Thrift Shopping for Men?!

Polo shirts for $10 and nice looking suits. Wow, I was shocked when I browsed thru the men’s section at My Sister’s Closet. Typically the selection for men is meager at best when I’m out and about at the thrift stores. The back section of My Sister’s Closet is totally devoted to all things menswear. I found a wall of shoes– yes, a wall of shoes!

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And the shoes were barely worn at a fraction of the cost of a new pair.  Check out these two suits. Both are great looks for the new grad interviewing or maybe someone who needs an economical style punch.  I really like the blue shirt and the patterned tie pictured on the right, below.

As far as accessories, I found a really good quality day bag and several beautiful watches. By far, the shoes were the biggest surprise “find.”  Anyone into colorful and beautiful ties will be excited to check out the selection here.

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Maybe the man in your life is more casual and maybe looking for bargains? I found an entire rack of cool clothing at 40% off.  Some of the shirts were under $9 and all were good quality and barely worn.  The light pink dress shirt pictured below would look great with a nice pair of khaki pants, jeans for a night out or even black dress pants.

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Guys– thrift shopping isn’t just for the girls!  This place rocks.

  • Well Suited – men’s clothing & accessories
  • 8610 Genesee Avenue #210
  • Costa Verde Center (across from UTC mall)
  • San Diego, CA 92122
  • Phone: (858) 455-0045
  • Web: www.shopwellsuited.com

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Lovely Lilac Dress – $9.95 – what a deal!

Looking for something pretty to wear for weekend brunch? I found a fabulous lilac dress at my fave shop My Sister’s Closet in San Diego’s UTC neighborhood earlier this week for the bargain price of $9.95. (perhaps I need to branch out to some other neighborhoods to shop??!!) You can’t go wrong under ten bucks! This dress has lots of possibilites from casual weekend wear to office-appropriate. Lucky for me I have plenty of accessories to keep it interesting.

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From Trash to Treasure…bookends from A to Z

Dumpster diving is sometimes viewed as an urban foraging technique.Dumpster divers typically scour thru dumpsters for items such as clothing, furniture, food and…my good luck… bookends… in serviceable condition.

Imagine my surprise and delight when my friend BC found these cool bookends near his dumpster in the North Park neighborhood in San Diego. Location to be kept secret– I have to protect my sources! BC is an avid “dumpster watcher” who is always on the look-out for trash-to-treasure opportunities. What a score!

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As you can see, I had books all in disarray in the living room. Well, maybe not this bad but you get the idea, right?

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So… the bookends look really cute on my shelf in the living room. And the books look a little more tidy as well. Not bad for a dumpster diving find!  Bravo!

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Like New… previously loved and new clothes

Earlier this week after a quick round of errands I stopped by my fave consignment shop on Genesee Avenue in San Diego. I’m seriously in search of spring and summer dresses and figured I’d see if it was my lucky day.

  • Like New – a tres chic consignment boutique
  • 4425 Genesee Avenue
  • San Diego, CA 92117
  • Phone: (858) 278-1960
  • Web: www.LikeNewSanDiego.com

The racks were overflowing with cute dresses in a variety of sizes and colors. I found a flirty Jason Wu for Target dress $14.95 that I really liked– unfortunately it was a shade too small. There’s always next time, right? I also found some super amazing high heel sandals Size 8 that would be perfect with jeans $22.95. The shoes were a size too big for me. (I’m sounding like the Three Bears of Shopping– this one’s too small, this one’s too big….) Sometimes it’s the thrill of the hunt and just shopping and trying things on is one step closer to finding what I want.

I always stop by Like New when I’m in the area. The stock rotates frequently and there’s always a rack or two of sale items out front.

Right now– all I can think about is those black heels in Size 8. (I’m probably the only woman alive who wishes she wore a larger shoe size!)

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Who Doesn’t Love Helping Animals? And Shopping?

I just love the concept of this particular thrift shop– support the animals!

www.APRL.org

Tonite I stopped by the Animal Protection & Rescue League Thrift Store on Clairemont Mesa Blvd in San Diego. I was pleasantly surprised to see they had moved into a much larger store in the same shopping center. It is much easier to “shop” now and lots more room to move around and find things. The inventory has blossomed to include expanded children’s section, Plus sizes (a very impressive selection of Plus clothing I might add), nice home decor and they even have furniture now! I found a handmade Japanese tea cabinet for $250– it was a beautiful item and if I didn’t live in a small studio apartment I would have snatched it up for myself.

  • Animal Protection & Rescue League Thrift Store
  • 5583 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
  • San Diego, CA 92117
  • Phone: (858)541-0240

Not only have I shopped here but I’ve donated my “spring cleaning”/purge items here too. Like I said, I live in a small apartment and I feel it’s always good karma to donate things to support a good cause.

My big purchase tonite was a gray t-shirt that said “Friend Not Food” on the front with a picture of a pink pig– now I will have a cute new shirt to wear on our next casual Friday at the office. Cheers & Happy Shopping! Always nice to shop & support a cause.

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What $33 Gets You at Old Navy

I’m supposed to be on a “shopping fast” right now. Yeah… about that… didn’t really go so well this weekend. Friday was the day of the flip-flops and yesterday was the day of $33 at Old Navy. Yes, you read that correctly– I spent approximately $33 at Old Navy and got 4 super cute items– a flirty summer dress, 2 basic t-shirts and a fabulous yellow recycling bag. And because I used my store credit card I saved 30% on my purchases which made the t-shirts ring up at the ridiculous price of $4 roughly. Of course, I went online right away and paid off the balance (wow, that took discipline!).

