Outside of Philly there is a section called "The Mainline." Think Grace Kelly (who actually lived on the Mainline) in "The Philadelphia Story." MONEY! In fact, if you take the R5 Paoli Rail from Philly to Paoli, you'll go through "college towns" such as Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Rosemont, Villanova. When we used to live in Haverford, my mother would swear by thrift shops because that's where she would buy my affordable baby clothes that looked brand new. My father at first hated my mother buying "used" clothing because he thought it was a reflection of his inability to provide for his family. Nowadays, my father loves to shop for a bargain!
This past week I decided to get ready for school. I stopped by a couple of thrift shops and thought I had died and gone to preppy heaven - Talbots, Ralph Lauren, LL Bean, Brooks Brothers! Woo-hoo! The woman at the counter said their shop goes through cycles. Most of the students come back to college at the end of August and are looking for furniture not clothing. That's when they have sales on winter clothing to make room for the incoming furniture and winter clothing. In May, that's when everything comes in, especially furniture, when the students are checking out for the semester. She said now is the best time to buy fall and winter clothing because students aren't thinking that far ahead, especially when it's currently 90 degrees and the last fun weekend (Labor Day) before school really starts up. Spring Break (April) is another good time to come in because students are trying to get rid of winter clothing and get a head start on summer clothing.
I walked away with three skirts (Ralph Lauren, Talbots, Liz Claiborne), two shirts (Talbots), two vests (Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers), a funky sweater jacket (Michelle Nicole), two pairs of shoes (LL Bean, Liz Claiborne) for under $100! The woman at the counter said, "Wow, you really hit the jackpot today!" It was well worth the trip!
