I am sad to report that Steve Finberg, cofounder and longtime impresario of the MIT Electronics…read moreSwapfest, died on April 23, 2021. As it happens, I was just about to write him to ask what the plans were for reopening post-COVID. Steve was always in the public eye, enthusiastically promoting and administering the event, but was also an intensely private individual. His cheerful energy will be missed. The Swapfest was tentatively schedule to resume in mid-August 2021. Monitor the website for any updates.

Cool stuff, great prices. I got like 10 super cool antique radio switches for $5 and my friend got…read morea Leatherman for $3. If you've ever wanted to build your own radio, this is the place for you. There were also very cheap old PC components, perfect for restoration projects. There were fewer Apple components (as I would expect) but they were still very reasonably priced and in good condition for the most part. My only qualm was with the venders. For the most part they were kind and helpful, mostly nerdy in a charming way. There were, however, at least three instances where venders made very sexist, condescending remarks, such as "you should find a boyfriend who can teach you engineering," or "this isn't the place for a nice girl like you, with all these electronics!" Usually I could forgive this, and in all cases I informed them that I was in fact an engineer despite being a woman (a radical concept, I know), but in all cases, when I asked the prices of different components they gave me ones that were significantly higher than usual. I decided to do an experiment; I had my friend (a guy) go to one of the same venders and ask the price of the same component and the vender's price for him was lower (only by like two dollars, but still).

Finally checked out this spot after wanting to come for a long time. They have 5 floors of antiques…read morebelonging to many different vendors, so each one you walk through has its own style and character. You could spend hours here. They have everything, clothes, decorations, kitchenware, large furniture--basically anything and everything. There's elevators and they do have a parking lot although parking was tight and crowded. But it is also accessible by Lechmere station. We found some cool paintings and a decorative dish. I would come back here! You can pay by card and the workers were friendly. Some things were pricey but some reasonable, it depends on the booth you were purchasing from.

Pretty unique place. My top-tier chum who literally went to the school of hospitality and I came by…read morehere last Saturday afternoon, basically on the recommendation of my Lord and Savior Reddit as an indoor activity we could do before the Celtics game later in the evening. My chum is a big shopper and I like wandering around in life trying to find random objects to emotionally imprint on, so it was a good match. I was also impressed by the idea of five entire floors dedicated to this, which we didn't even come close to completely exploring. The negatives were minimal but significant - the market was insanely crowded, especially on the first floor, and it was teeming with Gen Zers holding out their phones, presumably ecstatic that they'd found juicy TikTok content for their cottagecore fans or whatever. It was a lot and difficult to navigate; we had to pause a lot to make our way through, though it wasn't quite as bad on the other floors. And I'm not sure there's a solution to it; what are you going to do, have a quota for the number of people in the building at a given time? That would just involve bottlenecking and customers standing outside in the cold. So just make sure you're caffeinated and mentally prepared for people. I grew up with a mother who spiritually lived in Jane Austen novels so antique shops were a way of life. They're not known for their minimalist interiors but this was a ton of stuff by any measure. I don't think I've seen this amount of clutter in a space that didn't give off massive hoarder vibes. And it sort of had themes; there were alcoves or little areas divvied off that were, say, more nautical items, or more outdoorsy forest items. I can't even imagine how they managed to even quasi-successfully organize this kind of inventory but it definitely helps a little. My chum knows my taste, or lack thereof, and located a masterpiece (attached) which will be displayed prominently in my kitchen. The quirky artwork was abundant, to say the least. She also spied a magnificent Saturday Evening Post with my BFF Nixon on the cover, which I will be framing shortly and adding to the fray as well. If you don't spend a solid 45 minutes in here and not find a few choice treasures to bring home, that's on you. I was also impressed that they had easy-to-find restroom facilities on every floor (or close to it), right by the staircases. Not only were they convenient bathroom options, but they worked well as de facto changing rooms (which my chum took advantage of when she encountered a wild flapper dress on one of the higher floors). There were a few employees roaming around for both assistance and I imagine, sadly, to minimize potential shoplifting but it didn't seem overly egregious and everyone I encountered first hand or second hand was very friendly. One of the highlights of the trip for sure - political bovine posters are hard to come by.

This thrift store has a little bit of everything you could possibly think of from an extensive…read morecollection of clothing, shoes, books, as well as some household items, frames, plates, cups, self-care items like lotions and soaps (some of which could make nice gifts), games, puzzles, and more. Their pricing is also very reasonable, for instance, a leather jacket in great condition was only $12 and a nice set of hand creams was $5. I'd definitely come back to spend more time to look through all the clothing.

No Parking if not aware, I'd call this more of a small thrift store , prices decent service not…read moregood ,dressing room situation laughable. Go to Salvation Army across street. It is a great shopping area !

I came here on a Sunday with my friend. We initially thought they were only open while the other…read morewinter markets were but there's a sign that said they're open every Sunday all year long. My friend is an avid thrifter and she immediately knew this store was legit. A lot of stores claim to be thrifty and vintage but sell mass produced clothing brands. This one had very unique pieces, the items were priced fairly, and among the chaos, there was some order to where things were placed. Some of the sections belong to different people so definitely make your way around the entire store. The staff is very knowledgable and friendly. I could spend hours here, but we had other things on our agenda so we window shopped for a bit, but will eventually be back to purchase some items.

