Boston and New York Part I

Over Easter break, I went for a short city trip with my lovely sister to Boston and New York. As we were only in each city for a few days, I didn't have time to properly scope out the most ethical or best vintage places to shop. I did keep my eyes wide open though, and here are some cool places I stumbled upon.

With Macklemore singing their praises, thrift shops have become rather famous. Located close to MIT and as old as I am, the Garment District is not exactly a thrift shop, but it certainly has that feel. The grungy store's tagline is to be an "alternative department store" and it certainly is huge! Lined up on rail after rail scores of vintage clothes from all decades and second-hand ware awaits the customers.

It can be somewhat overwhelming and you have to be in the mood to dig! My suggestion: don't go there at the end of a full day of sight-seeing or you'll stumble around, dazed by all the colour and diversity. If you've got your shopping mojo on full go, then this is a great place to find some amazing bargains.

The Garment District also takes in clothing, which is great for waste-management, and allows you to make a few bob from your old clothes. In real thrift shop manner, there is an area for buying clothes by the pound. Unheard of in the UK, this is quite common in America. You basically get a bag, fill it up with clothes that in piles all over the floor and pay by weight... It's hardcore... a bit too hardcore for my taste!




If you're more of a boutique-kind-of-gal then Charles Street in Beacon Hill is a great place to go. All red-brick gorgeousness the street is lined with artisan food merchants, cute boutiques and high-end vintage shops.

Artifaktori Vintage looked especially promising. The beautiful boutique sells eye-popping, colour-loving and pattern-mad vintage clothes that are bound to make you smile. Good News, you can buy their things online on their Etsy shop.


On the same street, there is also Crush Boutique. The cute basement boutique was co-founded by childhood friends Rebecca Penner and Laura Macris and sell well-established as well as up and coming designers. Prices are rather high but if you're looking for something unique and fresh, I'm sure this would be a good place to start.

Pic from here

One last place to mention on Charles Street is the Ruby Door. A paradise for any magpie, this tiny shop sells luxuriously hand-crafted jewelry. Many of the items are made in-house and owner Tracy Weiss reworks vintage pieces into exquisite modern pieces. If you're on a budget, you may want to skip this place, albeit you'll be tempted by all the glitzy gorgeousness. 

Pic from the Ruby Door

My last suggestion for any future Boston-visitors is to head to Newbury Street in Back Bay. Perhaps a little more mainstream than Charles Street, it is nevertheless a great place for sustainable shopping.

Me on Newbury street, note the fairy lights!

First of all, you can find Second Time Around (STA) here. By 'find' I mean, you literally can't miss it as there are numerous ones doted all over Newbury Street. This up-scale second-hand shop is a treasure trove for barely-worn designer clothes. All of the clothing sold here is carefully selected and in perfect condition.

For all the Cowboy-fashion lovers, a visit to Vintage Boots is a must. Tucked away in a basement on Newbury street, this quirky place specializes in vintage cowboy attire. You'll literally find anything here from cowboy boots, to belts and flannel shirts.

If you're the outdoorsy type or looking for a cool t-shirt for a male friend, then you should check out Life is Good a little further down Newbury Street. The local brand started out selling t-shirts and has expanded its range to include baby's clothing, backpacks and car tire covers. The aim of the brand is to spread optimism and it certainly makes me happy to hear that they donate 10% of all its net profits to children in need. 

After all she sight-seeing and shopping we were exhausted and in desperate need for some food and relaxation. Luckily, close by was Trident Booksellers & Cafe, where we got a tasty meal and well-deserved local beer. Selling quirky books, gifts by local designers, hipster trinkets and fair trade chocolate, the Trident is a great place to explore and you can easily lose an afternoon here.

Have you ever been to Boston, or do you maybe live there? Any other suggestions you'd like to share?

A Little Daydreaming...

I have caught myself daydreaming a lot lately, thinking about the future and dreaming about opening my own little shop, selling fair trade and sustainable clothing and accessories somewhere in Switzerland... you know, just as a back-up, in case the whole heritage and museums career does not work out...

I'm imagining something along the lines of a charity shop, but in a boutique style with a really beautiful design and a curated selection of clothing. See, there are plenty of charity shops here, but they don't exist like that in Switzerland. There are vintage shops and second hand furniture stores, but barely any second-hand clothes shops and the whole charity-shop concept just isn't around.

It could be a little shop somewhere in the historic downtown of Zurich, selling a range of vintage, second-hand and fair trade garments as well as accessories with part of the proceeds going to charity. I catch myself dreaming about what it would look like... For instance, I love these romantic shop-exteriors. I am infatuated with the pale mint greens or light blues at the moment!

Pictures from: top: Shy Violet, bottom left: Pinterest, bottom right: Fade

What do you think? The interior could be in the same whimsical style. Something along the lines of this, maybe, with lots of whites and greys and period furniture...

Pic on the right from  Shy Violet

Or it could look more rustic and industrial. I love the industrial look of this AllSaints store in Chicago.

pictures from glamshops

To make the shopping an even more enjoyable and relaxing activity, there would be a little cafe in the shop. Maybe something to match that rustic, Victorian feel... with lots of chunky wooden furniture, a retro coffee-machine and an antique cash register...

pictures from Pinterest

Oh and of course, there would have to be books! Walls full of books to inspire people... My customers could sit with a cup of coffee and read and feel good about themselves and all their ethical and sustainable purchases. We could run events aswell in the space, exhibitions of local artists and designers, talks, wine tastings and cookery classes, poetry readings, film screenings...

pic from pinterest

But along with clothes and books and coffee there would naturally have to be cake. We could not go without cake, surely.

Carly Cakes

These dreamy creations are made by my very talented friend Carly. I think they would fit wonderfully into my hypothetical dream shop...

As you can tell I'm getting just a little bit carried away here... There's value in dreaming though,  and who knows? Maybe my career really won't work out..  The more I think about it, the more I'm left wondering whether that would truly be such a bad thing.

Can you see it, my dream shop? Would you make any additions? Do you have dreams of your own you'd like to share?