Help Me Stop Buying Brand New All The Time
March 22, 2012 9:11 AM

What are the best places to go vintage and/or second-hand shopping in Houston and any other advice on vintage shopping in general appreciated. Help!

Vintage/second hand shoppers in the Houston, Tx area...what are your favorite shops? Which ones are cheapest but have good stuff? What are the best times/days to go? I love all things vintage, but I've never acted on this love. I want to start now but I don't know where to go. I don't want to waste my time rummaging through junk nor do I want a pricey place that I can't even afford and ends up sending me back to Target. I'm looking for home decor, furniture, housewares, toys, clothes and accessories. Help me please!
posted by daydreamer to Shopping (4 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
19th Street in the Heights is a good place to start. Try Replay (warning auto music) and Retropolis for starters, but there are a bunch of other shops in the area.
posted by IanMorr at 11:30 AM on March 22, 2012


I don't want to waste my time rummaging through junk

Sadly, the stores that aren't super expensive will have you rummaging through junk. Think of it as time cost versus money cost -- if you don't want to spend the time, you'll have to spend the money.

That said, there is still some good furniture to be found in dusty old warehouse-type antiques shops on Westheimer near the Montrose area, and you can always try to haggle. As for clothes, in Houston I'd say you're about 15 years too late, as far as affordable vintage goes, but I do think there are still a few shops in that area (Westheimer/Shepherd/Montrose) that might not be outrageous. And that's not far from the Heights, where I'd second 19th street.
posted by fiercecupcake at 11:59 AM on March 22, 2012


East of the Westheimer strip that fiercecupcake mentions, you'll find Blue Bird Circle. It's like Salvation Army, but way, way cleaner--mostly because it's staffed by a very, very different population.

Close by is the Charity Guild of Catholic Women. Used to be some really nice stuff there.

Further down the list, but also in the neighborhood: the Assistance League thriftshop.

I've been out of the area for a long time, but Montrose used to be good for just driving around and eventually running into something interesting.
posted by GPF at 8:22 PM on March 22, 2012


Oh, and I'll second the notion that "if you don't want to spend the time, you'll have to spend the money."
posted by GPF at 8:26 PM on March 22, 2012


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