Friday, July 26, 2013

East 23rd Street Thrift Stores-- Why I am Only Showing Two: Reviews and Controversy--City Opera

The South Side of East 23rd Street between Second and Third has a number of thrift shops but I am only going to be showing two because 1)The Yelp Reviews for The Salvation Army store for the last two years have been so terrible and 2) Even though Goodwill Industries' Store get great reviews, I don't like what I have read about the way the company is run--I mean, it has a CEO that gets $500,00 a year and they pay disabled workers 22 cents an hour under some loophole in the law...see--

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-hrabe/the-worst-corporation-in-_b_1876905.html

So here is the City Opera Thrift Store with Yelp Reviews First:

 

I have never bought anything here but reviews from Yelp are enthusiastic:

City Opera Thrift Shop

3.5 star rating
31 reviews Rating Details
222 East 23rd Street
(between 2nd Ave & 3rd Ave)
New York, NY 10010
Neighborhood: Gramercy
(212) 684-5344
Nearest Transit Station:
23 St (4, 6, 6X)
28 St (4, 6, 6X)
3 Av (L)
Hours:
Mon-Fri 10 am - 7 pm
Sat 10 am - 6 pm
Sun 12 pm - 5 pm
Price Range:
$$
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Parking:
Street
Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes

Review Highlights   What's this?

  • "Everything's in great condition, and very clean." In 5 reviews
  • "Incredible and unique furniture finds." In 15 reviews
  • "please leave all the super cute size 4 clothes for me though." In 8 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
Sort by: Yelp Sort | Date | Rating | Useful | Funny | Cool | Total Votes | Friends' | Elites'

31 reviews in English

  • Review from

    • 26 friends
    • 183 reviews
    3/10/2013
    A classier joint if you're thrift shopping on this block. :P
    Pleasant environment, music, people, well organized selection, though slightly pricey for some stuff.
    I find that their best deals are in their shoes department. Coach, Cole haan, etc, in excellent condition, for $35 or less. There were other brands such as Prada, etc. but those didn't fit me so I wasn't as excited :P
    Enjoy!
  • Review from

    • 5 friends
    • 54 reviews
    7/9/2013
    Awesome furniture selection! Clothes were organized in colors instead of sizes but this gives a very organized and boutique feel. I did find a few nice dresses but for $25 for a thrifted dress? I don't think so! That's why I took it down to 3 stars. However, I will continue to stop by time to time because that is the beauty of thrift shopping, you find amazing things when you are not looking.
  • Review from

    • 4 friends
    • 5 reviews
    7/3/2013
    This thrift store has some fabulous furniture deals. The clothing is overpriced for used items, but its stylish and in good condition plus goes for a good cause. Very clean and has dressing rooms.
  • Review from

    6/22/2013
    I visited the City Opera Thrift Shop while on a trip to NYC and seeing that the shop was just a few blocks from my hotel. Ever a fan of thrift and vintage, this sounded like a good blend of the two so I decided to check it out. Loved it! If i lived in New York, I could see going here regularly.

    At first glance, much of the clothing looked like it was for a more mature age set than for 20-somethings, but there were definitely some good pieces once I started looking through the racks. I ended up getting a summer dress ($25), a pair of jeans ($15), and a casual shirt ($10). Everything was well-organized and I was surprised at how much clothing they had.

    I could see this as the sort of place where, if you visit regularly, one day you will find something totally fabulous and one-of-a-kind out of the blue. There was also some good office attire if you need to dress for work, and a good furniture selection. They were closing for the day so I didn't have time to look at the jewelry or items in the cases by the counter, but I'll bet there could be some interesting things to find. I would definitely check out their furniture if you have an apartment to furnish. There were some cool pieces and they were surprisingly inexpensive.
  • Review from

    6/1/2013 1 check-in here
    Sheldon's wet dream
  • Review from

    10/16/2012
    My girlfriend and I came here for shopping and OMG, I found some seriously great bargains. They have a great range of designer clothes, shoes, jewelry and for really reasonable prices.

    Everything was in great condition...... and they are a non-profit so I didn't feel jipped. I picked up some jewelry and some Dolce and Gabbana shoes which didn't even have scuff marks on the bottom for $25!

    Out of all the thrift stores in the neighborhood, this was my favorite. My girlfriend picked up a St John's couture suit for $75 -- what a bargain!
  • Review from

    1/8/2013 1 check-in here
    "I wear a big ass coat, I look incredible" - I happened to see a man wearing a gigantic full length fur coat while in the City Opera Thift Shop, and the jam came to mind instantly.

    This looks much more like a vintage-y women's apparel store than a thrift shop. Lots of books, music, wall art, and furniture on the 2nd floor, but mostly this is geared towards women. Not a bad place if you're looking for specific styles,..and it's totally different than the other Thrift Shops in the area.
  • Review from

    • 3 friends
    • 186 reviews
    3/20/2013
    Finally had the nerve to stop inside today--I was afraid it would be too high end, from the look of the window fronts.  But actually, the apparel prices are mostly in the $20-$25 range but of course they are quite chic.   I didn't purchase anything yet, but I will be back when I have more time.  The salesclerks are friendly enough.
  • Review from

    • 10 friends
    • 60 reviews
    3/10/2013 1 check-in here
    I visited NYC on a shopping trip this weekend and first read about this thrift shop on Yelp but it wasn't near where I was shopping so I basically forgot to visit it--until it got a great recommendation from a waitress at a tea shop I went to. I'm glad my friend and I decided to visit the store on our way downtown--what a great find! Tons of affordable and cute jewelry along with great labels selling for great prices. Definitely worth a visit if you are in NY!
  • Review from

    2/5/2012
    On the pricey side for a thrift store, but MAN did they have good stuff. I'm talking really great condition Frye boots, vintage Ferragamo shoes, and awesome awesome awesome sweaters. I'm guessing they're really selective about what they put on the floor because everything I looked at was in pristine condition. Between the furniture selection and amount of tchotchkees and wall art, books (and the books were cheap!), records, and the cleanliness and atmosphere of the store, this is probably one of my favorite thrift stores in the city..

    But don't tell anybody!!
  • Review from

    • 160 friends
    • 705 reviews
    11/3/2011
    Last stop on the 23rd St. Thrift Crawl! Previous stop was: http://www.yelp.com/biz/…

    I love City Opera Thrift. I was quoted about how much I love them in the Zagat shopping guide! (That was a few years ago, now...)
    As you might glean from the name, this shop benefits the Opera, and you can usually find some sort of amazing opera-costume related thing here.
    Also, the people who tend to donate to this shop are, I presume, fabulously wealthy. You can find the nicest things here: high-end fashion, cool (real) vintage pieces, secondhand furs, unique jewelry, really nice housewares and decor. Everything's in great condition, and very clean.
    The setup is classy, with a lovely balcony, really more like a boutique than a thrift shop. Even the glamorous salesgirl looks like she stepped right off a 1930's movie set.

    They have periodic sales - yesterday was 35% off housewares, which meant that I got a 1950s Bavaria porcelain candy dish with a retro-atomic pattern, and a handmade glazed and painted pottery vase (previously sold for $85) for $10. each. Score!

    OK, time to lug home your booty!

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