Shop by the Pound at Cambridge’s Garment District Thrift Stores By Kim Falchek |
As a student living in Boston, I was always on the hunt for a bargain. My favorite activity was taking trips to Cambridge to find bargains at local thrift stores in a nondescript old textile building known as the Garment District. My friends and I would dig through piles of used clothing and fill bags with finds we could buy for just a few dollars. Fast forward to 2024, and I’m the parent of a thrifty teen, but the Garment District is still thriving. A trip there called to our hearts.
I hadn’t been back to the Garment District in years, so I was excited to see if it still looked the same as I remembered, and this simple outdoor sign was my only clue to the hidden bargains inside.
Kimberly Falchek/OIYS
My daughter and I entered the building and discovered a store whimsically decorated with vintage décor and colorful walls. We decided to start our shopping on the first floor.
I was very happy to see that the store still had a by the pound system – it’s currently $2 per pound of clothes, but still a great deal – and we quickly rummaged through the piles of clothes strewn all over the warehouse floor.
Kimberly Falchek/OIYS
We rummaged through shirts, dresses, pants, ties, Halloween costumes, kids’ stuff, and found some pretty good bargains. As our bags filled up, we began to worry about how difficult it would be to carry them to our hotel on the other side of town.
Kimberly Falchek/OIYS
We pared down our purchases, doused ourselves in hand sanitizer (honestly, I don’t know how we survived without it), and headed to the register for the moment of truth. We placed our bulging bag on the scale and were shocked to see it weighed in at 7.8 pounds. The price, after all, came to $15.60. What a bargain!
Kimberly Falchek/OIYS
The cashier tagged our bags and stored them behind the counter while my daughter and I headed upstairs to hunt for more bargains.
We rounded the corner at the top of the stairs and found rows and rows of clothing of all kinds: concert t-shirts, flannels, overalls, dresses, jeans, shirts, etc. We also found a ton of jewelry, handbags, hats, sunglasses, shoes, and more. Most of it was second hand, but we also found a few new finds.
Kimberly Falchek/OIYS
Kimberly Falchek/OIYS
There’s also a wide selection of costumes and accessories, including many vintage items from the 80s and 90s. The Garment Store building also houses Boston Costume, a high-quality costume rental and sales shop with a large selection of wigs, theatrical costumes, and makeup.
Kimberly Falchek/OIYS
I’ll definitely come back before Halloween!
My daughter and I ended up spending a few hours thrifting that day, finding a £7.80 item downstairs, plus a few other bargains upstairs.
Kimberly Falchek/OIYS
We left the store without a hitch in our wallets and returned to our hotel with our new treasures.
Have you been to the Garment District? What other local thrift stores do you love? You can find out more about these unique shops on the Garment District website and Facebook page. After all that shopping, you’ll probably be hungry: Miracle of Science Bar + Grill is a science-themed restaurant just a short walk from the thrift store.
For even more great thrift store finds, hop in the car and take a road trip to Massachusetts’ thrift stores.
OnlyInYourState may earn commission through affiliate links in this post, and as an Amazon Associate I earn commission from qualifying purchases.
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Garment District, 200 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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