Thrifting in DC and Baltimore

Washington DC is an expensive place to live! But I've discovered a very nice Goodwill within an easy drive of our apartment, and have been able to pick up a few useful things there for not much money.

PacSafe messenger bag and Lands End rubber shoes purchased from Goodwill.

Thrifting isn't super-easy here, and prices are a bit higher than in Iowa, but you can get some nice things!

Anyone who knows me knows that I love the treasure hunt excitement of going to thrift shops. In Cedar Rapids, we have an excellent network of Goodwill stores, part of Goodwill of the Heartland, the regional branch of Goodwill Industries that serves southeast Iowa and western Illinois. The stores are clean, well-organized, and have an ever-changing stock of used items, from clothing to housewares to electronics. And of course, it's all very inexpensive.

I started shopping at Goodwill when the boys were very young and money was tight. Today, I shop there more for the thrill of the hunt--it's so fun to find that cashmere sweater, tiny book, or lid to replace the one you broke. At the same time, I know I'm keeping stuff out of the landfill--my own donations, and other people's "trash" which might be my "treasure." And although I enjoy saving money, I'm not a fan of cheap clothes out in the world today--fast fashion--I don't like the look and I don't like the injustice.

As I often do when I visit new cities, I checked to see if there was good thrifting in DC, and it didn't look promising. Real estate in DC is so expensive that thrift shops can't really make it. There are few thrift shops in the District. Most of the Goodwills are on the edge of town, not particularly accessible by Metro. Of course, that's the way it is in Cedar Rapids, too.

But one is fairly close to where we live, and just a few minutes away from the Arboretum, which I've visited twice. So I decided to check it out.

The South Dakota Avenue Goodwill in D

One thing I noticed is that there are some pretty nice brands! Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Lululemon, Chico. Those are pretty rare in Iowa (we aren't slaves to fashion ...) but pretty common on the Goodwill racks here. Everything is a bit more expensive than in Iowa; for example, shirts go for $4.99-5.99 except for the colors on half-price (half-price colors--that's similar to Iowa!)

There are a ton of shoes! I just like to walk around and look at all the varied shoe styles. There were lots of rain boots when I bought my rubber shoes.

Also very DC: a huge selection of women's suits! This is a suit-wearing culture.

Some of the size small suits.

The housewares selection isn't great. I was looking for a small casserole dish and didn't find one. On the other hand, there are tons of suitcases.

Besides Goodwill, I also discovered a crafting thrift shop--or, as the owner put it, a "creative re-use shop." It was in Baltimore, and I stopped by on my way up to a conference (and visit to my aunt and uncle) in Delaware. Called SCRAP B-more, it's a national chain.

It reminded me of Create Exchange in Cedar Rapids, my favorite place to go for crafting notions: knitting needles, measuring tapes, scissors, bits of fabric or ribbon, odds and ends. I found a few things I could use: circular knitting needles, some thread in different colors, Velcro. I think the total charge was $3.50. I wish it were closer!

The cheerful interior of SCRAP B-more.

And while they're not "thrift" shops, I have visited 3 used bookstores since we got here. The first is the famous Capitol Hill Bookshop--a messy, labyrinthine shop overflowing with books and slightly grumpy signs. Yes there are books in the bathroom (foreign languages). I didn't find anything here, but it's fairly amusing.

I also visited Baldwin's Book Barn with my Aunt Dee. It's in a somewhat rural area of Pennsylvania, near Wilmington DE. It's a barn . . . filled with books! Aunt Dee and I wandered through its 3 floors, amazed at all the books. There was a wood fire burning in a cast-iron stove--the day was drizzly--and just a few people browsing. If you want books about military history, or late 20th century cookbooks, or, heck, books about horse racing, dog breeding or yachting, there are plenty here.

My favorite used bookstore so far is Riverby Books, just a couple blocks from us on East Capitol Street.

Photo swiped from Yelp; leaves are not on the trees here yet.

I bought a tiny Danish-English dictionary there for my tiny book collection (yeah, I know: not very useful! But cute!)

and a book with "24 Walks in DC" for Bruce. Riverby books is friendly, close, and fairly tidy.

I'll check in later if I discover other great places to find treasures.