rev:text
| - I'm back! The last time I was here I did not have a good experience, as my previous rating will clearly show. I honestly didn't think I'd ever return here. Then it was brought to my attention that some Yelpers, well...let's just say they thought I deserved to give the place another chance. So I decided I would.
The place has honestly made a 180-degree change from when I was last here. I didn't even mention in my last review that the floors were a mess and the paint on the walls was chipping horribly - but fortunately that's all been fixed and a new layer of paint gave the place a totally different look. Various decals are up on the walls now to add some personality to the place, too. Plus the racks were much easier to navigate, and I wasn't constantly tripping around the store. And unlike last time there was music pumping out over the speakers...although - and this is definitely personal taste talking here - I have to be honest, curse words and racial slurs just don't do anything for me, so I can't say I enjoyed everything being played musically during my visit.
Anyway, not only does the store physically have a new look but the items available have also changed; last time I was here it was 50% newer stuff, 50% old stuff. Now I understand why some people were getting mad that I was calling the place a thrift store - since my last visit the store has received and collected far more vintage merch to sell. No wonder it's become so popular. (Granted, I'll still be referring to this shop by what's it classified as right on Yelp itself: Used/Consignment/Vintage.)
The quality in what I found also skyrocketed from fairly worn and torn since my last visit. I even found some items I wanted to try on this time, and left with one of them - unfortunately as I'm sure fellow shoppers will understand, sometimes the items that fit your personality just don't fit your frame.
So would I put this store on the same level as some of the 'Burgh's vintage boutiques? No, but I think a comparison of their racks would quickly reveal that they're not meant to be on the same level. Clothes Minded is, after all, a Used/Consignment/Vintage store, and a unique one. It's meeting a specific local demand and it's on its own level - a level that has vintage/used clothes available for used store pricing in a store that has a thrifty feel to it.
If I could give the place a 3.5 rating, I would - 3.5 accurately sums up my experience after taking the music into account: more than a-ok, not quite enough to get me to want to come back in the near future. But now I will definitely consider stopping in the next time I'm in the area, and with a few more successful shopping trips I may finally be persuaded to join the hardcore fan category. Hopefully that potential and my new rating is enough to get me removed from the "frumpy idiot" list! :)
|