women's still, dresses around $40 and up.

Urban Renewals in Allston is OK, though you really have to hunt and peck. I always find vintage slips there though for around $3, and they're easy to overdye. Miss Bella Hell has found bakelite pieces there, but it's really luck of the draw.

If you're going to have access to a car, let me know. There's also a great warehouse in New Bedford.