KATHY SCHULTZ
Find illuminating deals at Seattle Lighting Clearance Outlet & Distribution Center.
|
Oct. 27, 2009
Local bargain shopping
Looking for bargains isn't just about stretching your dollar. It's also a chance to flex those primitive hunting instincts, the ones you don't get to use when everything in a store is new and perfect. Compare prices, notice quality, do some legwork -- you (and your wallet) will be extremely glad you did.
Best Kept Secret
(Kirkland)
This sample sale shop features prices slightly over wholesale cost for the same items you see in department stores and boutiques. Local sales reps resell their unused samples here, including everything from lingerie to golfing togs.
Betty Lin
(Pioneer Square)
Love labels but not the price tags? This shop is filled with past-season runway labels such as Valentino, Guy LaRoche, Dolce & Gabbana, Stella McCartney and many others for 60 to 75 percent off retail prices.
Beyond Threads Outlet
(Pioneer Square)
Almost all the women's clothing here is manufactured in Peru from alpaca wool, wool blends and pima cottons. The shop is full of current- and past-season samples and production pieces.
Big John's PFI
(South Seattle)
The outfit that brings beloved kalamatas and high-end marmalade to shops and restaurants all over Seattle has its own retail outlet where you can let your gourmet dreams run wild.
Broadway Boutique
(Capitol Hill)
It has great floral and animal print stretch capris for around $20 and low-cut disco jumpsuits.
Buffalo Exchange
(University/Montlake)
One of the city's largest buy-and-sell used clothing boutiques, with a huge selection of tank tops, going-out clothes and your occasional full-length fuzzy neon-green coat.
Carpet Liquidators
(Georgetown)
This humongous warehouse has up to 70 percent off on all kinds of flooring including area rugs, carpet, vinyl, laminate and hardwood for residential and commercial purposes.
Chocolati Factory Outlet Store
(Green Lake)
Chocolati's truffles are hand-dipped, and each decadent bite is made locally with all-natural fresh ingredients and fair trade chocolates from Belgium, Ivory Coast, Peru and various parts of South America.
Cotton Caboodle Outlet Store
(Queen Anne/Seattle Center)
You'll save oodles at this factory outlet store for baby and kids clothes where everything is 50 percent off the retail price or less. Prices are wholesale or below for past-season merchandise samples and overruns.
Crossroads Trading Co. (Capitol Hill)
(Capitol Hill)
This California-based trading company has made an art of buying and selling clothes.
Deluxe Junk
(Fremont)
The name is a bit of a misnomer — there's not much junk here; it's more like a retro treasure hunt for those seeking fabulousness.
Designer Fabric Liquidations
(Capitol Hill)
This Capitol Hill shop is the place to find remnants and overstocks of high-end designer home fabrics at a fraction of designer prices.
Everyday Music
(Capitol Hill)
This Northwest chain is as good as its name: It serves your everyday music needs, and serves them well. Their selection of used CDs and DVDs is extensive.
Funky Jane's
(West Seattle)
Funky Jane's consignment boutique is known for its fashionable styles and real-woman sizes.
Gasoline Alley Antiques
(Ravenna/Roosevelt)
Gasoline Alley's Keith Schneider and Liz Cormier describe themselves (on the store's suitably retro Web site) as "purveyors of Cultural Ephemera from the 1880s thru [sic] the 1980s."
Gentlemen's Consignment
(Madison Park/Madrona)
The shop carries a range of men's upper-end conservative and designer clothing and accessories, all less than two years old.
Golden Oldies
(Wallingford)
Golden Oldies is something of a hidden gem. Not too far from Dick's in Wallingford, this small, humble shop buys and sells records -- the kind made of vinyl -- as well as CDs and tapes, those quaint vestiges of the pre-digital age.
H&M (Downtown)
(Downtown)
The Swedish retailer known around the world for trendy, affordable fashion for men and women inhabits the former Kenneth Cole space at Fifth and Pike.
H&M (Southcenter)
(Tukwila)
The trendy chic and incredible prices of Swedish clothier H&M occupy a sprawling two-story space in the renovated Westfield Southcenter. Two more locations (Downtown and U Village) opened in fall 2008.
Half Price Books (Capitol Hill)
(Capitol Hill)
The price of learning is always high, but sometimes you can shave a few bucks off the top by shopping at this chain. Check out an enormous stock of books, both new and old, priced far below retail.
Hanna Andersson Outlet Store
(Woodinville)
This Eastside outpost sells children's soft cotton dresses, skirts, tops, bottoms, jackets and sleepwear inspired by its founder's Swedish heritage.
