Wear It Again Sam

I think this store has closed? I went there yesterday and it’s now called «Replay on 19^th».

Of all the secondhand and vintage shops in this area and possibly in the city, Wear It Again Sam wins hands down. It’s not only filled with hats, purses, jewelry and lots of beautiful clothing, it also has an array of fun knicknacks for decorating your retro household. Like any vintage store, not everything is going to be to your liking and you’re going to have to dig to find something in your size and taste – but when you do find something, it really is something special!
Part of the 19^th Street network of little boutiques and resale shops, Wear It Again Sam’s store carries both vintage clothing as well as fun handmade items and random curios and housewares. On my visit today I encountered a set of four adorable juice glasses with a pink and green printed pattern, a vintage cardboard sign informing me that it was «the law» not to sell drinks on credit, a ceramic pheasant, and an ashtray from the old Felix restaurant that kind of made me wish I was a smoker. I was captivated by their selection of beautiful vintage earrings, though you have to be prepared to settle for clip-​ons if you have an eye for the 1940’s and 50’s like I do, as it seems that pierced ears weren’t as common back then.
Upstairs is a claustrophobic little room filled with their sale items that’s kept at about thirty degrees warmer than downstairs. I’m 5’2″ and I felt like I might scrape my head on the ceiling, so you KNOW it’s small then. We stumbled on a LOL-​inducing two boxes of laserdiscs up there, as well as some 8-​tracks and VHS tapes (are those really considered «vintage» now? Daaaang).
I rarely walk out of shops like this emptyhanded, especially as Wear It Again Sam has more pieces from the 1950’s than most stores. My find this time around was a fantastic navy blue shirtdress with button details which fits me like a glove. I absolutely love it, and I love Wear It Again Sam too! You can bet money that I’ll be back for round two very soon.

WIAS is my favorite vintage store in Houston, hands down. There is a LOT to look at from the 50’s-80’s, but the best thing about it is the staff. They are very helpful and sweet, and they KNOW their vintage. I think it’s important to point out how helpful the staff is because it can be intimidating to find things in a vintage store. Unlike the place down the street where you’ll get a shrug, or «just dig» if you say you’re looking for a particular kind of piece, the staff at WIAS will pull things off the rack and keep digging for you. For that, they get my business first and foremost! They have a well curated selection of hats, purses, jewelry, dresses and even cool decorative stuff for every kind of vintage lover. I’ve treasured every piece I’ve ever gotten from here, and I wish I could give them more stars!

If this store had a theme song, for me it would be «Pretty in Pink» by the Psychedelic Furs. I bought a dress here (well, when the store was still in a house on Westheimer in Montrose) for a dance in highschool (no, not prom). Pink. Halter-​top. Embroidered organza. Cute, unlike the one Molly «made» in the movie.
When I moved back to Houston, I was so glad to find it had not closed, just moved. And even better, to one of the best shopping streets in Houston: 19^th street. Since then, I have frequented the shop often. Actually, I think the scarf I’m wearing in my pic is from here. They have really cute clothes, but even better accessories: hats, purses, jewelry, and shoes. Lots of knick-​knacks.