Dean B.
Yelp
Do you ever wish you could give reviews based on how your 15-year old former self remembers a place? When I used to visit the Loop as a young'n, Rag O Rama (now Avalon Exchange) seemed like the coolest place in the world. It's where the cool kids bought all their raggedy clothes. Old band t-shirts, perfectly ripped jeans, old school Nike sneaks, everything a wannabe cool kid would want, and cheap enough that a weekend's worth of work could buy you an "authentic" outfit.
Judged by my standards back in those days? Avalon is a five star business, hands down. It represented everything I wanted to be. You want to shop where the hip people shop? Avalon. It's where the cute alternative girls were, and where all the grungy dudes bought their Nirvana tees. Back then, it represented more than just a clothing store. It was everything I wanted to be, but never could.
Flash forward to current day, and I realize that I grew up, but Avalon never did. Surprisingly to this day it's still about the same as it was...a second-hand clothing store for teenagers. You can still find old band t-shirts, perfectly ripped jeans, and old school Nike sneaks, but it doesn't quite feel the same. The place is overrun with Wash U undergrads and West Co teenagers who want the same thing that I wanted all those years before...a place to belong.
As far as clothing selection is concerned, well, do you want trendy or do you want vintage? Because I'll tell you that while there's a little bit of the former, there's virtually none of the latter. This is NOT the type of place to buy a vintage dress from the 50's, or get an authentic LV bag. This is the place to buy clothes sold by people slightly cooler than you, because they in turn have already moved onto something even cooler. The people who sell here are primarily rich college kids, not people cleaning out their grandma's closet. So whatever rich college kids wear nowadays, picture that.
The name of the game here is volume, and lots of it. Clothes move in and out here at a crazy pace. Sure there are a few gems, but you have to dig deep and be fast. Prices are generally reasonable, assuming you don't mind spending $15 for an old ratty t-shirt or $30 for a pair of shoes that probably would have been better looking 2-3 years ago. The prices for better stuff can be very high, after all, trendiness comes with a price.
If you're looking to sell things, unless you're a fashionista or like to hit up the clubs with daddy's credit card, you might as well forget it. There's always LOTS of people trying to sell their clothes, and everyone thinks their clothes are sellable. (Hint: they're not). Decisions on whether to purchase are made entirely by the uber-hip tattooed girls behind the counter. And as a person who used to pursue tattooed girls I can tell you this: Nothing is good enough for them. Often times, it's not even worth the wait and nuisence to sit there while someone judges your wardrobe right in front of you. My dignity isn't worth much, but it's worth more than that.
If you are in fact, a person aged 14-22, I'd probably bump my rating to a 4, just because it's a cheap alternative to the mall, and the selection does largely reflect what teenagers wear. If you're in the mood to remember what it was like to live in that age range (or if you really want to spend $15 for a re-printed Ramones shirt), Avalon is the place for you. But if you're like me and have burned every photo from your high school yearbook, there are plenty of other alternatives to pick up 2nd hand duds.