IKEA
(Renton)
You can say what you will about IKEA's style, aesthetics and meatball-slinging cafeteria -- but the fact is, this warehouse-sized operation is a great place to get modern furnishings, houseware and decor on a modest budget.
K&G Men's Superstore
(Tukwila)
K&G's prices for men's work and dressy club clothes are tough to beat. Evidence of this store's success is in its hours: K&G is only open Thursday through Sunday.
Kasala Outlet
(Sodo)
Modern furniture aficionados frequent this warehouse outlet in Sodo often. Stock changes frequently and sells fast at 10 to 75 percent off retail prices.
Lenny's Produce
(Greenwood/Phinney Ridge)
Whole Foods this is not. Lenny's is, however, a frequent destination for bargain-hunting food shoppers who don't need every zucchini, apple, and green bean they lay eyes upon to be pristine.
Nordstrom Rack (Downtown)
(Downtown)
Name-brand coats and jackets can be shockingly cheap and the shoes are particularly fun.
Outdoor Research
(Sodo)
This local outdoor gear manufacturer has a retail store that includes a large sale section of close-outs, seconds and past-season clothing and gear.
Pacific Coast Feather Co. (factory store)
(Downtown)
For budget bedding, there's not much better than the Pacific Coast Feather Company factory store in the Sodo district. You can get a high-quality comforter here for anywhere from $50 to $220 and feather pillows for $12 and up.
Pacific Fabrics & Crafts Outlet
(Sodo)
This is a great place to get discounts on fabrics, notions and more for all kinds of crafting needs, including drapery, costumes, quilting, needlepoint and more.
Plato's Closet
(Tukwila)
Fashion-conscious teens and young adults would do well to put Plato's Closet — where they can unload clothes for cash and pick up trendy, gently used items for cheap — on their regular shopping agenda.
RE-PC
(Sodo)
Looking for computer parts at low prices? Visit this huge computer recycling operation.
Recollection Used Books
(Ravenna/Roosevelt)
This used bookstore shares its current location with Horizon Books.
Rising Sun Farms and Produce
(Ravenna/Roosevelt)
If you don't mind moving aside a couple of bruised fruits or vegetables to get to the perfect one, Rising Sun is a great place to shop for produce.
Sansaco Furniture Distribution Warehouse
(Tukwila)
Low overhead, a wide array of offerings, word of mouth and an inexpensive ad in the Yellow Pages have been the equation for this Steady Eddie outfit located in an almost secret location in the Tukwila furniture district.
Seattle Goodwill Outlet
(Sodo)
Think you'll find good prices at Goodwill? Try the 16,000 square foot outlet. Everything is given one last chance to sell, and prices are dirt cheap.
Seattle Lighting Clearance Outlet & Distribution Center
(Sodo)
Save up to 80 percent off retail prices on table lamps, bathroom bars, stained-glass styles, sconces, ceiling fans, lanterns, outdoor lighting and more.
Seattle Premium Outlets
(Marysville)
Peruse more than 110 designer and name brand outlet stores featuring Coach, J.Crew, Kate Spade, Restoration Hardware and more. Find everyday savings of 25 to 65 off regular store prices at this open-air shopping center in Tulalip's Quil Ceda Village near Marysville.
Seattle Restaurant Store
(Shoreline)
With its 20,000 square feet of new and used kitchen equipment, this is a playground for the pros. Visit and you'll begin fantasizing about opening your very own bistro in no time.
Second Ascent
(Ballard/Crown Hill)
The prices for used sporting goods here range from "That's reasonable" to "Are you serious? I'll take five." Great buys on skiing and climbing equipment as well as an extensive array of bike components, helmets, shoes, tires and so on.
Second Use
(South Seattle)
Here, where the thrill of the hunt leads to treasures untold, recycling is what it should be: a second chance for cast-offs to find aesthetically pleasing new lives.
Trendy Wendy
(Capitol Hill)
If you're tired of paying exorbitant prices for up-to-the-minute fashion, try this shop for trendy coats, dresses, skirts and pants that rarely exceed $50 and usually sell for much less.
Votivo Ltd.
(Sodo)
You know those yummy smelling Votivo candles in dozens of scents at better gift shops in town? This popular candle maker is the place for deals on discontinued scents, samples and seconds, as well as lots of molded candles manufactured for other retailers.
Wine Outlet
(Sodo)
Owner and wine expert Richard Kinssies will help you find excellent vintages at discounted prices, many at 30 to 60 percent off retail.
|
|
|
