Photo by Scorpions and Centaurs

Thrift shopping has been a regular outing for me since my college days in Chicago when I would ride my bike back from Unique Thrift to my Rogers Park flat with plastic bags full of pre-owned clothing swinging from the handlebars. Not only does a thrift shop offer low-cost goods, but a chance to update one’s wardrobe and home with a little flair from days gone by.

Yearning to find some cheap, funky pieces to enter the rotation of my work wardrobe, I ventured over to the Opportunity Shop at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church.
St. Alban’s is located next to the National Cathedral and their Opportunity Shop can be found through the Wisconsin Avenue entrance in the basement.

Run by the Workers of St. Alban’s, the shop does not directly support the parish, but makes a yearly donation to cover the cost of operating out of the basement. Proceeds from the thrift store benefit programs providing direct assistance to people in need.

Their mission statement, as published on the parish website is as follows:

“The focus of WSA is to support projects that alleviate human suffering and directly affect persons who are disenfranchised by poverty or underserved. We reaffirm our belief that as Christians, “our duty to our neighbors is to love them as ourselves and to do to other people as we wish them to do to us,” and “to seek justice, freedom, and the necessities of life for all people.”

The cleverly named Opportunity Shop was not rife with selection though the store was busy with about 10 or 15 other shoppers, mostly elderly women. Some fancy brand apparel could be found including suiting and dresses by Talbots, Jones New York and Brooks Brothers.

The store is among the smaller thrift shops I’ve visited, occupying about 500 square feet but it is brightly lit for a basement and is even outfitted with a dressing room. The goods are relatively well organized, however, searching for quality items is still a necessary evil. I tried on a hot pink blazer to find the lapels were covered in dirt and after about 20 minutes in the store my fingers had the familiar filmy feeling thrift shopping produces and my allergies kicked up.

That being said, I did find some “opportunities” at St. Alban’s in the form of two pencil skirts and a small, golden clock that looks straight out of the 60s and perfect on my side table.

The shop is open from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.