  • Old Navy
  • Fashion Valley Mall – San Diego
  • Phone: (619) 299-4329
  • Web: www.oldnavygap.com

I hadn’t been in an Old Navy store in a long time so just happened to browse thru for nothing more than a quick peek. I gravitated to the dresses where I was lucky enough to nab the last one in the particular style in my photo below– and it fit better yet! And, who doesn’t need a few cheap summer t-shirts?? In fact, I might go back for a few more. That chipper yellow recycling bag was just a wonderful “gift” and something I can use this summer. So much for the “shopping fast”– I’m hopeful this will be a better week… Cheers!

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Look at my new flip flops!!

Today I spent the afternoon with co-workers volunteering & picking up trash on the beach. Getting a head start on celebrating Earth Day I guess. We were at La Jolla Shores– fortunately it is now one of the cleaner beaches. After the beach cleaning I was in the mood for some retail therapy so me and KC (a fellow beach cleaner) strolled over to a few shops by the beach in search of inexpensive and fashionable flip flops.


We scored! I found some cute and cushiony– and highly colorful Reef flip flops for the bargain price of $24. My shopping cohort came in at just $26 for her cushiony dark brown flip flops. Who needs shoes when you can just wear flip flops all summer?? ( maybe if I hide at my desk all day I can wear them to the office???)

Cheers & Happy (early) Earth Day! A beach clean up and new flip flops make a great start to a fabulous weekend!

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Worlds Largest Eco-Friendly Department Store

The United States is one of the highest “consumer” countries. Yes, we use a lot of “stuff.” Which makes the task of recycling even more important. Tonite I visited EcoMart— a department store of sorts dedicated to helping all of us reduce, re-use and recycle. They call themselves an “eco-friendly department store.” More like a fancy term for a thrift store that stocks everything perhaps?

This place was fantastic! It’s a huge space filled with everything from mountain bikes, surf boards, small refrigerators, furniture to designer handbags and shoes. I spotted a $70 mountain bike, a bathroom sink for $50 and a Coach bag for $35. By the way, the prices were more than fair. Dresses came in at $7 and a pair of designer heels $15. I found a vintage fur wrap for $100 in perfect condition.

All items were in really good condition too. The store is packed with stuff. I got there towards the end of the day and a few things were out-of-order but overall shopping was a pleasure. They even had newer flat screen computer monitors and flat screen TVs.

  • EcoMart – “Be Eco Friendly”
  • 8199 Clairemont Mesa Blvd #A1
  • San Diego, CA 92111
  • Phone: (858) 292-2326
  • Web: www.eco-mart.us

Eco Mart will take a look at the stuff you bring in anytime and give quotes. They are accepting secondhand clothes, vintage items, furniture, appliances, musical instruments, sporting goods, toys… I could go on and on. Of course, the better condition your items are in the better price you will get. Be sure to also have warranties, paperwork and supporting documents depending on the item.

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Temptress Fashion Boutique – Classy Sassy… Trashy

Are you looking to channel your inner “Betty Paige”? Just walking into Temptress will make you feel glamorous. They have everything from panties and camis to make-up and dresses. If you’ve ever considered booking a boudoir photo shoot this would be a great place to find outfits for the photos!

  • Temptress Fashion Boutique
  • 1918 Bacon Street
  • San Diego, CA 92107
  • Phone: (619) 224-2284
  • Blog: temptressfashion.blogspot.com

I’d walked by this shop numerous times and peeked in the windows. (Love their window looks!) I’m glad I finally had the chance to do a little shopping for real. I was definitely intrigued by the idea of a pin-up inspired shop. And did I mention the cute window displays?? They had me at the colorful handbags, shoes and camis. Next time you need some retail therapy on a lazy Sunday afternoon this is your store. Why not grab a glamour-girl dress and some sexy heels?? Way to spark up Sunday!

The staff was really friendly and helpful the afternoon I visited– they were fine with me taking photos and answered all my questions. Love this place and can’t wait to stop by again. Cheers!

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Girls From The Park Resale Shop

Need a little sunshine in your life? Maybe some retail therapy on a rough Monday afternoon? I found myself in the Point Loma area and in serious need of some retail therapy recently– on a Monday afternoon! Girls from the Park is a contemporary fashion resale boutique now located in Point Loma, California. They offer a great selection of gently used clothing, shoes and accessories by all of your favorite designers.

  • Girls From The Park Resale Shop
  • 3034 Canon Street
  • Point Loma, CA 92106
  • Phone: (619) 226-0043
  • Web: www.girlsfromthepark.com

A little about the “girls”– sounds like the shop name is a spin on the real life of the owners who grew up in the El Dorado Trailer Park near Lakeside, CA in the 1970’s. Per the store website “you can take the girl out of the park but you can’t take the park out of the girl!” I had to laugh when I read those words in a sea of pink on their website. Let me tell you– this shop was a true treat to visit. I found pretty shoes, handbags and several gorgeous dresses. A true shopping pleasure all at great prices! If you find yourself in need of some retail therapy in Point Loma– check out the Girls From The Park!! Bravo!

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