Archive for the ‘Vintage/thrift’ Category
Phoenix consignment: Poor Little Rich Girl
Poor Little Rich Girl (PLRG) a women’s-wear consignment store, is located right around the corner from my house.
I saw it go in several months ago, but didn’t give it much thought until a friend raved about it, “I got my new favorite dress for $8!”
With that ringing endorsement, it could no longer be ignored.
PLRG, located in the Sunbrite strip mall next to Luci’s and the old Richardson’s, specializes in casual clothing and accessories and carries brand names like DKNY, Ann Taylor, Brooks Brothers, and other popular, classic brands. The items are nearly new — don’t plan on selling your well-worn kicks and ratty clothing here.
The store is small, but well-organized. Shirts and sweaters are arranged by size along the wall. On the shelf above, shoes are lined from small to large. Hanging on the wall are some of the standout outfits and bags. Racks of dresses are scattered around the store. There are several areas dedicated to accessories: necklaces, bangles, flower pins, etc.
The prices are reasonable ($14 for a top or $24 for a dress) and their deals are a steal (blue tagged items are currently 75% off).
Put your clothes on consignment and get 40% of the sale price in cash or 50% in PLRG credit, which is good at both locations. Take a look at their list of acceptable items; they are currently only buying up fall items.
The best thing, since the store is consignment, there’s an ever-changing rotation of clothes. I plan on stopping by frequently.
Poor Little Rich Girl
1576 E Bethany Home Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85014
Open Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
OR
3730 E. Indian School Rd.
Phoenix, AZ
Open Monday – Friday from 1 – 8 p.m.
Saturday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday from 12 – 5 p.m.
Phoenix vintage: Hollywood Regency
Hollywood Recency is home of one of the best vintage selections in town. The giant space, located in the back of Zinnia’s antique mall, houses rack after rack of vintage women’s and men’s clothing and accessories.
Women — find anything your vintage-loving heart desires from formal gowns to foundation garments. The hat selection alone will make you rethink your approach to accessorizing.
Men, often neglected when it comes to vintage-stores, can choose from ties, tie-tacks, vintage suits and a slew of 1960s Hawaiian shirts in bold patterns.
Dotted throughout the store are cool old-school knick-knacks, housewares, books, etc., but the star of the show is, without-a-doubt, the clothing.
Tip: The antique mall can be tricky to find. Pull into Flo’s Thrift Store, and you’ll see the Zinnia’s building in the back on the left-hand side of the parking lot.
Hollywood Regency
724 W. Indian School Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85013 (Inside Zinnia’s )
One of the accessory display cases.
A small portion of the hat collection.
The men’s section.
Knick-knacks.
Phoenix vintage: Red & Mint
Red Modern Furniture fills most of its cool 2-story building with sleek, modern furniture and cool knick-knacks. Inside, you’ll find a lot of wood, leather and metal pieces peppered with some fun and funky furniture, paintings, and sculptures.
Mid-century modern buffet. They’ve got it.
Presidential portraits, they’ve got those too.
I covet a lot of the store merchandise, but be warned, this is not a shopping spot for DIYers or deal hunters. This is a destination for mid-century modern in great condition — and you pay for that.
Upon entering Red, you’ll run right into the Mint Vintage Clothing section of the store; A small collection of great clothing and accessories. There you’re likely to find something funky and cheap (’80s anchor earrings) as you are to stumble upon a designer find.
After all, the thrill is in the hunt!
Red Modern Furniture & Mint Vintage Clothing
201 E. Camelback
Phoenix, AZ 85012
Phoenix vintage: Retro Ranch
Visit Retro Ranch for a reasonably-priced one-stop vintage shop.
The cozy store is full of yesteryear relics — from clothes to furniture, to dishes, to cocktail shakers to a giant tiki-style outdoor bar.
Let’s start with the clothes. The back corner of the shop, named Lollipop Vintage, is jam-packed with men’s and women’s shirts, sweaters, dresses, bathing suits and even ruffled foundation garments (see below). There are a few pairs of shoes and accessories scattered around — but the main draw is the dresses. On a recent trip, I tried on a cute trapeze-style summer dress for $16 and took home a floral shirt-dress for $39. Note: make sure you look around carefully. There are neat baubles and accessories stashed all around the store you might not want to miss.
