Are you catching onto the vintage/secondhand wave? Because if you couldn’t tell, it’s very real and rapidly growing.. You need only look around! I for one am very much much a fan of this growing trend. With this new found interest of mine in used clothing, I took to the streets of my city last week to seek out my own vintage/secondhand finds! If you live in Pittsburgh or visit from time to time, than you’ll want to read more about the best spots in Pittsburgh for vintage and secondhand finds. My friend and fellow Pittsburgh blogger, Tiffany, found for you the best spots you won’t want to miss out on with me! As always, I’m happy to do the sifting and digging for you to help with your adventures and excursions around town. So if saving money while also adding unique pieces to your wardrobe sounds great to you, than keep on reading!
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for Vintage and Secondhand Finds
I believe we can credit the growing popularity of shopping vintage and secondhand to the affordability of it! During this season of my life, I’m on a tight budget. I’m not the type of blogger you’ll find shopping every other week, or even every month. I make the best of what’s in my closet and often trade in my old clothes for new ones at secondhand shops.
Through my experience, I’ve found that this process helps keep my wardrobe looking fresh and unique. While at the same time I’m able to afford shopping on a very strict budget. I’m hoping if you’re reading this today and are in need of Pittsburgh shops that have these unique threads I’m talking about, that this post will help you! So without any more rambling on my end, allow me to share with you the best spots in Pittsburgh for vintage and secondhand finds.
My Favorite Vintage and Secondhand Spots:
1. Buffalo Exchange
During our fun day of shopping, the first store we stopped by was Buffalo Exchange. A vintage & used clothing chain with locations all across the United States. Ours can be found in the South Side and is just a five minute walk from the popular Delanies Coffee! Tiffany and I were coming from Murrysville so we stopped for coffee much sooner but if you’ll be visiting Buffalo Exchange I recommend stopping by Delanies beforehand for a little liquid fuel to carry you through all the shopping you’ll be doing inside!
Just a little advice: I always start my shopping here because I oftentimes bring in clothes to sell. For all my ladies on a budget, this is an awesome way to get a little last minute cash to fund part of your shopping trip. Sometimes I’ll even do a simple trade and take a store credit instead of cash. Then I’m simply trading my old clothes for different ones! Buffalo Exchange always gives you the option to either receive a store credit or cash, which always varies depending on the clothes you brought in. I think this is such a cool option! Besides selling clothes, Buffalo Exchange is home to many eclectic, fun and unique clothes. I love that they also mark all vintage clothing on the tags and even tell you what era it’s from.
2. Avalon Exchange
Another very similar used clothing store to Buffalo Exchange, is Avalon! They too buy your used clothes and have a very fun and unique variety of threads to sift through. This chain is a little smaller, with other locations in Cleveland and Lakewood Ohio, to name a few. (Cleveland is just a two hour drive from Pittsburgh and makes for a great day trip, by the way) Their Pittsburgh location is in Oakland on Forbes Ave. Since I’m all about food and coffee, something you may or may not have picked up on by now, I definitely recommend grabbing a macaroon at Gaby Et Jule after stopping in Avalon. They’re a widely popular Pittsburgh favorite, an authentic french bakery and just a minute down the road from Avalon Exchange. Post shopping treat, anyone?
3.Highway Robbery Vintage
While we didn’t have the time to visit Avalon after Buffalo Exchange, we did stop in Highway Robbery Vintage. They can also be found in the South Side and are just another 5 minutes down the road. (via driving) So if you plan to visit both shops in one day, I’d start with these two since they’re on the same side of town! Anyway, the only other time I’ve been to Highway Robbery was last summer. I didn’t spend too much time inside and walked out empty handed. This time around, I was really excited to give them another try. They recently moved locations so Tiffany and I really appreciated the new decor and layout too. Highway Robbery is home to so many beautiful vintage finds from various eras. The most common ones you’ll find are the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.
As I begin to shop vintage more frequently, I find myself always gravitating towards sixties and seventies dresses. So yes, you guessed it, I walked out with one! As we were carefully walking around the shop, Tiffany sifted through the dress rack. She stopped when a black, short sleeve dress with beautiful detailing crossed her eyes. We both instantly fell in love with it and next thing I knew, I was trying it on! Other great clothing items you can expect to find there are vintage tees, vintage denim and unique blouses and jackets as well as jewelry and purses. Really just about anything you could possibly want.
4. Clothes Minded
Guys. If you’re not exploring Bloomfield right now, what are you even doing? I used to think Lawrenceville (one of the more trendy, popular neighborhoods in Pittsburgh) was where it’s at but I’m just now starting to catch wind of what everyone’s saying. Believe the hype, Bloomfield is definitely on the rise and one of the reasons why? They seriously have the coolest thrift store called Clothes Minded. (And a seriously dope taco place down the road to compliment it, Baby Loves Tacos.) You can also sell your used clothes here, so bring that dress you don’t wear anymore girl! That’ll pay for your lunch at Baby Loves Tacos after shopping your little heart out. 😉
After shopping around a little, you’ll find that Clothes Minded has a very fun, quirky style to it. It’s definitely not for the boring and narrow minded so get ready to feel inspired! Sifting through their clothes, I didn’t have luck finding anything that stuck out to me on that particular day. It wasn’t however until I reached the register that I found one of my most favorite thrift store treasures: an Anthropologie clutch! With a beautiful orange tassel zipper and distressed metal flowers to embellish it, I scooped it up in a heartbeat. Want to know how much it took for me to call that little beauty mine? Just $15! Yes, you read that correctly, just $15. This my friends, is why I love shopping secondhand so much.
5. Juju
Tiffany and I’s final stop on our day of shopping was Juju. I’ve talked about this uniquely lovely shop so many times because it 100% deserves all the positive recommendations! They serve the free-spirited ladies that inhabit Pittsburgh with beautiful vintage, boho dresses and other goodies like natural perfumes and herbal bundles. I felt like a kid in a candy shop admiring their beautiful displays and looking through the racks of dresses. Each one more eye-catching than the next.You can find Juju in Point Breeze Neighborhood. If you want to structure your day of shopping similar to how Tiffany and I did, it’ll be a 12 minute drive from Clothes Minded. Juju is the perfect option if you’re a free-spirit at heart and are looking for loose, free-flowing vintage dresses and clothing.
