Aug. 31--PITTSFIELD -- No matter how you look at them, thrift and consignment shops are a way of recycling: recycling styles of yesteryear, recycling memories you inherently associate with certain articles of clothing and just plain recycling of cloth.

Whether you are going back to school, starting a new job or just excited for the cooler weather of fall, August and September usually include a little bit of shopping. Berkshire County has a wide range of used clothing stores, from the incredibly inexpensive to the pricey vintage couture.

"Would you wear it?" Rick Clayson, manager of Upstairs Basement in Lee, asks himself when deciding on pieces of clothing to sell on consignment.

"Does

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this piece have a history?" asks Petria May, owner of Petria Boutiq in Great Barrington.

Thrift and vintage stores offer a specific niche in the shopping arena: attaining an article of clothing you can be pretty sure no one else has. Each piece of clothing has a story, someone who wore it before you or someone who will wear it after you; a character, adding to the mystique.

Because there's some relief the economy might be getting better, said Clayson, the last couple of weeks have been crazy: "Credit card sales have tripled," compared to the beginning of June, which was one of the worst periods for sales in years.

There are different types of used-clothing stores. A thrift shop, explained May, is most likely reliant on

donations and usually associated with some sort of nonprofit organization. A vintage shop has a sense of "edit;" every piece is hand-picked, allowing the owner to tell you the story of each individual article.

That's not to say there aren't great finds in thrift shops, said May, but you wouldn't expect an employee at a thrift shop to know the background of each article of clothing in their store. "Vintage" usually means a piece is 10 or more years old.

For some shoppers, a thrift shop is a more economical choice. At first glance, Goodwill can appear daunting, with its rows upon rows of attire, but with just a little patience one might be surprised with what can be found for less than $10: a sexy black dress, comfortable work jeans or a light fall jacket.

Since 99 percent of the store's items are donations, said John Midula, director of Business and Operations of Goodwill Industries of the Berkshires, they are the livelihood of the store. The low prices bring a steady flow of clientele and have recently increased business, but donations have been shrinking, says Midula; people are holding onto their clothing for longer and holding their own tag sales. "We are a community based organization," says Midula, all the money Goodwill makes goes back into the community.

Even though there have been new faces in Goodwill, the effect of the decrease in donations is going to begin to show, and then people won't have the option of buying a button-down long-sleeve for the ripe price of $5.

At Upstairs Basement in Lee, clothing is sold on consignment, depending on the season and the condition of the piece. Right now, for instance, the store offers numerous casual sweaters, T-shirts, jumpers and cotton dresses, along with a few fur coats.

Greyhouse Gardens has been on North Street in Pittsfield for 29 years. The store is filled with antique wedding gowns dating to the 1800s, dresses, skirts and tops from the 1940s, '50s and '60s, books, jewelry and shoes.

Petria Boutiq in Great Barrington, on the higher end of both the fashion and price spectrum, has been featured in Vogue magazine, The New York Post, Berkshire Living and Essence. May, a former New York lawyer, is a walking example of the products sold in her store: chic, trendy and inventive. The store is made up of pieces that May calls "a reflection" of her own style.

If you want a new look for fall, pick your price range and go. If you are cleaning out your attic, donate. Or if you have your great-grandmother's wedding dress, put in a call, because it might be worth a whole lot more than you think.

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Copyright (c) 2009, The Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield, Mass.

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