Another great find at Retro Ranch: vintage books. I love looking through the fondue cookbooks and Better Homes and Gardens guides, which contain a lot of good uses for the rest of the kitchen and entertaining dishes, serving pieces and other tchotchke found around the store.
Every time I go into the shop I leave with something: a pair of wooden salt and pepper shakers, cheap sunglasses, or a gift for a friend — and I because it’s vintage and relatively inexpensive, I rarely feel guilty.
Colorful, ruffled vintage lingerie…
The store at a glance…
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A starburst wall decoration I like…
An additional rack of men’s clothes…
Great pieces for old-school entertaining…
A close-up of the Retro Ranch yellow Suburban…
Retro Ranch
4303 N 7th Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85013
Downtown Phoenix: The Duce
“You’re going to a restaurant called The Duce?” my friend asked with a bit of disgust in her tone.
I can’t really blame her. The phrase “dropping a deuce” isn’t far from my mind when talking about my intended lunch spot. And true to its name, The Duce is filled with a lot of shit.
The Duce is a restaurant. A bar. A soda fountain. A retail outlet. A gym. A coffee bar. There are probably about 12 more things I’m forgetting.
Located in a remodeled warehouse space in South Central Phoenix (Central and Lincoln), The Duce has the cool, urban look only a historical building can achieve.
The retail
Much of the warehouse is dedicated to retail space: embroidered and bedazzled Army surplus items, vintage sports clothes, military boots, high top tennis shoes…and organic milk. Needless to say, there’s an array of retail offerings at The Duce.
The gym
For the low cost of $5 a day, visitors have access to a heavy bag, a medicine ball, some ancient stationary bicycles (like 1960s ancient) and my favorite, a climbing rope. I would have easily paid $5 just to try the climbing rope…IF it wasn’t visible to the entire bar/dining room.
The restaurant/bar
I visited The Duce for lunch. The menu is limited; sliders and salad are really the only lunchtime options. For dinner they add a few more items: Chicken, spareribs and pasta (see menu). I tried the slider sampler plate: mini-meatball, brisket and chicken sausage sandwiches. The sandwiches were pretty good, but I think the real draw is going to be the bar.
The bar is a showpiece: large, wooden, deco. Drinks are served in mason jars. The best part in my book, however, is the super-sized drink option. Get a regular-sized drink for a regular price, or get a large drink (around the size of a pickle jar) for “2-3 people” slightly more. Take your giant drink to the amazing patio for some outdoor unwinding.
Parking is limited at The Duce, but there’s complimentary valet in the evening.
The deco bar…
Order food at the airstream out back…
An amazing patio for eating/drinking…
Some of the Army surplus offerings…
The Duce
525 S Central Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85004
(602) 253-9033
Finding vintage-style swim
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1.) Twist Knot Bandeau Top & Bottom, $58/$56
2.) Pins and Needles Shirred Ones Piece, $14.99
3.) Wild Watermelon Two-Piece, $59.95 each
4.) Vintage Bathing Cap, $59.99
5.) Gil Howdy Vintage Swimsuit, $70
Where to find vintage or vintage-style swimwear locally:
- Blueberry Deluxe Vintage
702 Montecito Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85013 - Retro Ranch
4303 N 7th Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85013
Where to find vintage swim online:
Guide to Phoenix Vintage
I love vintage shopping. I just do.
I like the shape and styles of 1950s and ’60s dresses. I like to imagine the dinner parties that have taken place at mid-century modern tables using funky-shaped wooden ice buckets and guilded high ball glasses.
Strangely enough, Phoenix is a pretty good destination for vintage shopping. I recently created an indie shopping post and realized — wow, there are actually quite a few stores choose from! And it’s not all thrift/vintage — you know the old stuff salvaged from some old lady’s closet in Glendale. We now have 2 high-end vintage stores, loads of mid-priced spots with a well-edited collection.
