Decades

Great little store. They are having a sale right now that is to die for. Owner knows her suiff and is even willing to dig around back for that something special you’ve been searching for. I am so coming back here :)

On principle, I’m very glad Decades has stuck around Commercial Street, since it seems to always be enduring an ebb-​and-​flow of thrift/​antique businesses. Things like Decades don’t often stick around for very long on C-​Street, but yet, Decades remains. Good thing, too, because thrift culture needs to be nurtured around these parts.
I’ve been to Decades a few times, and what I like about it is what Ginger A. pointed out: it’s all quality. It takes the severe inspection aspect out of thrift shopping if you’re not feeling up to the task, and the range of styles to be found are incredibly broad, from ladies’ ultra-​vintage lace to men’s tribal button-​ups. Decades also has a great variety of very cute, not-​clunky vintage or vintage-​inspired jewelry for ladies at very fair prices. The downside to the quality is the price ($ 8 — $ 15 per top, typically), as it’s not Red-​Racks-​on-​Sunday cheap, and that’s how we all like things to be. However, to me it’s worth it to pay a little extra for a local place that specializes in searching high and low for cream-​of-​the-​crop items.
Roshelle H. was accurate in describing the arrangement of all the store’s contents as thoughtfully sorted, which is always a nice touch and makes the thrifting experience that much more genuine; that being said, today I felt like I was searching through my grandmother’s attic, as much of the shelf items were covered in dust. This didn’t necessarily bother me, but maybe a squeaky cleaning is in order. I also picked out a few items that didn’t have price tags on them, so I didn’t have much of an idea of what I was going to pay until I got to the register.
Although I’m used to being in the nitty-​gritty of clothing thrift shopping, I had a fun time picking out Christmas gifts for friends and family at Decades today, and I’ve shopped for myself here too. It’s a great place to visit if you’re on the hunt for quality over quantity in vintage clothing.
Edit: There’s a cat here. And a little doggy. POINTS FOR PETS!

A little on the «fancypants» side for me. But that’s not saying anything — I am a lower end, thrift store shopper. This, on the other hand, is one lovely vintage store. You won’t be digging through a lot of bins — their stock isn’t cheap… but it’s clean, free from any holes or discoloration, and painstakingly displayed and organized. If you’re serious about a particular look or item from the past, you just may find it here. The staff seems knowledgeable. I was highly impressed by the conversation overheard between the young, metallic Lycra wearing clerk and several customers. It was very clear she knew her stuff thoroughly (eras, fabric types, etc).

Decades is a neat vintage shop for clothing and accessories. I didn’t see anything that was particularly my style, but I loved the atmosphere they had put together, and I’ll be happy to go back and look again. There was plenty of space to wander around, and you could tell they’d put thought into all of the décor. The young lady at the counter was very friendly, and I got to meet their tiny dog, who knew the trick «high five» — pretty adorable.