This vintage market is a total treasure trove!…read more There is no better cure for the Sunday scaries then perusing trinkets with your besties in the South End. This market was stacked with jewelry, prints, clothing, cameras, vinyls, and so much more. The layout is a little overwhelming and hard to navigate with large influxes of shoppers, however, it does force you to stay put a bit and do a bit more digging in sections. The staff was super friendly, especially the gentlemen who checked me out. I ended up going with this $10 Charlie Brown coloring book page from the 60s which is a great deal!

Pretty sure I met the owner when I visited, super nice dude! Also the largest selection of VHS…read moretapes I've seen in a while, at good prices! Absolutely recommend this place, especially if you're looking for tapes.

Such a fun and funky shop and LOVE that they were open on a Monday as it's the only day I had to…read morePoke around! Great vibe and music and Pete was such a pleasure and shared great info!

This Goodwill has been in Davis Square for a very long time! I have been going for at least 24…read moreyears. It had has been remodeled. I remember it was a dark and dreary place years ago. Not anymore! The store is organized by color and the article of clothing. Makes shopping easy if you have a specific thing youa re looking for (ex. jean skirt) or by color but I find it better to organize by size. There were a few interesting finds on the floor such as Ugg boots, Hunter boots, name brand clothing. Stocked stoor! Clean. Lots of employees working to keep up with the commotion. Downstairs has home goods, toys, etc... I think maybe they art shouldn't be near the toys (see my photo.) But that's just my opinion. I can share I thought it was the best Good will that I have been to for: 1. displaying books 2. wall art (a lot of self painted canvases) I left with a cute little picture of a ghost on a swing. It was $7.99 which I did think was a little high but I just liked it so much I couldn't resist.

It's a Goodwill, which means you walk in with low expectations and somehow they still manage to…read moresurprise you. There's a ton of stuff. Clothes from every era, furniture that looks like it's been through a custody battle, and shelves packed with random objects that make you wonder who owned them and what went wrong. Variety? Absolutely. Purpose? Debatable. This location does seem a little too proud of some of its merchandise. A few price tags had me doing a double take, like... relax. This is still donated stuff. We're not at Sotheby's. It's an indoor yard sale with fluorescent lighting -- let's keep the pricing humble. Organization is loose at best. Racks are packed, shelves are chaotic, and finding anything specific feels less like shopping and more like rummaging through someone's basement while they're watching you. But honestly, that's kind of the deal. If it were tidy, it wouldn't feel authentic. It'd just feel wrong. You might find something great. You might leave with nothing but dust on your hands and questions about humanity. Either way, three stars feels fair.

This is an exciting new area in Central Square. Starlight's motto is "a parking lot for cars…read moretransformed into a place for people." I came by to buy groceries from H-Mart but instead was surprised to see a bustling new area with pop-up stores and live singing. It looked like there were a lot of local artists selling purses, clothing, and small crafts. While there weren't that many vendors on a Saturday afternoon (maybe five to seven), I was happy to see that plenty of customers were walking around and enjoying the music. I think Starlight has a lot of potential. I'm excited to see how the Central Square Farmers Market is incorporated into this space and whether this'll continue into the winter.

This is a great use of space! Having artful, social community gatherings is such a tremendously…read morebetter use of space than having this be a parking lot. I am so happy that this venue was created at just the right time, when more people needed a good outdoor space to hold events. The venue is really beautiful and well put together, and Michael and his wife do a great job with it.

Everything!!! The owner has an eye for fashion and good pieces. Every time I walk in I'm spending…read moreall my money. The prices are reasonable as well!!!

Good selection, great prices. Also, you don't have to wait to get into the dressing room. Highly…read morerecommended.

What a gem of a store!…read more It's a very curated vintage store. They have a really great collection of jewelry. I was particularly impressed with their ring selection. I have made two separate purchases so far and intend to come back again! Everything is super charming, like the drawer of "little guys" (photos attached!) For in store events they have a DJ playing records, you can shop, listen to music, and purchase a beverage to enjoy while you shop. The staff really care about what they do and it shows in the details.

As someone who really tries to buy second hand, even when on Newbury in the face of hot&new…read moreclothes, Vivant makes it super easy! Their selection is great, their staff is friendly, and the store lay-out is super logical. I ended up grabbing something from their jewelry selection--def worth a visit!

First time to Boston Public Market I usually go to Quincy Market when I'm in town, but it was…read morecloser to my hotel so I decided to have lunch here. It's a bit smaller than Quincy, but still had a lot of great shops. I ended up having tamales from Mr Tamole and Noodle lab. Bathrooms were clean and there was sufficient seating area.

A great place to find different good quality food and a great variety of other items. Seating may…read morebe limited at times as it gets very busy. We tried the lobster rolls at Red"s Best and food them to be fresh and delicious. We also tried some nuts and purchased some to take home. Excellent product.