She says one of the best bargains in the store right
now is a two-piece hot pink Missionni dress. "We
have multicolored satin and leathered skirts in all
sorts of candy colors, lots of spring coats," Miller
says. "The kinds of lovely things lovely ladies
who lunched wore a few times."
 ary,
a weekly customer, attributes her loyalty to
the store's historical ambiance. "This just has
the best vintage," she says. She jokes,"I
want to be a '40s pinup model." Some of her recent
finds include a red and black lace purse to match her
hair. "I also got one of those vintage '40s hats
with a veil on it," she says.
At
the Spence-Chapin store, a used clothing and furniture
shop that benefits the Spence-Chapin adoption agency,
Elaine Splan smirks at people who think they are above
thrift shops. She says that well-to-do donors often
wear an item only once or twice before getting rid of
it. Her closet is full of second-hand Ralph Lauren and
DKNY.
Catching
all the new donations that come to Spence-Chapin means
visiting regularly. Marion Lemarki, the store's cashier
and salesperson, says that many of their customers come
in every single day just to see what's new.
 hile
that kind of daily dedication works well at
the cozy Spence-Chapin shop, it's not really an option
at the three-story Cheap Jack's, where even the owner
has no idea what's new. "It's impossible to keep
track of my inventory," said Jack Markus of Cheap
Jack's. "Too much comes in and too much goes out."
Instead, he assigns a different employee to each section
of the store and requires them to guide customers as
they browse.
Like
Splan, Danny Gonzales, also takes his search to thrift
shops. An actor and interior designer, he's found shoes,
hats, shirts and pants for both personal and professional
use. Stores like Cheap Jack's and Domsey's in Brooklyn
have supplied his wardrobe for a 1970s throwback character
that he performs at comedy shows.
 onzales
says that there is no beating the one-of-a-kind
gems that scavenging yields. "I have some stuff
I know no one else has," Gonzales says, citing
his 1970s jump suits and a 1940s leather suitcase.
Gonzales has such a savvy eye that he's netted some
cash from major designers. "I would find clothing
and buy them and sell them to designers, who would re-interpret
them," he said, adding that fashion houses often
engage in this practice.
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