I visited Upshift for their Krazy for Kitties event. I saw on Facebook that you could play with kittens and get half off the swap fee, so that was enough to convince me! The swap fee is usually $20, so $10 was even more of a steal. The owner of Upshift, Lindsay, was there to give me a little intro to how things work. I liked the low-key feel of the swap, as in there's no one looking through your bag, and it's not an item-for-item swap. If you bring in two brown bags, you get to take home up to two brown bags! The store is pretty small, so having a bunch of people (and kittens!) in there made it a bit crunched, but everyone was polite and I felt like I had enough room. As usual with thrifting, you have to be ok with digging a bit for jewels. At first I wasn't sure if I'd find things in my size and style, especially since there were some teenagers there browsing with their moms! I wondered if I was too old to be there! But, after just a few minutes of looking through the racks I was able to find some nice pieces -- some casual, some professional, some nice brands. I think that as more and more people start swapping, the options will be even better. There are 2 dressing rooms that you can pop into to try things on, and the lighting and mirrors were great. I love the idea that you can just take something home to try it out, even if you're not sure if it's quite your style -- it doesn't add any cost, so why not? At the same time, it didn't bug me to put things back on the rack -- I was only paying $10 so who cares if it's just a select few items I take, it was still cheap. I also like that I wasn't pressured into taking as much as I brought to swap. I am trying to minimize a bit, so bringing more than I take home is actually quite nice! There is also an online swap available, which is a really interesting idea. Overall, I would come back here to swap. If I have a bag of clothes I'm giving away, might as well take a look for a couple of new-to-me items. read more

I love love love upshift. This review is long over due. So you need to bring a bag of clothes to give to them- they don't check that the clothes are nice or anything, but it's more of a community/sharing kind of place that I always try to give them good pieces not just junk. Then you can fill up that same bag with anything you might find in the store, and you pay the flat price of $20. I've been here 4 times and always loaded my bag with the most fun things. This is what I love--- When I go thrifting I'll often find fun things that I just don't know if I'll ever have a chance to wear, and I won't get them because it's not worth the money. But here- you can shove it in your bag and not worry about it because you're not paying per piece! All of the crazy things I've gotten are now my favorite things. I've gotten leather boots, 90s miniskirts, a pink denim rhinestone jacket, Levi's, and so so much more. The girls that work there are amazing and friendly. Seriously, I couldn't love a store more. read more

UpShift Swap Shop - This whole outfit came from Upshift! Top, skirt, boots, & belt! - Women's Clothing Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I'm not sure how to feel about this place. In theory customers are getting a great deal. I love the premise of the shop and it is cute! Parking is not so easy, but that's not the shops fault. I took 20 mins to browse the clothes and they weren't in that great of shape. 80% of the clothing was stained or heavily worn. There were some very old pieces as well. Overall, this is a great place to get a bunch of basics for a great price. I don't suggest looking for diamonds in the rough here. Bring clothes to swap!! Critiques for the business - IMO look at the other vintage clothes shops in the area. They hand pick the clothes and all of it is clean and in good shape. read more

10:10 am and the store is not open?! When I am planning my day and a store says they open at a certain time (10am), this truly doesn't help! I'm frustrated and feel this is time wasted. I have been here in the past, however, today's review is on today's experience or lack there of! read more

The concept is pretty cool. You trade clothes in and pay $20 to get the same amount of items in return for a fair deal. The staff were very kind and approachable. I do have a few critiques, however. A lot of the clothes are not very clean and are fairly well worn. Some things even have stains on them. I brought in nice, clean items that were gently used and not cheap. I was expecting to get a fair trade, especially since they are asking you for $20 in addition to your clothes. You don't have to pay $20 to go dumpster diving on Hippie Christmas. Or one may as well go to Dig and Save. You'd get a lot more with that same $20. Perhaps they should be more selective of what they accept and put on display. Having a lot to choose from means very little if the quality is not there. This could be a much cooler place. That being said there were some cute pieces and a wide inclusive size range. They gave me a coupon for my troubles, basically telling me it's hit or miss and that sometimes you can find better stuff. I am looking forward to going back. read more

