In a perfect world we would have our Halloween costumes picked out and ready to go the first of October. But we all know it rarely works that smoothly. Kids go off to school and faster than the leaves turning from green to gold, we’re days away from Halloween and the costume racks at the store are picked clean.
For those of us left scrambling at the last minute to pull together an impressive costume, there are options that don’t involve that one and only banana costume three sizes too big left in the store (unless a banana costume is your jam in which case go for it! This is Halloween after all!)
It’s time to go thrifting!
Thrift store shopping for grown-ups conjures memories of going to your grandma’s attic as a child and trying on all her vintage clothes. If you are willing to have a little creativity and patience, there are so many fantastic and affordable options in the Twin Cities to pull together a winning costume.
Here are some of our favorite Twin Cities Thrift and Vintage stores:
Arc’s Value Village | Multiple Twin Cities Locations
This thrift store is always my go to, not just for Halloween but for year round shopping. They curate the selection so well in a beautiful and welcoming environmental, offer amazing prices and ongoing deals, and benefit a wonderful cause benefiting children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families. Their Halloween section is always inspiring this time of year, but you might even find something you didn’t know you needed in the everyday racks.
Savers | 8401 Tamarack Road, Woodbury, MN
A friend and I will regularly go on shopping dates to this huge thrift store in Woodbury. I never walk away empty handed. If you are outfitting multiple people in your family this might be the best trip to cover it all at once.
Ragstock | Multiple Twin Cities Locations
If costume inspiration is what you seek, look no further than this costume store selling both new and vintage costume needs. With 15 different locations in Minnesota, you are sure to find a store near you to outfit your dress-up ideas. You might even walk away with a vintage Christmas sweater and be ahead of the game for the next season!
The Sisterhood Boutique | 2200 Riverside Ave, Minneapolis, MN
At first glance you might mistake this thrift store for a high-end boutique. In fact it’s a well curated selection of clothing at amazing prices through a program developed by East African Women living in Minneapolis’s Cedar-Riverside Neighborhood. The program offers business and leadership experience for young women in the community, with the goal of ensuring all local girls have opportunities after high school. Amazing shopping for a great cause is the best combination.
Vintage Fall Crawl | Multiple Twin Cities Locations
If vintage shopping fits the bill for your costume needs, then you will be excited to hear about an amazing event going on right now through November 21–The Vintage Fall Crawl. This event features twelve prominent women-owned vintage shops throughout the Twin Cities. From October 1st through November 21st, purchase a $10 Vintage Fall Crawl Passport and receive a one-time 15% off discount at each participating shop in the crawl. In addition to supporting these local women owned establishments, 100% of the proceeds from the Vintage Fall Crawl Passport sales will be donated to Women’s Advocates, an organization in Saint Paul that creates a path to self-sufficiency for women leaving abusive relationships.
Visit the Vintage Fall Crawl website for listings of all participating stores. For costuming specific needs, check out these stores:
Tandem Vintage | 316 W 38th St, Minneapolis, MN
Rewind | 2852 Johnson St NE, Minneapolis, MN
Moth Oddities | 2201 2nd St. NE Minneapolis, MN
Up Six Vintage | 189 Snelling Ave, St Paul, MN
Everyday People Clothing Exchange | 1599 Selby Ave, St Paul, MN
The Golden Pear Vintage | 507A E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN
We know there are so many more hidden gems for thrifting and vintage shopping in our area. What are your favorites?
