Housing Works Fall Preview: Thrift Shop Fashion For Charity
If you love fashion, thrifty finds and helping a charitable cause, they all go hand in hand at Housing Works. The place is an absolute haven for vintage and designer clothes, accessories, shoes, art, books, furniture and home goods. If that weren’t reason enough to love it, all of the proceeds from the deeply discounted deals go towards helping those who are homeless and living with HIV and AIDS.
A Louis Vuitton Damier print bag, currently being auctioned for Housing Works. Current bid: $241
The influx of new merchandise is endless and the selection, divine. If you have the time to sort through everything it’s almost impossible to leave empty-handed.
The majority of the clothing is $10 or less and we’ve seen some great pieces from H&M, the Gap and Lord & Taylor – not to mention the higher end brands like Marc Jacobs and Yves Saint Laurent that often make their way to the shop. You can sometimes luck up on eBay or at your run of the mill thrift store, but where else are you going to find a $28 Burberry sport coat in mint condition? No, we didn’t miss any zeros there.
Chatting with one of the chain’s coordinators who runs the shop on 90th street and 2nd avenue, we learned that items donated are sometimes rare and invaluable (think antique, genuine ivory elephant tusks), and the window displays are where the bid-only items are displayed. Window shopping and see something you like? Log on to shophousingworks.com to bid on your item of choice for a steal of a price.
If you haven’t had a chance to peruse the shelves yet, now is the time. The annual Fall Preview Sale is kicking off September 8th at the Chelsea store, and rolls on to each of the store’s New York locations through the 30th. {The Cut} ShopHousingWorks.com gets its own day on September 15th, so those outside of New York can still get in on the action.
Thrift shopping can be an adventure of its own and knowing it helps benefit a worthy cause makes the experience that much richer. Take a look for yourself and see just how awesome Housing Works is. Happy Hunting!