I've found some fabulous gems @ Upshift (Lulu tank, Anthro dresses, cashmere sweaters) and the concept is super unique - bring in a bag of clothes you'd like to donate, refill your bag with their clothes, pay $20. It can be a bit overwhelming at first with the racks and racks of potential goodies, but everything is thoughtfully organized. The good stuff isn't going to jump out at you though, so be prepared to dig a little. They also offer discounted swap fees throughout the year and usually announce it on social media. Check it out! read more

A friend of mine organized a private party for us last night so we got to shop for just $10 and a bag of clothes. The way this works is, you pay a flat fee (usually $20), and you get to make an even exchange, e.g. bring in a bag of clothes for the store, then fill your empty bag with whatever is in the store. You can bring in up to 3 bags. We also got to pick through each other's clothes to fill our bag. It's a different shopping experience than going to a thrift store where items are individually priced. I find that in those situations, I have to really evaluate whether that item is worth the money I'm about to spend. I may like the item, but if it's not my style, is it worth the $5? At UpShift, however, shopping is kind of like a dig and save, but much nicer. The clothes are styled on mannequins and organized by color, and I can find a plain white shirt to go in my bag without worrying about whether the plain white shirt is worth the $3 that a thrift store might have priced it at and whether I can get a new one for the same price at Target. The price comparison is taken out of the equation which is nice, and it was nice to look at the mannequins for style ideas. Also, anything can go in your bag including purchases, shoes, and accessories. This is a great way to restock your entire wardrobe. Also, if you don't have enough items, they can hold items for you and you can come back at a later date and pay the fee. I'm looking forward to coming back and seeing what new items they have in stock. read more

I came by on a whim a few months ago to ask about how this place works, since I live within walking distance. They ran me through the whole deal, and even offered wine while I looked around! I came back about a month ago to swap, bringing a full laundry basket. I only found a few pieces I needed at the time, so they offered to hold what I found and if I frequented the shop, I could continue adding clothes until I got my laundry basket's worth. The lady working there is so nice, and very helpful! I will definitely be back to swap again soon! read more

The concept of this store is really cool. You bring in a bag of clothes (or if you only have a few items, you are welcome to bring those in too) and pay $20. Then, you get to fill up you bag with anything you want from the store. You get however much you bring. Upshift does not buy any product from outside vendor; all the merchandise in their store is from their customers. The store itself is very small and cramped. The clothes are very loosely organized by color and size. There are two changing rooms and not really a good way to tell if someone is using them or not. On the first Thursday of every month, they do a 2 for 1 special where if you bring a friend, she can get in for free (or you each pay $10). They do also purport to offer free Franzia to shoppers, although I did not partake. The selection is about on par with what you would find at Goodwill or St. Vinny's. If you bring in clothing/accessories and don't find anything that day or don't have time to shop, they will give you a credit that you can use on a future date. Worth checking out at least once. Buy local! read more

What a fun addition to the Madison resale scene! Love being able to share some items from my closet and exchange those with new favorites from someone else. Found a bunch of great jeans and a few cute tops. They even have wine to sip while you're browsing. Will definitely be back! read more

20 bucks gets you as much clothing and accessories as you can shove in a bag. Franzia box wine is there for you to sip while you shop. Great, simple concept, executed well... depending on who is staffing the shop. The owners are lovely, but there is one young woman there when I visited recently who was quite rude and had the music way too loud. I will avoid visiting if she is working. read more

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I love this place! It's an awesome deal! You bring in a bag or two of clothes and pay only $20! No tax or catch, just $20. While you shop you get to drink wine while you browse. The atmosphere is great! They light incense too sometimes which makes the energy in the place even more relaxing. Lindsey/ Dustin( the owners) are so nice! Jo is another co worker there and she's awesome! Moral of the story! I love this place! read more

Such a fun place. You can bring in a bag of clothes to "swap", then pay $20 to fill up the same bag with clothes and accessories. Pretty wide variety of styles and sizes, and sometimes some very nice items. Like any thrift-type store, it's the luck of the draw, but definitely worth a visit. read more

