Pure Couture owner Denise Jonasz, left, checks in new purses brought in by a customer at her Haddonfield shop on Oct. 15.
Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer
Fall is the best season for secondhand shopping, according to Denise Jonasz, owner of Pure Couture Consignment in Haddonfield: Back-to-school energy seems to inspire people to purge their closets, so stores are stocked up on new (used) inventory.
That means it’s the perfect time to go thrifting and vintage hunting in South Jersey, where an abundance of nearby stores makes it easy to spend a day going shop to shop.
Just by cruising Haddon Avenue to Kings Highway, from Collingswood and Haddonfield, it’s possible to hit up more than half a dozen stores selling secondhand clothing, furniture, and decor, ranging from accessible thrifting to high-end vintage. A cluster of mega-stores near Church Road in Cherry Hill provides another opportunity.
It’s a chance to find something unique — and snag a great deal.
“Everyone in this crazy time that we’re in is looking to save money,” Jonasz said.
That means good vintage can be hard to find. Sean Magee, co-owner of Odd Folk in Collingswood, recommends striking up relationships with sellers to score the true gems.
“You have to trust their eye and trust their judgment,” Magee said. “Get to know your local person and stick with it.”
Here are some of the best secondhand shops in South Jersey, including thrift stores, consignment shops, vintage collections, and antiques.
Blondee Boutique
Marissa Rapposelli didn’t intend to open a vintage clothing store fresh out of college, but she fell in love with secondhand clothing pop-ups while still at Rutgers New Brunswick. When she moved home to South Jersey six months ago, she launched Blondee Boutique in the Maple Shade storefront where her dad used to run a knife-sharpening business.
Blondee stocks “anything girly, fun, unique” with a focus on ’90s and Y2K fashions, Rapposelli said. The store takes donations, which all go into a room where everything is $10 or less. Rapposelli also sells wooden pens, made by her dad right next door.
Clutter Vintage
Clutter is a small-but-mighty shop with a little bit of everything and lots to explore. You can find unique mirrors, glassware, home decor, vintage cameras, furniture, denim jackets, handbags, jewelry, and much more. Owner Cindy Schreiber is most proud of her extensive selection of art and frames.
“I try really hard to source art at flea markets all the time,” Schreiber said. “I have a lot of customers who specifically come in looking for whatever new art I have.” Clutter also sells some new items imported from India, including textiles and cotton kantha quilts.
Dandelion District
While you’re on the secondhand trail, may as well look out for the whole family. Dandelion District is a consignment shop for babies’ and children’s fashion, serving newborns up to adolescents. The store stocks all types of clothing, including swimwear, shoes, outerwear, pajamas, and lots of mini sports team merch — both in store and online.
Dig This
For high-end vintage furniture, Dig This is a must-stop. Specializing in mid-century and modern styles from 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, Dig This stocks furniture, art, lamp accessories, and in particular, a collection of very fun lamps, all in a signature retro style. They also sell live-edge wooden slabs and can work with customers to design custom pieces. Newly acquired secondhand items are posted to Instagram and Facebook, where they often get snapped up quickly, so keep an eye out for new inventory.
Grist Mill Antiques Center
The sister store to Haddon Heights Antique Center, the Grist Mill also has an extensive, two-story collection of antique glass, china, toys, books, vintage clothing, jewelry, and housewares.
“You name it, we have it,” owner Barbara Lind said. “It’s packed.”
Like at Haddon Heights, the Grist Mill hosts a monthly scavenger hunt with a $25 prize, though it’s on the first Wednesday of every month. Both stores also offer a 25% discount on items $6 and up, and both buy antiques directly, so you can give them a call if you have something to sell.
Haddon Heights Antiques Center
This antique supercenter hosts between 50 and 60 dealers at any given time, in a large two-story space bursting with vintage home goods, memorabilia, jewelry, framed artwork, lamps, and glassware. Expect real treasures alongside kitschy collectibles, just like in grandma’s attic. On the first Friday of every month, the store hosts a scavenger hunt to help you explore their extensive wares. The first person to find every item on the list gets a $25 gift card.
