Brookline’s Coolidge Corner is now home to one of Boston’s newest thrift experiences. 2nd Street is a second-hand clothing store, committed to sourcing unique pieces at a fraction of original retail, sourcing clothes from customers and paying them to sell their used wardrobe.
The new location, which opened March 28, is the 48th location for the brand, with only one other store in Massachusetts. The store was open for a week prior to the public launch to fill their racks with Brookline and Boston residents one-of-a-kind pieces that needed a new home.
Racks alternate between mall retailers like American Eagle and high-end brands like Burberry and Coach, without a stray outlandishly expensive tag adorning any of the fashion finds. Prices were on par with a second-hand fashion retailer. While you can find better deals at a thrift store, the quality of merchandise at 2nd Street was at a far higher standard. There was no sifting for stains or tears since all merchandise is screened before sale.
The store organized itself based on item, but also by time period. Customers with a vintage taste could sift through a rack all focused on prime fashion from vintage brands, whereas racks of Lululemon and Zara were labeled as contemporary modern fashion.
Even with a designer jewelry case at the front, there was a variety of brands and pricing for anyone to explore, from $5 tops to $1,500, there was a range of prices for every shopper to choose from.
The store is also a sneaker-heads dream, with plenty of high quality, practically unworn sneakers in every color and style. Whether you’re a collector of the most unique color and pattern, or just looking for a Nike basic, the sneaker options around the store proved to stand up to other second-hand retail locations.
Sitting across the street from Brookline’s Buffalo Exchange, there is a bit of customer rivalry brewing. Alexandra Nikas, a sales associate at 2nd Street and Northeastern student, has seen people hitting up both locations, to shop and to sell.
“We do take everything. I know Buffalo [Exchange] is really picky about it, and we get a lot of people trying to sell at Buffalo and then they come to our place to see if we can give them a better price,” said Nikas.
Both Buffalo Exchange and 2nd Street will give people cash for their clothes. Buffalo Exchange’s policy is to pay a quarter of selling price, or half the selling price in store credit when purchasing. 2nd Street does not offer store credit, but does not have a set percentage of profit they give back to customers for their items.
Nikas said that their team has gotten feedback that they offer a better deal for their sellers in comparison to their neighbors system. As a passionate thrifter, Nikas has loved getting to shop alongside the community of Brookline.
“Seeing all of the clothes and finding brands I really like, and just getting to shop here as well,” said Nikas.
The store’s first week saw people of all ages taking a look at the styling options 2nd Street had to offer. While the style skews towards a younger audience, the store has been a new place to check out for all of Brookline’s residents.
Wilson Montgomery, a local community college student, had his fashion sense on display while shopping. Another avid thrifter, 2nd Street has been another great thrifting opportunity, standing up to Buffalo Exchange and the Savers in Roxbury. It has a different set of stock than other thrift places but stays on par with pricing.
“It’s much higher-end clothing, much more designer-y, and it’s a pretty fair price from what I’ve seen. You’ll get it cheaper here than you would get online,” said Montgomery.
The store delivers on the unique fashion that thrifters want to see. The best part about thrifting for Montgomery is how different a thrifted wardrobe is from everyone else: a feat assisted by the fashions of 2nd Street.
“It’s just different. You can get more fun stuff that not a lot of people usually wear. It costs about the same as Urban Outfitters, and it looks way better,” said Montgomery.
2nd Street is still buying clothes for their summer inventory, looking for more dresses, cottons and linens and colorful summer styles to bring to all thrifters wardrobes So if you’re looking to get some spring cleaning done in your home, 2nd Street might be your best bet to give a new life to your closet and pick up some new staples. The company has a list of brands they do not accept available online, and customers can contact locations about specific store’s stock needs by calling online.