You want to go for a vintage excursion — but where to go?
(Click for clickable version of map)
Vintage (blue)
Some good destinations for vintage/old clothing and accessories.
- Blueberry Deluxe Boutique
- Butter Toast
- Hollywood Regency
- MacAlpline’s Vintage
- Mint Vintage
- Retro Ranch
Fancy vintage (pink)
For true vintage lovers! The spots you go to find well-made, high-quality or designer vintage clothing and accessories in pristine condition. Stop here for party dresses and one-of-a-kind accessories. Expect dresses to run from around $100 to several hundred.
- Vintage Fashion, Inc.
- Fashion by Robert Black
Vintage furniture (yellow)
These all feature mid-century modern style furniture — my favorite.
- Phoenix Metro Retro
- Modern Manor
- Red Modern Furniture
Did I miss your favorite store? Let me know, I’ll add it to the map.
Phoenix thrift: Toby’s Future
I travel down 7th Street regularly, so I took notice when a small brick building just south of Bethany Home began transitioning from a vacant building to what appeared to be a retail spot. I stopped by the other day to check it out.
Toby House, a non-profit helping mentally ill adults, has opened a thrift store, appropriately named Toby’s Future, which will give job training to Toby House residents.
The store is jam-packed with men’s and women’s clothing — all of which appear to be $5 and under: Banana Republic sandals, $5.
A Levi’s button down shirt, $2. A cute summer-y tie-back dress, $3. I bought a small men’s plaid shirt for $3.
The store only takes cash, so come prepared. It doesn’t take much to get something good.
Note: They are currently taking donations for home items.
Toby’s Future
5714 N 7th St.
Phoenix, AZ 85014
Open Monday-Friday from 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Scottsdale vintage: Fashion by Robert Black
A friend sent me a Tweet today alerting me to the existence of Fashion by Robert Black. I’d heard of it but don’t often to get to Scottsdale, so I’d never been.
As luck would have it, I was at my parents’ house very near Scottsdale when aforementioned Tweet arrived, so I stopped in on my way home.
The large space is filled with rack after rack of carefully preserved vintage pieces ranging from the 1920s to the 1980s.
There are no sizes here. Due to the sizing discrepancies (I’m a modern 4/vintage 14), not to mention the sturdy foundation garments worn back in the day, sizing is difficult, so they don’t even bother. If you want to know if an item fits, you’ll have to try it on.
You’ll want to try stuff on.
Sundresses, cocktail dresses, ball gowns, jackets…they’ve got it all. I even saw a little white shift with a detachable tulle/bow skirt that made me want to renew my vows.
There’s also shoes, gloves, hats and jewelry…which is both vintage, or recreated from vintage pieces.
Each of the 2 dressing rooms is situated next to a 3-way mirror and equipped with a 1940s bathrobe (which I hear are difficult to find) so you can meander the store between try-ons.
Don’t expect thrift store prices. Dresses I saw today ranged from a $75 cotton dress to a $450 1920s gown, but the prices seem reasonable for such pristine pieces.
Fashion by Robert Black
7144 E. 1st Ave.
Scottsdale, AZ 85281
(480) 664-7770
Butter Toast has moved!
Ever since I discovered Butter Toast, it’s been one of my favorite destinations for affordable vintage. Their store was tiny, but always filled with a great selection of reasonably-priced tops, dresses, accessories and menswear.
The other day a friend showed off her new bag, “Look what I got at the new Butter Toast!”
New Butter Toast?!!!
Butter Toast has moved from Paisley Town to a larger space closer to Central Phoenix, on 6th Street south of Roosevelt; Prime First Friday real-estate. They’re sharing the new digs with Merry May Handmade, combining affordable vintage with crafting gear — embroidery thread, patterns, etc. There’s even a sewing maching smack-dab in the middle of the store.
Check out the new shop on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Thursdays – Saturdays from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Butter Toast & Merry May Handmade
908 N. 6th Street (South of Roosevelt)
Phoenix, AZ 85004
