Being from the San Francisco Bay Area, thrifting has always been a staple activity for myself and my friends. I spent much of my time in SF perusing shops on Hait and Valencia, hunting for unique vintage finds. As a college student at Brown, my love for thrifting found solace in a number of cute and fun shops in the Providence Area. Here are some of my favorite spots below for convenience, quality, and curation!
Urban Thread
Urban Thread has a great selection of vintage finds for shoppers, ranging from clothing and shoes to bags and other accessories. I can confidently walk in with a good chance of finding a high quality item that fits well and looks great. It’s location on Brook Street also makes it an incredibly convenient choice for students hoping to not venture too far from campus! I will note that prices do tend to lean on the higher end for thrift shops.
The Vault Collective
The Vault Collective is another fun option with a great curated selection of vintage clothing, accessories, and trinkets from periods ranging from the 1880s to the 1990s. Like Urban Thread, the prices can sometimes skew towards the higher end for second hand, but it’s definitely worth the trip!
The Nest
The Nest is a great spot to visit in Federal Hill, offering a wide range of clothing. Clothing options do tend to skew more towards women, but they have a great range of sizes and styles to choose from and are well-priced. One of my favorite aspects of this shop is its organization! The store is incredibly easy to navigate, as items are sorted by clothing type and size.
Old Bag Vintage
Old Bag Vintage is a fun second hand spot on Ives Street that again has a nice selection of pre-loved items with a diverse range of styles. They also do carry a large range of mens and unisex options for shoppers that want more masculine style items to choose from. The pricing from my experience is typical for secondhand and you can definitely find some steals!
Nostalgia
Nostalgia is another fun vintage store to peruse on Wickenden street! This shop from my experience is best for trinkets, collectibles, and accessories over clothing items, but they still have a decent range of clothing offered and some really great treasures. It’s also just a fun store to browse and look at, with a location that is not far from campus.
If you want to make a day out of it, check out our piece on the perfect girl’s day in Providence for a few more fun activities!