After my initial secondhand shopping experience here in D.C., I admit I was skeptical to continue going. Would all the stores be as expensive as Annie Creamcheese? What happened to cute, quirky and cheap secondhand clothing?
Well, I was not disappointed by my recent trip to Martha’s Outfitters, located on 2114 14th St. NW in the U Street Corridor.
This small store is donation-based, with the money going towards its parent organization, Martha’s Table, which tries to combat poverty and hunger by providing clothing, food and educational resources for children and families in the DMV area.
The small store, located two doors down from Martha’s Table, was everything I could have expected. No, it was not the cleanest, most brightly lit store I’ve ever shopped in, but that didn’t matter. The store had everything that I was looking for and more.
When I first walked through the door, there were numerous racks of men’s sweaters, which was exactly what I had come to the store to find. There was also a large selection of skirts, dresses, men and women’s business apparel, outerwear and children’s clothing.
This store has a wide variety of clothing and housewares that struggling families in the neighborhood could purchase with ease.
Not surprisingly, the prices for everything were very low.
This was a legitimate thrift store, not just a secondhand shop or a consignment shop. I was able to find a high-quality, quirky Lacoste sweater, probably from the 1980s or ’90s, for $3.
I found another Bill Cosby-esque sweater, something I had been waiting to find, for the same price.
Two fall essentials for less than $10; what could be better?
Martha’s Outfitters caters to all different types of people from various walks of life; the people at the register could easily transition between speaking Spanish and English, depending upon the customer.
This small establishment is perfect for a college student’s budget, if you want to go to a true thrift store. You will find great, cheap clothing (and housewares if you’d like!) and the money goes to a great organization. That’s the definition of a feel-good shopping trip, if you ask me.
