The Best Places to Shop Vintage in Boston
At these thrift, vintage, and consignment stores, find apparel for any occasion, style, or season. —By Sarah McCullough
Why pay full price for all your clothes when you can shop for unique, fashionable pieces at a fraction of the cost? Boston’s numerous and diverse thrift, vintage, and consignment stores offer apparel and accessories for any occasion, style, or season. If you’re looking for bargains on brands you love, want to revamp your wardrobe on a budget, or need to whip together a special outfit in a hurry, stop by one of Boston’s best vintage clothing stores to fulfill all your clothing needs. Here are a few of our favorite local outposts.
SoWa Vintage Market photo by mgstanton on Flickr
Open every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., this indoor market is Boston’s weekly destination for antiques, vintage, collectibles, art, and more. Throughout the year, thrifters can come to shop from a wide selection of vendors who offer curated collections of anything from clothing and jewelry to furniture and retro home décor. Love antiquated curiosities and fun bargains? This is the place for you.
450 Harrison Ave., Boston, sowavintagemarket.com.
Oona’s photo by L. on Flickr
Stocking a selectively curated selection of vintage and modern clothing for men and women—think Twiggy-era shift dresses, sequined Valentino jackets, and Hawaiian-print shirts—Oona’s offers quality fashion pieces at an affordable price. Established in 1972, this secondhand boutique prides itself on being one of the city’s oldest vintage and designer resale stores. Stop in to shop apparel from brands like Ali Golden, Dusen Dusen, Native Youth, and WeSC, as well as funky accessories, jewelry, and shoes.
1210 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-491-2654, oonasboston.com.
Garment District by sid on Flickr
If you’re looking for a Halloween costume, or just a cool new outfit, the Garment District offers a huge selection of merchandise filling two floors of clothing racks from every decade. Open since 1986, this “alternative department store” supplies new and used apparel for women and men at below-market prices. It’s also the home of Boston Costume, your source for wigs, capes, fake noses, and any other theme party accessories you can dream up. With over 40,000 pieces of vintage and contemporary clothes on sale every day there really is “something for everyone” here.
200 Broadway St., Cambridge, MA, 617-876-5230, garment-district.com
Bobby from Boston photo by Adrian Bischoff on Flickr
Bobby Garnett, a New England fashion legend—he’s provided costumes for nearly 50 Hollywood films, including A Bronx Tale, A Beautiful Mind, and Moonrise Kingdom—collects authentic vintage clothing and sells them in his South End shop. Located just a stone’s throw from SoWa Vintage Market, this is the go-to destination for men looking to find great deals on classic old-time apparel and accessories. Although this store is known for stocking high-end menswear, there’s also a small selection of women’s clothing, including cocktail dresses from the ’60s and ’70s.
19 Thayer St., Boston, 617-423-9299, bobby-from-boston.com.
Raspberry Beret photo by Raspberry Beret on Flickr
Raspberry Beret
At its three Massachusetts locations, this women’s boutique specializes in contemporary consignment and features new inventory every day. Raspberry Beret is the perfect place to find funky, trendy, and classic styles of carefully selected mint-condition clothing and accessories. This shop carries apparel both bold and elegant, vintage and high-end. Some brands you may find in-store include Ann Taylor, BCBG, Calvin Klein, Free People, Lily Pulitzer, and Michael Kors.
1704 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-354-3700; 587 Main St., Reading, 781-779-1853; 1110 Main St., Wakefield, 781-245-2293; raspberryberet.us.
Boomerangs photo by Ben Sheldon on Flickr
Owned and operated by AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, Boomerangs supplies a range of high-quality new, vintage, and lightly used pieces. In addition to its wide range of men’s and women’s clothing, this thrift store’s merchandise includes books, home goods, electronics, and furniture. And Boomerangs offers one of the most feel-good shopping experiences around: In addition to the exhilaration of scoring a major bargain, you can revel in the fact that proceeds from your purchase support AIDS Action’s work.
716 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, 617-524-5120; 1870 Centre St., West Roxbury, 617-323-0262; 563 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-758-6128; 1407 Washington St., Boston, 617-456-0996; shopboomerangs.org.
