Sweet Loraine's - Another Great Find!

I swear, Cleveland, Ohio has the best junk store shopping. Another great find, Sweet Loraine's (formerly Suite Loraine's) on Lorain Avenue! This place is really cool. It features clothing,  jewelry, furniture, collectibles, etc. I collect vintage toiletries (shave items, aftershave, lotions, hair tonics, medicinals) and have found great pieces at this place. http://www.sweetlorain.com/

Vintage and antique home furnishings monopolize the building with about half of the store featuring vintage clothing.  Vignettes throughout the store highlight women's dresses and hats, vintage toys, some super funky menswear (some of the stuff I've NEVER seen), jewelry all with seasonal (holiday) finds mixed in.
Tacky kitchenware fills shelves (much of which you will recognize from childhood) and vinyl records are filed, stacked and boxed for an afternoon of record shopping (remember records?)

The store has a new owner and all the guys running the joint that I've met have been great. These guys have some great items and price them accordingly...but, hey, you get what you pay for, right? Plan a vintage store road trip (or weekend) before the holidays and make this place a must see on your itinerary.
Allan

Chelsa Costumes 116th St., Cleveland, Ohio

This place will blow your mind! If you are into thrift store shopping for clothing, Chelsa Costumes is well worth the trip! Not only is this place a costume shop (yes, rentable costumes for parties, halloween, etc.) but you can also buy from their vintage clothing.

Firstly, the costume portion of the shop is unbelievable. If they don't have a costume that you are looking for, they will work within their clothing and accessories pieces to make you one! They can service an entire cast of characters for a theme party or group outing and their creative talents never cease to amaze me.

Secondly, the vintage clothing portion of the store is INCREDIBLE. The biggest collection of vintage clothes, uniform pieces and accessories that I have ever seen in one place (short of The Brady Bunch Movie). The building is two floors with vintage and costumes occupying the space next to each other.  The clothing is organzied by "type" and by gender. Rows...and I mean ROWS of dresses, blouses, pants, shirts, sport jackets are crammed TWO ROWS HIGH almost to the ceiling. Belts, shoes, hats etcetera are well represented too.

You gotta check this place out next time you are in Cleveland or just need a vintage packed road trip. While you are here, check out Flower Child on Clifton (about six minutes away) that I mentioned in my other post.  You'll have a blast.