Your Personal Guide to Richmond’s Thrift Shop Scene

by | May 10, 2019 | RICHMOND NEWS

Many consumers are turning to thrifting as an eco-friendly alternative to shopping at the mall.

Numerous resale boutiques and thrift shops have popped up in the Richmond area over the past few years, giving people more options than ever. With warm weather creeping upon us, now is an opportune time to update your summer wardrobe.

From Short Pump to Midlothian to Carytown, here are a few of the area’s many thrift shops.

Photo: Emmett Methven for Rumors Boutique

If you’re looking for a place that has all the latest fashions for half the price, look no further than Rumors Boutique and 723 W. Broad St. Rumors has a blend of modern and vintage-style clothing, carrying everything from the Instagram-famous brand Fashion Nova to authentic pieces straight from the 1980s.

When it comes to sustainability, the store no longer hands out plastic bags to customers. Rumors even sells metal drinking straws that have become increasingly popular in the past year.

Elizabeth Humphreys for the Commonwealth Times

Buffalo Exchange is perhaps the newest addition to Richmond’s thrift store lineup, having opened in August. The chain was started in Tucson, Arizona, in 1974 and now has over 50 locations across 21 states.

The Buffalo Exchange at 3140 W. Cary St. is its first in Virginia. When it comes to style, the store’s options are a bit more vintage-inspired than Rumors’. If that’s your brand of strawberry jam, go for it.

If you’re looking for something more on the refined, less grunge side, Ashby is the place for you. If you enjoy brands like ASOS and Free People, then Ashby at 3010 W. Cary St. might be your perfect match. It was voted one of the best clothing consignment/resale stores and best women’s boutiques by readers of Richmond Magazine in 2018.

Photo via Tiramisu For Breakfast

If you’re looking for something on the more mature side, try Ashby’s sister store, Clementine at 3118 W. Cary St. While Ashby is more directed at younger, more casual demographic, Clementine feels chic-er, selling designer brands such as Chanel and Lululemon. With springtime in full swing, bright pastel colors and bold prints are very much in style. If that’s what you’re searching for, Clementine will have you covered.

Photo via Yelp

Uptown Cheapskate, like Buffalo Exchange, is a nationwide chain. It began in 2009 in Utah and eventually spread across the country. The company has two locations in RVA: at 1403 Huguenot Road in Midlothian and at 4338 Pouncey Tract Road in Short Pump. If you enjoy Urban Outfitters, Uptown Cheapskate is a good match. Plus, Uptown claims its clothes are as much as 70 percent cheaper than mall prices.

Written by Arianna Coghill, Capital News Service. Top Photo: Business photo via freepik

VCU CNS

VCU CNS

Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University's Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia. More information at vcucns.com




more in community

As Funding Shrinks, Richmond’s Safety Net Is Full

She decided to finally leave. Maybe it was after years of abuse, or after one violent night too many. Maybe it was the first time she truly believed that if she stayed, she might not survive. Whatever brought her to that moment, making the call took courage.  On...

Seeing Richmond Through Their Eyes

Editor's Note: Writers Block is an occasional series featuring personal essays, reflections, and creative nonfiction from Richmond-area writers. In Seeing Richmond Through Their Eyes, Gabriella Ryan shares how a month spent showing her Italian cousins around Richmond...

Can Firehouse Put Richmond on the National Theatre Map?

In the electric and perpetually sincere terrain of Richmond’s theatre culture, there are institutions that do more than merely reside, they lead. They serve as a measure of our city's potential beyond its natural aspirations. I've witnessed Firehouse Theatre inhabit...

Photos | Warriors in Bloom at Agecroft Hall

For one weekend, Agecroft Hall stopped being a museum and became a kingdom.  What began as a fundraiser to help launch Richmond's first Renaissance Faire has grown into a destination of its own. Warriors in Bloom, created by the folks at Virago Alley, returned with...

Dispatch from the Lewis Ginter Picket Line

An on-the-ground account of the strike that prompted Jesse Welles and Graham Nash to cancel their Richmond performances. Tensions escalated as Jesse Welles called off his performance at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden yesterday amid an ongoing union fight for higher...

Far-Right “Remigration” Propaganda Targets Bhatti Campaign

Several campaign signs for Democratic congressional candidate Salaam Bhatti were vandalized over the weekend with professionally printed flyers telling him to "return to your homeland" in multiple languages. The flyers also featured the hashtag #Remigration, a term...

In Plan 9 We Trust

This weekend, Plan 9 Music marks 45 years in Richmond with a party at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery. Over the past four and a half decades, the Richmond institution weathered some of the most turbulent periods in music history. It closed stores, sold its warehouse and...