Man, I love Upshift. If you like trawling thrift stores for hidden treasure, you probably will too. Conversely, if you don't enjoy thrifting/don't have the patience for trawling through a lot of stuff to find those diamonds in the rough, you may not be satisfied here. How it works: you bring in a bag of clothes (and shoes, jewelry, bags, accessories) that you *would have donated to a thrift shop anyway,* and for $20 (sometimes less) you re-fill your bag with anything in the store, which is stocked entirely with other locals' donations. I've been about half a dozen times since the store opened, and never had a trip where I didn't find some combination of things to make this more than worthwhile. Some favorite finds include Madewell jeans, sweet vintage dresses and belts, Orthoheel sandals, Anthropologie and J Crew sweaters, and Badgers swag. Something I really like is that you can go through the racks and set things aside, which they will hold for you for up to a week; since there's so much turnover, if you come back days later, you will find even more. I did this once when I didn't find enough to fill my bag on the first try. You don't have to pay in advance, either, when you're doing it this way. A few other pluses: - Because the turnover rate is very high, there's always tons of new stuff - $20 for a bag of clothes is already lower than even most thrift store prices, but they also often run specials for $10 or $15 rather than $20- check their blog/facbook - Owner is very friendly & sweet - They post curated outfits and eye-catching new items on their blog and fb page. It's silly, but I really like when my donated items show up there. My clothes are famous! There are a few drawbacks, though. If you don't like looking through everything, you'll be frustrated. Lots of the stuff won't be your size, style, etc. The store is very small and crowded, which can get irritating if there are more than, like, 2 people in there-- though I believe they are moving in the next few months, so that should be taken care of pretty soon? A few other drawbacks: - As you would expect, quality is hit-or-miss; lots of cheap tween clothing (F21, Kohl's brands) and outdated/old lady stuff (90s businesswear). - THE RACKS. ARGH. They use bars hanging from the ceiling on chains, which they swing wildly when you look through them. Plus they're overstuffed, so things fall off the ends of the racks. They absolutely need to get new racks when they move. read more

This place is AMAZING. The concept is unique, affordable, and fun, making it the perfect way to recycle your old clothes and still leave with something new! The employees are warm and inviting; they are always up for talking style with you. The atmosphere is laid back and eclectic. I strongly suggest this place to anyone who enjoys the thrills of bargain shopping! read more

Cute place, very sweet owner. You can sip a little wine as you shop, too, which doesn't hurt at all. I was surprised how much great stuff I found here; I filled up a bag in no time. I'm almost a little sad to go back to Chicago after such a score. :) read more

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!!! There. I'm done shouting (for a little while anyway). Here's the deal: You bring in a bag (or two or three) of clothes that you are ready to part with and, for a 20-dollar exchange fee, you get to pick out things you like, and fill your bag(s) with an equal amount of items from the shop's totally awesome inventory of apparel brought in by other people. On one visit, I scored two really cool winter coats, about seven blouses, a pair of amazingly cool shoes, a handbag, and a skirt or two. . . All for twenty bucks! I shit you not! People compliment me on my clothes all the time, and often it's because I'm wearing stuff I scored at this hip joint. The staff are all totally chill. The shop owner is a total sweetie, and get this: They offer up a decent red wine so you can have a glass (or two) while you hang out and shop. What more can I say? It's "ladies" clothes only, but there are a lot of clothes that swing both ways, and I think there's nothing wrong with a guy in a sarong, so men might find something there too. Check it out. . . and you can cross the street and throw a little business to Cork and Bottle while you're in the neighborhood. That's another damn fine establishment worthy of your hard-earned dollars, but that's a topic for another post. Cheers! read more

You know how fun it is to go through a friend's closet, try things on, and swap a few outfits? That is what it feels like to shop at Upshift. All of the clothes are used, but in great shape. The owner has been in the fashion business for some time and has a great eye for quality and trends. Plus it really is an amazing value. You pay the $20 cover charge and walk away with bags of great clothing! read more

