Buying Second-Hand in (and near) Gloucester

Whether you are looking to save money, to save the environment by keeping usable items in circulation, or to find vintage and antique treasures, buying (and selling) second-hand items is worth looking in to.  I’ve been particularly interested in buying second hand as I work to finish furnishing my new apartment without spending lots of money!

Fortunately, there are many places in and around Gloucester where you can buy good quality “pre-owned” items! Since I’ve been visiting most of them, I’ve realized that it might be helpful for other people to get an overview of what I’ve seen. So, I have decided to make a series of posts highlighting each of the ones I visit, giving you an idea of what they offer. They each have their own focus and character, some being more for the thrifty and others for treasure seekers who don’t mind spending more cash.

For starters, here is a list of the places I’ve found so far (although I haven’t visited all of them). Let me know if I’ve missed anything! I’ll start offering photos and a few more details about each place tomorrow. Note that some of these places (especially those attached to a religious organization) have very limited hours; I will do my best to get the full info as I review each place.

Starting with the center of Gloucester I have found:

• “Pearl’s” antique store (222 Main St., Gloucester)
• “The Sequined Fan” antiques and fashion accessories (220? Main St., Gloucester)
• “The Eco Boutique” consignment shop (in Brown’s Mall, 186 Main Street, Gloucester)
• “Stuff – old stuff, new stuff”, closing soon (161 Main St., Gloucester)
• “The Dress Code” consignment shop (159 Main St., Gloucester)
• “Main Street Arts and Antiques” (124 Main St, Gloucester)
• “Gabriel’s Limited” antique store (100 Main St, Gloucester)
• “Banana’s” vintage clothing (78 Main St., Gloucester)
• “St. John’s Thrift Shop” at St. John’s Episcopal Church (48 Middle St., Gloucester)
• “Junque and Disorderly Antiques and Collectibles” (57 Washington St., Gloucester)
• “Cape Ann Thrift Shop” affiliated with the Congregational Church, I believe (70 Middle St., Gloucester)
• “St. Vincent de Paul society” clothes closet, at St. Ann’s Church (Holy Family parish) (70 Pleasant St., Gloucester)
• “Past Present Shoppe” consignment store (30 Railroad Ave., Gloucester)
• “Second Glance” thrift shop (2 Pond Rd., Gloucester)
• “Bub’s Tool Consignment” (11 Pond Rd., Gloucester)
• “Annisquam Exchange” (32 Leonard St., Annisquam)
• “Thrift Shop” at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport (4 Cleaves Street, Rockport)

Who would have thought we would have that many consignment, thrift, and antique stores in such a small area?  And I am sure I missed some!  As I mentioned before, please let me know what I am missing from the list.

[UPDATE]

I forgot to include some specialty 2nd-hand stores:

For books, there’s:

• “Dogtown Book Shop”, all sorts of books “used and unusual” (132 Main St., Gloucester)

For music:

• “Mystery Train Records”, which sells LP’s and CD’s (21 Main St., Gloucester)

For bicycles:

• “Big Mike’s Bikes” sells new and used bikes (50 Maplewood, Gloucester) – Thanks to James Dowd for pointing that out!

– Matthew Green