Salvation Army-Minneapolis Arc, Bloomington, MN

Reviewed July 21st, 2013

This Salvation Army thrift store, at the corner of 98th and Lyndale in Bloomington, has only been around for a couple of years. I know this because I was there the first weekend it opened in 2011.

Yep, that was me, right alongside the stampede of other ladies who had heard on the local news that there was going to be a bunch of authentic Prada bags on hand, donated by an anonymous source, for less than twenty dollars apiece. You better believe I galloped down there, only to find out that yes, there had been real Prada bags there and yes, they had sold out in a matter of minutes, probably to be resold for much higher on eBay.

But you might see where I'm going. This store gets some a-mazing stuff in amongst the usual donations of the charity store variety, and you just have to look diligently to find these prizes.

For example : A Kenneth Cole genuine leather tote for 6.99, suede Prada pumps for 12.99 (yes, the real deal), a robin's egg blue Wilson's Leather jacket for 35.00 with not a spot on it, several pairs of like-new Steve Madden boots and almost all of my Ann Klein work blazers and Banana Republic little black dresses. For chump change. This place is a bonanza.

Now, mind you, this is not high-end designer consignment. You're at the mercy of whatever people happen to drop off that month. And of course, you'll find stuff from clothes to furniture to electronics to bric-a-brac to books to used lamps and toasters, in brands ranging from crap to Target to Ralph Lauren, in stages of life ranging from brand-new to rather worn. But what's fun is the sheer mystery of what you might uncover. Shopping there is like going on a designer treasure hunt. You never know when there's going to be a real Prada mixed in with the Mossimo's, or in my case, a breathtaking robin's egg blue leather blazer from Wilson's mixed in with the Old Navy. They have large, clean dressing rooms where you can really twist and turn as you try on stuff, and there is even a Starbucks right next door in case you need a pick-me-up from the all that energy you're exerting in thrift heaven.

They have an excellent supply of clean used bedding (I've bought many a cheap comforter here, as I tend to discard them regularly due to cat-barf stains), nice rugs and decent electronics. I've even found a pair of awesome earrings or three. Can you tell I come here often? Probably two to three times a month.

All that being said, let me address the gently used elephant in the room. I know the SA has been accused of homophobia in the past, and friends have asked me how I can shop there. My answer to that is that I love this store too much to give it up,  I'm not informed enough on the politics of SA to make an opinion, I don't believe boycotting a store is going to cure homophobia anyway, and well, this is a shopping blog. (And that's about as political as I'll ever get on this shopping blog.) Besides, if the SA is homophobic, then what better way to appreciate our fabulous gay friends than to buy and gift them some cool stuff courtesy of the Salvation Army? I did mention they have a fab shoe department, right?



Salvation Army-Minneapolis Arc
728 Lyndale Ave S,
Minneapolis, MN  (952) 881-6197                                                                                              

The Vintage Studio, Minneapolis

Reviewed July 5, 2013

Imagine a place where the warm, soothing sounds of Frank Sinatra serenade you as open the door, gently following you as you peruse a light-filled space where you delight in fashions from a bygone era, perhaps one that you, like me, remember from your childhood. That's what stop at The Vintage Studio is like. This cocktail-chic consignment shop, a staple on the 50th and Xerxes thrift-store prowl, specializes in designer and upscale fashions and accessories from the 1930's through the 1980's. I've been here a couple of times now, and even though I'm more of a later-decade designer girl myself - being short and middle-aged, most fashions from the Ann-Margaret era make me look like a thinner version of H. R. Pufnstuf in drag - I still find lots of things to enjoy when I browse.

I'll be honest - even though I like the lovingly-organized classic bags, the brown leather-ish ottoman that looks exactly like one we had in our Family Room growing up, the black "Clockwork Orange"- type bowler that I came this close to buying one day and the lovely Paulene Trigere dress decorating the back wall, my favorite part of The Vintage Shop is the small collection of well-maintained wedding dresses. Not that I'm in the market for a wedding dress, but if I were, I would definitely look at these gowns. They all seem to be in the $250.00-$350.00 range, and vary in style from a simple,  long sleeved Trisha Nixon-style gown to older, flirtier and more ornate styles. The one that I loved - an off-white, short sleeved confection with lots of see-through lace at the sleeves, fitted bodice and ballerina-style tulle - I would have paired with the black bowler hat and white, lacy fingerless gloves, a la Madonna's first marriage, and looked totally celeb on my big day for a fraction of what Madge must have spent. Plus I would have had enough scratch left over to buy the black, ruched 80's cocktail dress on display nearby and dance the night away in it at my reception. You know, now that I'm back on EHarmony again, I just might have to tuck that idea away.