Maison Marcellé Boutique
Maison Marcellé Boutique is a hidden gem, particularly when shopping for formalwear or a special occasion. The France-inspired salon offers “upscale resale,” as owner Andréa Marcellé puts it, a large collection of new-with-tags, true vintage, and European fashions, acquired during semi-annual trips to Paris.
Shoppers can also make appointments to see a wider array of outfits pulled from Marcellé’s “vault.”
“This is the joy, I have the best job in the world,” Marcellé said. “We get to style people for literally the most important and special days of their lives.”
Odd Folk
Right next door to the Garb Collection, Odd Folk focuses on men’s clothing, with a mixture of secondhand and new pieces. “If you’re looking for heritage menswear that’s vintage, that’s us,” Magee said.
Graphic t-shirts, military garb, denim, and workwear are mixed in with home decor, secondhand cookbooks, and independent magazines about subjects near to the owners’ hearts, like motorcycles and design. “We’re not buying things that we don’t love and we’re not buying things that aren’t made incredibly well,” Magee said.
Peak Secondhand
Peak is the rare boutique on this list that sells both men’s and women’s clothing, almost all of it for less than $50, “except maybe a wedding dress,” owner Carolyn Busa said. The store sells a mix of proper vintage, more recent secondhand finds, and a sprinkling of art and homeware. Busa recommends secondhand shoppers try to get out of their comfort zones, including by trying on things that aren’t “the right size.”
Peak also hosts several events throughout the year, including a storytelling show about clothing, figure-drawing classes, and an annual Pride celebration.
Pure Couture Consignment Store
Exploring the racks at Pure Couture is like digging into your most stylish aunt’s closet, in the best way possible. A treasure trove of sequins, feathers, leathers, and furs, the consignment shop is bursting with handbags, gowns, coats, and shoes that reflect Jonasz’s love of ‘50s and ‘60s fashion and new couture.
Raks Thrift Avenue
Cheryl Rosen’s first experience running a consignment shop was fresh out of high school, when she took over her mom’s Haddonfield shop nearly 40 years ago. Now, she’s the owner of Raks Thrift Avenue, a 32-year-old store with a fun and eclectic mix of designer and accessible pieces. Rosen’s taste and prices have garnered her long-time customers and consignors who have sold their collections through her shop for decades.
“There’s people who have had thousands of pieces sold in the store,” Rosen said, including some who have moved away and still ship her inventory from California and Florida. “Your clothing is valuable, and people especially who have high-end pieces, they don’t want to give it to someone they don’t know.”
Red White & Blue Thrift Store Cherry Hill
There are plenty of big box thrift stores in South Jersey — See 2nd Ave, Goodwill, and The Salvation Army, each with various locations — but Red White & Blue Thrift Store should be on your list too.
This secondhand behemoth seems to delight and overwhelm in equal measure. With a large selection of home goods, books, board games, musical instruments, and a sea of color-coordinated clothing, it’s easy to lose an afternoon in these stacks.
Red White & Blue Thrift Store Lawnside
This thrift store chain also has a department-store-sized location in Lawnside.
Red White & Blue Thrift Store West Berlin
This thrift store chain also has an outpost in West Berlin.
The Garb Collection
The Garb Collection, which stocks women’s fashion, is somewhere between a consignment shop and an elevated thrift store, with a large-yet-curated selection. Its motto is “It’s like Poshmark but in person,” referring to the popular online secondhand platform. Sellers rent out “closets” where they stock rotating inventories of seasonal fashions at a range of price points. There’s some vintage and designer, though most of the fare tends toward posh fast fashion: Anthropologie, Everlane, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, and similar brands.
Blondee Boutique
Clutter Vintage is filled with secondhand and handmade items, from furniture to candle holders.
Clutter Vintage
Dandelion District
Dig This focuses on retro furniture.
MICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Dig This
Odd Folk
Carolyn Busa lifts up vintage pieces from the rack in 2021.
HEATHER KHALIFA / Staff Photographer
Peak Secondhand
Designer clothes, bags, and other accessories at Pure Couture in Haddonfield.
