Thrifty sartorial treasures hide in Williamsburg’s Beacon’s Closet

Walking up Bedford Avenue towards 11th Street, one can see bright pink shopping bags popping up with increasing regularity. This is a sure sign that Beacon’s Closet, the Williamsburg thrift haven, is near.

Last month, student clubs CU Couture, Hoot Magazine, and Green Umbrella brought the first “clothing swap” to our campus, but it’s a concept that Beacon’s Closet implemented years ago. The store’s buy-sell-trade policy offers sellers 35% cash back on the estimated value of items or 55% store credit—more than any other resale shop in the city. “If students are broke, they can sell without having to walk out with anything,” Carrie Peterson, store president and founder, said. “College kids need to save their money for weekends and for food.”

Peterson opened Beacon’s Closet in 1997. The store is her baby, “I thought that if I had a kid, I would have named it Beacon—poor kid—and since I wasn’t going to, the store would get the name.”

Since then, it has grown from a 900 square-feet boutique into a 5,500 square-feet vintage warehouse—a growth that’s right in step with that of its neighborhood. Peterson was originally attracted to Williamsburg’s “lawlessness and grime,” but after a building boom, it’s now family-friendly and filled with trendy restaurants.
As for Beacon’s Closet itself, the atmosphere is high-spirited without being hectic. Clothes are organized by popsicle-bright hues, kitschy music plays in the background, and even on a Saturday afternoon the line for the dressing room is polite, not pushy.

As is the case with most vintage shops, the merchandise has major ups and downs. The upside—the shoes and jeans finds. A pair of gold, lace-up, Frye ankle boots are $24.95—new boots are regularly upwards of $200—and Joe’s and APC jeans are also around $25. The downside—the promisingly large coat selection is more granny frump than winter chic. The bag and hat sections are also pretty bleak.

Surprisingly, the store’s highlight is menswear. The men’s alcove, half-dominated by the buying counters, is cleaner and quieter than the rest of the store. There are racks of inviting-looking winter jackets and pristine collared shirts in all sizes and brands, from Banana Republic to Barney’s, for $13.95-$16.95.

The store’s selection is big and, for some, overwhelming, but the prices are worth the extra digging. More exclusive vintage stores run prices in the hundreds, whereas Beacon’s Closet keeps the majority of its selection in the $10-$20 range. Nothing is over $50.

After a day of wallet-savvy spending, stop by the quaint red and white Penny Licks for a recession special of a “tiny coffee + tiny cookie”—it’s actually normal-sized—for $2. A thrifty shop-and-snack combo makes for a laid-back Brooklyn kind of an afternoon.

Beacon’s Closet, 88 N. 11th St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Open Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Penny Licks, 158 Bedford Ave., Williamsburg, Brooklyn.