The Vintage Store has all kinds of lovely dresses, however, from little sixties cocktail numbers to bejeweled seventies "rich hippie" maxi skirts to Liz Taylor cigarette-holder-and-a-martini style designer caftans. Plus lovely old silver toiletry sets, fashion jewelry, scarves, ties, knick-knacks, fedoras and shoes. All looking, to this eye, well cared-for and, for the most part, reasonably priced for the quality (although, forgive me, but that pleather ottoman, of the same style that I used to stand on to beat up my little brother during weekly eposides of "Lost in Space", ain't worth no 48 bucks in my opinion, kids.)

If you live for "Mad Men", if you actually made it all the way through "Liz and Dick" because of the fashions, if every time you watch a rerun of "Valley of the Dolls" you feel like you were born into the wrong decade, then The Vintage Studio should become your next home. And, since an hour or two spent there is far more entertaining than watching Lindsay Lohan in a bad wig, I'd say you made a good choice.



The Vintage Studio
3016 W. 5oth Street
Minneapolis, MN 55410
(612) 929-2559

Fashion Avenue, Edina MN

Reviewed June 29th, 2013

Let's face it. If you live in the Twin Cities, love high-end designer thrift shopping, crave the best stuff  -  Louis Vuitton, Prada, Coach, Chanel, Burberry, Manolo Blahnik, David Yurman - at the most amazing prices and you're breathing, you already know about Fashion Avenue. Everyone who's in this game to win it knows about Fashion Avenue. So why ThriftDog,you ask, are you even reviewing this amazing mecca of consignment if everyone already knows about it? Are you bored? Lazy? Drunk? Groggy from a marathon watching of back-to-back episodes of all of Season Three of Game of Thrones?

No, friends, I am not. (Ok, I am guilty of the last one.) I'm writing about Fashion Avenue because really, if I didn't, you'd think me an amateur at this. Fashion Avenue is the place that out-of-town fashionistas go to first when they're in the Cities on the advice of their plugged-in Minneapolis friends. The place the local fashion and style celebs rave about on their radio shows. The place you go to if you have finally decided to splurge on a gently-used LV bag and you want to know for sure it is one hundred percent authentic. I myself have been known to stare blankly, eyes glazed and lips moist, into that locked glass case full of LV, Chanel and Gucci bags in the middle of the store for what seems like hours on end, at least to the point where the employees probably wonder if they should be calling the authorities.

Located in the trendy-upscale 50th and France shopping area of Edina (with another store, which I haven't visited, in Wayzata), Fashion Avenue has been on the scene since before I got my first tattoo back when Ross Perot was running for president. If you have any qualms at all about the authenticity of the merchandise, you need not worry - owners Gretchen and Lee Weisman and their team have been working with high-end designer merchandise for decades. What's more, they have extensive connections with the people who can actually afford this stuff new - designers, stylists, socialites and Couture store owners locally and nationwide. Heck, they have it stated right on their consignment contract that they throw "fake" purses away. How can you not love these guys? Regardless of your views on carrying a faux, you have to feel at least a little relieved that Fashion Avenue is doing their part to rid the universe of scary fashion items you really shouldn't waste your hard-earned money on in the first place.

That being said, this is not the kind of store where you will usually find stuff for less than 20 bucks - although I did once buy a beautiful pair of sterling and garnet earrings there for twelve dollars -nor will you only find luxury handbags. Fashion Avenue is laden with all kinds of yummy luxury and high-end items - suits, scarves, sunglasses, jewelry (yes, I regularly spot David Yurman pieces there), sportswear, athletic wear and menswear. The shoe rack is glorious, carries every important brand from Chanel to Coach and is always heavily bodied with hungry females. The prices are higher than a regular thrift store, but hugely competitive for the quality. (I mean, really- if you're buying a Louis Vuitton tote bag, which generally starts retailing at $800.00 and up, for anything less than about $500.00 gently used, chances are it's a fake). My most recent purchase there was a Longchamps tote - yes, one of those ridiculous utilitarian totes that last longer than cockroaches and Cher but are way overpriced new, IMHO- for around 50 bucks. It's a nice khaki color, sturdy and waterproof with the lovely leather signature handles and logo, plus at that price I still had enough jack left over to stop and buy groceries on the drive home to load it up with .

Fashion Avenue will be the first place I go for my next big quest - to find a perfect, gently used women's black North Face jacket, with logos on the front and the back, for fall. So far, I haven't been able to find one anywhere -- do people never get rid of their North Face jackets? I know if one is out there, but if there is, it will probably rest with these guys. So Fashion Avenue, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Fashion Avenue
4936 France Avenue South
Edina, MN
(952) 929-7919
http://www.fashionavenueresale.com/home