Long annoying review!
For many many years I only used Jomar as an outlet for fabric - their selection is broad and varies often, and the prices are fantastic at best, reasonable at "worst" - you certainly get your money's worth. Be prepared to possibly have a wait - especially during a sale period. Jomar is the worst kept secret among seamstresses and tailors in the city (and out of state!) so when people are buying fabric it's not just waiting behind one person wanting a couple yards from one bolt.
The clothing quality and selection has increased and improved enough that I also started using Jomars for clothes shopping within the last three years - though I tend to wait for bag sales, the 2 for 5 sale that pops up in around Jan/Feb, and the occasional one day flash sales where they drop the price of a department or two to 1.00 per piece.
Keep in mind the pieces come from different possibilities: (this is my theory, anyway)
- overstocked turned clearance that another store is selling to the Jomar buyers, left over piece from Trunk Sale events (I didn't know what a trunk sale was until I apparently bought a $250.00 shirt for $6.99). These pieces are 100% fine physically, and their only crime might be that it's last year's Fall vs. this year.
- Damaged items that needed to be pulled from retail, Jomar bought all them too. It can range from a gargantuan tear in the bottom of an evening gown to a single mild pull in a sweater. A few years back the "broken zipper" rack was where a lot of folks skilled with a sewing machine or a needle could get 400$ coats for 14.99. These days I have the suspicion that a lot of retail stores are ending up with a lot more of these "damaged" items - once upon a time it was possible to haggle with a shop over a broken zipper, to get the discount at the original point of sale - but either people don't ask anymore or rules have changed about the discounting damaged clothing.
- Now they are carrying "Estate" clothing, which is second-hand. It seems to be primarily name brand fashion labels.
I started off shopping thrift/Jomars a few years ago because money was tight (hooray for random rent increases in Philly), and now I continue to do it because it simply makes more sense. Cheap clothing is cheap -- something at Wally World for 1.78 or 6.97 is not made out of fabric that can last very long. At Jomar is the best of both worlds - the clothing options are beautiful and of sturdy construction, and it's very inexpensive compared to original retail. As an example I own many many tank tops - I can get them at 1.78 or somesuch at a certain retailer and they'll be single layer, not the best quality fabric and may last a year at best, etc -- or I can buy them from Jomar and get "The Loft" tank tops for 1.99 Jomar's regular price (The Loft originally retailed between 14.99 - 44.99) - and they're not damaged.
Yes the stores are packed and look absolutely chaotic (though some of the stores are starting to sort racks by color, which adds a bit of organization and really helps display-wise), yes its a bit musty in some of them (especially in the summertime), but the point is to not pay for the ambiance in the shop, but to pay for the clothes.
Their motto is accurate. "It's all here - you just have to find it!" read more