It’s Like, Like New

Posted on December 27, 2008 
Filed Under Berkeley, Shopping

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Today’s post features neither a new company nor a new phenomenon, but there’s no denying that this new economy is putting secondhand and consignment stores in sharper demand than ever. Fortunately my neighborhood, North Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley, is one groovy little strip down which you can trip and pick up gently used goods at great prices. Modernaire, Pegasus Books, and Mixed Pickles are just a few of my favorites in the area.

Needless to say, I was far less surprised than I was pleased by my recent trek to Berkeley’s freshly expanded Crossroads Trading Company, which now boasts an additional 1,500 sq ft or so (i.e., a new boutique), filled with new and like-new clothing, shoes, and accessories. Just two days after Christmas, the house was absolutely packed; even with four registers running, the line of customers waiting to pay kept snaking deeper amidst the racks.

I myself scored a killer pair of new Damien Hirst x Levi’s limited-edition waxed bondage jeans for a shocking $26. There are many treasures like these lying in store for you at Crossroads, but the biggest bargain is the ability to choose your own consumer adventure: i.e., to buy, sell, and/or trade.

While some people joke that we should go back to a barter economy, until that day arrives you can bet that more and more people will be hitting up your local secondhand and consignment shops for goodies that are in season, in style, and most importantly in budget. To get the best things first, I suggest you visit early and often.

Crossroads Trading Company’s Berkeley location is at 2338 Shattuck Avenue. For a location nearest you, visit the company’s Web site. For more information about the Bay Area’s best secondhand shops, try tribe.net or, of course, Yelp.

— Kay

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