Shopping for clothes, but not at chains?

Truly Rhe exteriorJennifer asks via Facebook:

Can you guys recommend clothing stores in the area that aren't part of big national chains? I'm trying to shop local as much as possible these days, and that seems especially hard to do with clothes.

There are options -- places such as downtown Troy and downtown Saratoga include a handful of local clothing stores.

So, any suggestions for Jennifer about which shops to hit up? Or maybe tips about how to shop local stores for clothes?

Comments

Violet's of Saratoga!!!

Stuyvesant has some nice stores in Albany. Great Finds in Valatie has a small but thoughtful & tasteful selection (plus lots of other great stuff as the name implies.

How local do you want to go? The Hudson-Mohawk Weavers' Guild is having their annual sale now through Sunady at the Pruyn House. Plenty of jackets, shawls, scarves and accessories, all made by guild members.

Otherwise, maybe try Circles or Evoke Style in Stuyvesant Plaza, or White Rice in Hudson.

Downtown Troy is the answer to your question:

Truly Rhe
Some Girl's Boutique
Aurora's
Captain Denim
Counties of Ireland

and plenty of others, the names of which are escaping me at the moment.

Piper's in Saratoga in the winter has some nice things for both work and play. Summer tends to be a little less adult focused wear.

It may not be quite what Jennifer had in mind (or it might!) - but another way to shop local is to shop from second hand / consignment stores.

Here's an old post from a few years ago w/ some suggestions of consignment stores.. http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2010/11/02/consignment-shops-for-professional-clothes

DeAnna's in west sand lake http://www.deannasgiftsandclothing.com/

Definitely Truly Rhe and Some Girls in Troy! Then go to Anchor 5 Boutique for more acessories and bags!

Saratoga Filly! It's a brand new local company that sells apparel and accessories online (www.saratogafilly.com).

Some Girls in Troy is good enough to command at least 5% of your annual salary. And they carry American Apparel. And they have a bright, shiny new store on River Street.

http://www.somegirlsboutique.com/

Ekologic (from Troy) makes wonderful hats, scarves, gloves, sweaters from recycled cashmere. Pricey, but Christmas gifts don't get more perfect. It's cashmere, it's recycled, it's from our backyard:

http://www.ekologic.com/

okay, so don't know if this can be considered "local", but you might want to try Clothes Mentor and/or Plato's Closet. The franchises are owned by local folk, and at the very least you'd be recycling clothing that might otherwise be tossed out (if people weren't inclined to donate it.)

It's both shocking and exhilarating when you browse the racks and see just how many of the items still have store tags on them....

Ah yes, clothing and shoe shopping in the capital region has always been difficult.

If you want to take a nice drive, North Hampton, Mass has great shops for every style and budget.

http://visitnoho.com/Shopping/index.html

Ekologic in Troy is fabulous. The designer Kathleen Tesnakis creates one of a kind accessories and clothing for both men and women. The pieces are high end, but they are things you will have and wear for years. I have a hat I bought 10 years ago, I wear it all of the time and it's as nice as the day I bought it. :)

the Sweater Venture at 700 Columbia Turnpike is an awesome store that deserves its own article here someday. It is the storefront for an operation that works with cooperatives in Ecuador, Nepal, Bolivia and other countries to produce high quality hand knits in wool, cotton, and alpaca. They have expanded beyond that mission statement to include items in silk and fabulous clothing from Canada. Owned by a local couple who were Peace Corps volunteers 25 years ago and now supply high end stores across the county with hand knit items. This is the only retail outlet. http://www.sweaterventure.com/

Glens falls Shirt Factory has tons of local crafters - good chance of some clothing there. Check it out anyway - it is really cool and a great source for local, handmade gifts.


http://shirtfactorygf.com/events

Another option is going to a local designer, like Antoinette at Cinderloop: http://www.cinderloop.com/ . I know that she often sells at crafts shows, and she is usually willing to have people come to her studio to try on clothes.

Wow, people actually can be picky about clothing stores. I grab everyting that fits my body which isn't much because of a well-defined waist. I have hard time finding pants that don't fall off and tops that can't double as parachute.

I am a big fan of Yellow Boutique in Saratoga; it has been a while since I've been up there, come to think of it ...

Peter Harris

I'm the Jennifer who asked the question, and just wanted to say thanks to everyone who had suggestions. I'll check them all out.

I already do a lot of my clothes shopping at thrift stores, which works great for shirts and coats and pretty well for jeans. It works less well for dressy clothes, but sometimes I'll find good stuff. In addition, most of the non-chain places that I already knew about seem to specialize in more formal stuff, so I usually manage OK on the rare occasions I need that.

The parts of my wardrobe I have the most trouble finding at locally owned stores are socks, undergarments, and (to a lesser extent) shoes. Any suggestions for those?

Hi there. Comments have been closed for this item. Still have something to say? Contact us.

The Scoop

For a decade All Over Albany was a place for interested and interesting people in New York's Capital Region. It was kind of like having a smart, savvy friend who could help you find out what's up. AOA stopped publishing at the end of 2018.

Recently on All Over Albany

Thank you!

When we started AOA a decade ago we had no idea what was going to happen. And it turned out better than we could have... (more)

Let's stay in touch

This all feels like the last day of camp or something. And we're going to miss you all so much. But we'd like to stay... (more)

A few things I think about this place

Working on AOA over the past decade has been a life-changing experience for me and it's shaped the way I think about so many things.... (more)

Albany tightened its rules for shoveling snowy sidewalks last winter -- so how'd that work out?

If winter ever gets its act together and drops more snow on us, there will be sidewalks to shovel. And shortly after that, Albany will... (more)

Tea with Jack McEneny

Last week we were fortunate enough to spend a few minutes with Jack McEneny -- former state Assemblyman, unofficial Albany historian, and genuinely nice guy.... (more)

Recent Comments

My three year old son absolutely loving riding the train around Huck Finn's (Hoffman's) Playland this summer.

Thank you!

...has 27 comments, most recently from Ashley

Let's stay in touch

...has 4 comments, most recently from mg

A look inside 2 Judson Street

...has 3 comments, most recently from Diane (Agans) Boyle

Everything changes: Alicia Lea

...has 2 comments, most recently from Chaz Boyark

A few things I think about this place

...has 13 comments, most recently from Katherine