Adventures in Thrifting – Recap

This weekend was the inaugural Adventures in Thrifting and we had a blast. I met up with four readers for a day of thrift shopping. We hit up the “Big Three” on East 23rd Street: Goodwill, Housing Works and Salvation Army. Here’s a peek at what I found.

We started at Goodwill where everything with a green tag was 50 percent off. I found a ton of goodies in less than 30 minutes.

These Nicole Miller peep toes had me at hello. Believe it or not I don’t have any red pumps, so I was hardcore crushing on these. They were only $12…but they were too big!

I loved this multicolored Diane von Furstenberg top but I wasn’t in love with it so I left her on the rack for another thrifty chick to pick her up. $7.99


You never know what you’ll find thrift shopping, like this brand spankin new pair of Alice + Olivia pants. Originally $297, they were marked down to $19.99, less than 10% of the original cost. They were too big…

However, I did get a white babydoll dress for $4. I’ll be sure to show it off in an upcoming Thrifty Threads post.

Our next stop was two doors down to the Salvation Army. This had to be the worst Salv I’ve ever been to. The racks were half empty. The clothes that were on the racks were blah. The woman working the register was a bit mean. Needless to say, we only stayed for a few minutes. I’ve recommeneded a few of my favorite thrift stores in NYC but this location will not be on the list.

Moving on…

We crossed the street for some Housing Works action. The store is spacious and easy to navigate. I wasn’t really on the hunt for any new clothes, so I went directly to the jewelry counter. I guess I’m in a serious brooch phase because I purchased four of them for $32. The owl one is actually a magnet but I plan to convert it to a brooch by adding a clasp to the back.

Since Salvation Army was such a bust, we dipped in to City Opera Thrift Shop, just two doors down. The prices were pretty comparable to Housing Works’ {around $15-$25 for clothing}. My big eyes immediately scoped out a pair of platform heels. I love, love, love the wooden heel and the studs. At $35, this is my most “expensive” thrift store purchase to date, but they were well worth it.

This is just a quick recap of what I found on this first adventure. Be sure to check back on Wednesday for video of what some of my readers scored on the outing. Psst: one lucky lady found a Calvin Klein sequin dress for less than $10.

And I’ll also announce the date for the next Adventures in Thrifting, this one’s for the thrift store newbies.

15 Comments
  • Ashleigh
    Posted at 17:47h, 02 May Reply

    Sounds like fun! These are some great finds. Wish I could have made it.

    • Anonymous
      Posted at 20:39h, 02 May Reply

      Thanks. Definitely try to make the next one 🙂

  • Alissa Wilson
    Posted at 19:05h, 02 May Reply

    Love your thrifty finds. Next time I want to come.

    • Anonymous
      Posted at 20:36h, 02 May Reply

      Thanks! Yes, next time you definitely have to come. I’ll be posting the next date this week.

  • Manecoarse
    Posted at 19:10h, 02 May Reply

    What great finds. I love those Steve Madden shoes. They remind me of a pair that Aldo has on sale right now. So cute.

    • Looking Fly on a Dime
      Posted at 20:47h, 02 May Reply

      Thanks! The Madden heels are my fave. I think I’ll wear them tomorrow…

  • Fashion Me chic
    Posted at 04:39h, 03 May Reply

    So jealous! I cannot wait to for your next trip. Hope the date suits me. The Calvin Klein dress for less than $10, you did not have to mention it. You are killing me. Anyways, sounds like you guys had so much fun. Next time for me.

  • alsmith523
    Posted at 10:20h, 03 May Reply

    I used to live on 23rd street and loved going to the Housing Works there, but always found Goodwill a little overwhelming. Guess it’s my loss …

    I doubt any of it is still there, but in mid-January we moved my grandma from NY out to LA and sent *tons* of her stuff to the Housing Works on 77th between 2nd and 3rd. There were some good things thrown in there – lots of Ferragamo shoes, some of them hideous but some of them definitely workable if in the hands of a style blogger.

  • BlkQueeN
    Posted at 17:58h, 03 May Reply

    this whole Time I Thought You were Talking About The LIC Locations of Goodwill And housing works! I went there on Sunday too bad Housing works was closed. Goodwill was overwhelming for my 1ST Time thrifting because everything was in bins but I Did Find a Cute Skirt for $1.69

  • Pingback:Adventures in Thrifting – The Big Three | Looking Fly on a Dime
    Posted at 17:15h, 05 May Reply

    […] this week I gave you guys a quick recap of the first Adventures in Thrifting where I met up with a few readers to go thrift shopping. The theme was The Big Three and we went to […]

  • Pingback:Adventures in Thrifting – Thrift Shopping 101 | Looking Fly on a Dime
    Posted at 16:12h, 09 May Reply

    […] week I let you guys a full recap of Looking Fly on a Dime’s first Adventures in Thrifting where I met up with a few readers for a full day of thrift shopping on East 23rd street. Well, the […]

  • Pingback:Thrifty Threads – I Hate My Legs? | Looking Fly on a Dime
    Posted at 15:43h, 03 June Reply

    […] I loved a pair of Banana Republic shorts I thrifted, but I wasn’t super confident about wearing them. However, that’s all changed this year. I actually wore a pair of shorts and felt super confident. Maybe it’s a product of my NY Lean 25 workouts or I’m just letting go of foolish insecurities, but either way, I felt good. The NYC weather decided to skip spring and head straight for summer, so this was the perfect week to show off my gams. I opted for an easy breezy look with some fly accessories to top it off. The clothing costs less than $2 since I thrifted them from the Goodwill Outlet where items are priced at $1.69/lb. But the accessories were the real show stoppers. I love this gold plated bracelet I purchased during the first Adventures in Thrifting. […]

  • Anonymous
    Posted at 03:13h, 11 June Reply

    Wow, very beautiful  sandals are posted here. I like it very much and want to wear  this wonderful sandals. And black sandal I feel crazy for that.

  • Rainemart
    Posted at 02:47h, 06 December Reply

    I live in Houston,Tx and unfortunately we don’t have a Housing Goods. Where can I find the best thrifting in my city? I’ve thrifted on and off my whole life but our city has grown and changed so much, it’s hard to know the best places!

  • RiChanee`
    Posted at 06:39h, 27 April Reply

    I have those Nicole Miller toe pumps too!! They are a little big on me as well so I think it may just be the shoe =) 

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