I really wanted to like this place because the concept is great. But I was extremely disappointed with everything about the shop when I went there last weekend. It is super tiny and cramped inside. I could barely move around. I expected the items to be of higher quality and in better condition than they were. The clothing was what you would find at an average thrift store; faded, used items that were low quality to begin with. I thought the clothing would be nicer since this place seems to cater to a classy clientele. Also, there were almost no items in my size (womens size 10). However, the styling on the displays was put together very well. I hope I was just there on a bad day, since the other reviews seem to be positive. But I won't be going back. read more

I love resale/thrift stores and I love cleaning out my closets. That being said I love the idea of Upshift. I do most of my shopping at 2nd hand stores and was excited to check this place out. Their clothing exchange concept sounds really cool and the pictures of their merchandise on Facebook looked cool. I walked in with 2 bags of clothing and walked out with nothing. Major disappointment, but I know customers are at the mercy of what's in stock and it changes daily. Got a store credit and plan on checking it out again soon. There were a few things that made shopping a little bit difficult though. The clothes are arranged by color so you have dig through everything thing to find your size. Also seasons are all mixed together so you will find sweaters hanging with tank tops or skirts mixed with pants. The clothes were also crammed on the racks making it hard to sort through and they also swung back and forth, which was a little bit dizzying. A lot of things were hidden too, like shoes on the floor under hanging clothes or stacks of shirts folded on a low a shelf not in eye's view. I know space is limited, but would be more shopper friendly if things were arranged by size and color along with summer clothes in one spot and winter clothes in another. In some ways it felt like shopping in a nicely decorated dig and save outlet. Bottom line, really neat store, just plan on allowing enough time to look through everything. read more

Love the concept of swapping clothes: so eco-friendly. A friend does a party there every time the season changes (4 times a year) and the owner charges $10 per person instead of the usual $20. Every time we have gone, my daughter and I have found a bagful of clothes. With no prices, I don't even bother trying things on. If they don't fit, I save them to donate next time I'm there. The owner Lindsay and the other women who staff the store couldn't be more helpful and help create a festive vibe. While some people have mentioned that semi-random organization of the merchandise by color, I've found it's also organized by size within each color scheme. Store staff are happy to help you take clothes off mannequins or reach items that are displayed high up. I can almost never find pants that fit, and have found my favorite 2 pairs there. Also have gotten belts, dresses, jackets: lots of work items, as well as costume-type stuff for themed parties. For those used to shopping retail, just a reminder that you can tell many items have been in storage and have a slight musty smell. I just wash everything before I wear them and no problems. read more

Okay, seriously, Upshift is THE coolest. Reasons why this is my (and will be your) new obsession: -You can feel good about donating your clothes PLUS you come home with a bunch of new clothes, for way less $$ than you could get them anywhere else. It feels like magic. It also feels a bit like stealing. This business model is the bomb. -Sustainability and all the good feelin's associated with it! Seriously, this shop (like any resale shop) offers such a wonderful way to reuse resources that are still totally usable. -Unlike other shops that let you sell your clothing, Upshift won't pick over or reject items that may be out of fashion or not up-to-par; instead, they will donate those items and still let you fill your bag back up as long as you've paid the flat $20 fee. -Free wiiiiiiiiine (on weekends) -No prices = no endless debating over what's "worth it" and what's not -- indecisive shoppers, rejoice :) -Ridiculously friendly and helpful staff -You can avoid giving your hard-earned money to big corporations who employ citizens of third-world countries to make their cheap clothing! End rant. But seriously, why not just use the clothing that's already out there and needs a good home? I could see where the inventory might feel a bit limited for some people, and some of the clothing was a BIT worn. HOWEVER: I ended up with 7 items of clothing that I was very happy with, for a total of TEN DOLLARS, since it was one of their special Sunday discount events!! I'm so surprised I don't hear more about this place -- I highly recommend it :) read more

LOVE this place!!! Any time I have clothes that I'm going to donate to Goodwill/St. Vinny's, I take them here instead. It's awesome to get new clothes in return for stuff that I was going to get rid of anyways. I've been here multiple times and I'm always surprised at how much great stuff I find! I seriously can't recommend this place enough, it is SO much fun! Plus the staff is frickin' awesome. read more