Philly’s Best Kept Secret: Super Thrift

            The world of thrifting is similar to membership in an underground society. Many people participating, but no one is talking about it. 
          When speaking to customers at thrift stores, I like to ask them what their favorite thrift store in the city is. More often than not, the name Super Thrift kept coming up. When I asked for more information about the store, I was told it was located on Aramingo Avenue in a sketchy shopping center. There are no signs for it so you have to know where to go. My interest was piqued. A quick Google search told me that the address was 2403 Aramingo Ave. Thankfully someone had told me what to look for because my GPS was not very helpful. My thrift store guide said that when I saw a Pep Boys location, I had found the shopping center. After driving around the parking lot for a while, I eventually found this elusive store tucked in at the end of the shopping center. Listening to all of the talk surrounding Super Thrift, I was expecting some hole-in-the-wall shop, but it was actually very large with a good number of people shopping. 

Left and Right: Alexandra Carlino

            Racks upon racks of clothing took up the inside. I didn’t know where to start, so I just went straight to the blouses and looked through each size. The thrifters who frequent this store say you really have to have the patience to look through all the items. For every five pieces of bad clothing, you’re going to come across one or two fabulous finds. The patrons crowding the aisles each had baskets full of clothing, shoes, and trinkets. I came across a woman, who told me her name was Irene. She had found 2 Express dresses for $3.50 each. They were each in great shape and were still in style. During my own sifting I found an Eileen Fisher blouse for $4.50, a Michael Stars blouse and dress for $2.95 and $3.50 each, and finally, a Hervé Chapelier bag for $6.25. Each of those items retail for at least $80 and above. I was amazed by the prices of everything. I could probably spend hours in this store and still not find every fashion gold mine hidden among the racks.

            Another woman, Meg, I spoke to said she comes to Super Thrift frequently. She once found a woman’s Calvin Klein Suit for less than $40. Meg’s friend Donna said she finds items here that she has sold online for 3 times the amount she paid for them. Super Thrift is a serious thrifter’s heaven. Many of the thrift stores I have more inventory in woman’s clothes than anything else. This store not only had a woman’s section, but men’s – girl’s – and boy’s as well. Shoes lined the top of the clothes racks.

            My advice would be come to Super Thrift if you have had thrift store experience. I was wholly unprepared for the sheer amount of inventory in the store. I also did not have the time to look through every single rack, which is what you have to do to be a successful thrifter. Super Thrift definitely lives up to the hype surrounding it. This is one Philly spot you don’t want to miss.