After a meeting at The Rocket on First & Cedar this morning I wandered into Fringe & Fray. Oh my gosh. What took me so long to check out this cute little place? Ah, who am I kidding? I know what took me so long. I was afraid of being disappointed.

Although I am a huge huge huge fan of resale establishments, I am not a huge huge huge fan of places that overprice their stuff or try to pass off sweat-stained, party-fouled, distressed-beyond-being-charming wares as “vintage”.

And, even though I’d heard good things about this new-ish downtown hand-me-down hotspot, I figured its location and outward appearance (have you driven/walked/biked past this place – so classy and eye-catching) meant that one glance at a price tag would send me into sticker shock. 

Oh, how I love it when I’m wrong! (For those of you keeping score, this barely ever happens.)

Turns out Fringe & Fray is just as easy-on-the-eyes inside, as out. The store is bright, spacious and organized. Walls are lined with hand-selected men’s and women’s clothes – classic and trendy garments that don’t require repair or fumigation before they can be worn.

After giving a rack of women’s skirts and slips a once-over (an appealing mix of current labels and vintage) I mustered up the courage to look at a price tag. I couldn’t believe my eyes, and had to look at another … $9, $7, $11 … REALLY? REALLY!!!

Displays of shoes, boots, hats, purses and jewelry – from kitschy to refined – share space with a few large pieces of vintage furniture and quirky home accessories, everything sporting those hard-to-resist price tags (most stuff is under $20!).

F&F has a buy/sell/trade program that helps keep inventory in flux. They’re particular about what they’ll buy and they don’t do consignment; to keep things simple, they give either cash or in-store credit for items they decide to accept for resale. In other words, if you don’t find what you’re looking for today, come back tomorrow. But keep in mind, since they resell at such great prices, you probably aren’t going to get rich cleaning out granny’s closet.

You'll find Fringe & Fray at 1325 W. First, one door west of The Rocket. If you plan to bring clean, well-maintained clothing or accessories to the store, call first to see if they're buying what you're selling: 509.720.7116. F&F is open Monday through Saturday, from 10 to 6.