Buying clothes second-hand is growing in popularity and it’s great for the planet and your wardrobe. New Orleans is a great city to thrift in and buy second-hand–you just need to find the right places! Fast fashion is a rapidly expanding industry, as trends go in and out. Luckily, trends are seeming to cycle back to the 70s, 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, so instead of buying a dupe, why not go find the real thing! Below, we have compiled a list of some of our favorite thrift and vintage shops in New Orleans!
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Spomenik Supply – Freret St
Spomenik is a vintage shop selling home goods, art, furniture, a small assortment of clothing, and other “oddities.” When visiting, we saw lots of cowhide rugs, hand-painted postcards from Germany, vintage furniture, and other antique goods. This shop is relatively new to the area and a close walk from campus. Freret Street has some great new additions in the past year, including Spomenik, Windowsill Pies, and Vals!
Glue – Oak St
Glue is a thrift shop specializing in second-hand clothing, located on Oak Street. Glue offers both men’s and women’s clothing. The store is relatively small, but they have a lot of good options—plus it’s only a 15-minute walk from campus! At Glue, you can find vintage pieces as well as modern thrifted items.
If you haven’t been yet, visit Oak Street for a pleasant walk and various coffee shops and restaurants. Favorite places to eat on Oak include Rue de la Course, Breads on Oak, TruBurger, La Casita, and Z’otz Café. Glue is open 12-6pm Monday through Saturday.
Blue Dream – Bywater
In my opinion, this is the best vintage shop and my personal favorite place to shop in the entire city. Blue Dream is an eclectic store selling goods from hand-picked clothing gems to vintage shoes to ceramic pipes. They sell crystals, home décor, handmade jewelry, and offer goods from a variety of local artists. They also consign vintage clothing and offer 50% store credit of your item value in exchange.
If you want to spend a bit more but find pieces that you’ll never stop obsessing over, this is the place for you. Blue Dream sits right off of Frenchman Street in the Bywater. Nearby you can hear live jazz and have a delicious hot dog at Dat Dog.
Red White and Blue Thrift – Elmwood
Red White and Blue provides a similar shopping experience to Goodwill. Red White and Blue exists not only for those who want to thrift for fun or to help the environment—but also for those who need to shop there. Be respectful and aware of this if you choose to shop here. This is a great place to find basics, jeans, items to “thrift flip” and other goods like old vinyl or used furniture.
Restoration Thrift – Marigny
Restoration Thrift in the Marigny is a thrift shop with a great cause. They “Create jobs so that those who have had challenges entering the workforce can do so with dignity and support.” Restoration is similar to Red White and Blue but in a different part of town. This is a great spot to find everyday staples like second-hand jeans, oversized men’s blazers, and graphic tees. Restoration not only supports a great cause, but shopping here will land you into an interesting, historic part of the Quarter! If you end up here, walk a few blocks to St. Roch Market, a cool hall with plentiful vendors and a gorgeous décor!
Junks Above – Mid City
Junk’s Above is a must-see for thriftier, hoarders, and all lovers of knickknacks. This store is full of everything you could possibly need, or not need. Shops like this are my favorite because you can spend hours looking through the things others once loved. You’ll need to set aside some time for this trip!
Visit Junks Above to find eclectic pieces for your dorm or house! I love finding old signs to use as room décor. This place is a bubble of inspiration that anyone could enjoy sifting through forever. Junks Above is the perfect place to find home décor and furniture second-hand that will look cooler than retail and save you money on decorating!
YEP Thrift Works – Central City
YEP Thrift Works has a great incentive, as they are involved in the Youth Empowerment Project and developed their own Work & Learn Program to incentivize and support New Orleans youth. This Central City thrift shop has a great selection of options at a reasonable price.
Buffalo Exchange – Magazine St
Located on everyone’s favorite street, Buffalo Exchange is a great place to thrift clothes, but also to sell them for cash or store credit. This is a chain across the United States, selling mostly modern used clothing. Sometimes, you can find designer and upscale products for cheap (i found an Alice & Olivia sweater top for $12 the other day!) but it requires some digging. Buffalo Exchange is very organized and carries a huge variety, from shoes to bags to dresses to coats. Be sure to check out their shoe section because sometimes you can find nearly new shoes for more than half-off!
90s Kids Closet – Magazine St
90s Kids Closet is a small shop curated and focused on vintage tees. It sits in the storefront of the White Roach, with the vinyl shop still attached to its left. They opened up shop on March 6th, so they’re brand new to the area. Right next to Whole Foods, they are walking distance from school. Check out 90s Kids Closet for crazy rare shirts and to support a new small business!
Craigslist Garage Sales, Depop, Poshmark, and more!
Always be on the lookout for garage sales. These can be the best places to find rare and eclectic pieces. Be sure to watch for street signs and check the New Orleans Craigslist page to find all the best gems, especially as the weather gets better. Depop and Poshmark are also great, sustainable options to find second-hand clothing.
If you’re getting into thrifting, I would recommend following some of these shops on Instagram or Facebook to look out for special sales and news! Buying second-hand is just one step to reducing harm to the planet and discouraging fast fashion. Thrifting is a fun way to spend time with your friends, it’s cost-effective, and is perfect for college students like myself who seem to always want new clothes! Happy thrifting!
Cover photo: Pinterest
About Grace Gottesman
Grace Gottesman is a junior from Seattle, WA who enjoys film photography, traveling, and cooking! Through the Crescent, Grace wants to share her love for art, mental health and wellness, sustainability, and her favorite city, New Orleans.
Grace Gottesman is a junior from Seattle, WA who enjoys film photography, traveling, and cooking! Through the Crescent, Grace wants to share her love for art, mental health and wellness, sustainability, and her favorite city, New Orleans.
