Thrifting Crawl: U Street Style

Is there anything better than real-life blogging friends, shopping, and pretty vintage things? I think not.

Last Saturday afternoon was beautiful and sunny and was a perfect day for a jaunt around U Street to check out consignment shops with Madeline and Stephie. The mission: to find the best store (and, of course, score a few bargains).

Stop number one was Current Boutique (1809 14th Street, NW).

Current Boutique was for sure my favorite stop (Maybe because it's the only place I bought something? Hmmm?) I loved how spacious the store was, so despite being crowded with lots of bargain hunters, I didn't feel cramped. I was a little disheartened when I browsed through the first rack of high-end dresses and found nothing in my price range, but after a little more digging I found a polka dot H&M top for $7.99. Much better! All in all, there is something for everyone at Current Boutique, from clothes and shoes to a huge wall of jewelry and accessories.

Yes, there was an outfit change for Stephie--she couldn't wait to get home to pull out her new romper...and I don't blame her!

Overall grade for Current Boutique: A +

Our next stop was Treasury Vintage (1843 14th Street NW), a tucked away upstairs boutique down the street.

I loved the atmosphere of this place--quiet, small, and lit by beautiful natural light (perfect for taking photos...duh!). It was almost like exploring in someone's attic. 

The only thing I didn't love: the prices. Eeek. There is nothing worse than finding a fabulous floral print dress and glancing at the price tag. 

It's ok. It was too big anyway.

But Stephie found some new statement glasses.

Overall, Treasury Vintage was a nice spot to spend a few minutes browsing, but not somewhere I would go regularly to seek out a deal. I would have to really love something to pay a lot for it, so I would recommend this place if you are searching for the perfect outfit piece or necklace for a special event. The three of us left empty handed.

Overall grade for Treasury Vintage: B.

We made a few more stops at several more shops we stumbled upon along the way, but our last and final shopping stop was Junction (1510 U Street NW).

As far as atmosphere goes, this place was probably my favorite environment. Lots of bright colors, a variety of clothes, accessories, and home decor, and clever suggestions on the clothing tags. The store was on the smaller side, but wasn't too crowded when we were inside so I didn't feel like I was stepping all over anything.

(Photo by Madeline!)

 Junction's clothing was moderately priced--nowhere near was pricy as Treasury, but again, I would have to really love something to have bought it. I would definitely go back to Junction to get my vintage fix (and hopefully buy something next time!).

Overall grade for Junction: A

One thing that I noticed about all three places was the customer service. There is something about having a love for vintage things that brings girls (and guys, if you're into that kind of thing!) together. At all three places we were able to strike up conversation with the employees, and most of them were even quick to offer assistance or suggestions. Love it!

After a long day of consignment crawling, we thrifty gals had to re-hydrate (or....drink beer on a rooftop) at Marvin (2007 14th St NW), which was the perfect spot for some post-shopping chit chat.

 Overall grade for the day: A+! I had a great time with these ladies and I can't wait for many more thrifting adventures to come. 

In the meantime, check out their blogs (Madeline @ Style me Thrifty and Stephie @ Thrift and Style) for their reviews of our consignment crawl.