Memorial Sloan-Kettering Thrft

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50sVintage

Joined 3 years ago

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Thrift. Like other reviewers, of course, I want to support the cause. Having said that, it's good to remember that many charities - for humans and for animals - maintain thrift or resale shops, operated entirely by volunteers. So buying willy-nilly at Memorial Sloan-Kettering solely because it's for charity is not something I do.

This shop has an okay to great selection depending on the time of year and other factors. Sometimes there are extraordinary fashion finds; other times, absolutely positively nothing whatsoever to get excited about.

Where I really differ in opinion from the other reviewers is that I have never in 20 years found a really, really great bargain here. I mean, dating to the early 90s, I recall paying many hundreds of dollars for designer gowns that easily would have sold on sale at Saks for EXACTLY the same price.

It also gives me no pleasure to report that 9 times out of 10 the sales people were rude and disdainful. I used to go out of my way to make trips to this shop in the hope of finding special things, but now I go only a couple times a year, only if I happen to be in the area. As an eternal optimist, I dutifully stop in, still hoping for that special find.

Conclusion: If you're thrift-store hopping, definitely stop by, but don't make an afternoon or day trip from a distant part of town with the expectation of getting a bang for your buck.

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Keith Wagstaff

Joined 8 years ago

Good karma and good deals abound at this Upper East Side thrift store.. In Short
Founded in 1946 as a way to fund the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, this modest looking store has some surprisingly fancy clothing. A small selection of brand new donated duds from big-name designers like Tory Burch and Carolina Herrera are available alongside a large collection of various donated men's and women's clothing and accessories, including plenty of high-end vintage culled from society closets. A mostly older clientele peruses the book selection or heads to the back room to check out the plastic-wrapped furniture and artwork for sale.

Hits: This is one of the best places in the city to find socialite-worthy clothing at reasonable prices, plus it's for a good cause.

Misses: Plain white walls and industrial grade carpet makes for remarkably bland decor.