Back to School Used is the new new

Al Gore said it was good to recycle, and look what it got him: a Nobel Peace Prize. If you want your own do-gooder recognition, then hop on the Reuse Express, Thrifty Scholar, and start investing in secondhand threads, retro throwbacks, and hand-me-down books, music, and transport. First stop: these Twin Cities spots for superior vintage wares. Second stop: Oprah’s house for a celebratory dinner.

Clothing
TattersStacy SchwartzTatters Clothing
The best Twin Cities vintage clothing stores tend to be more fluent in women’s wear, but Tatters is the exception, providing a unisex shopping experience that caters particularly well to hipsters and/or wannabe rockers regardless of their reproductive organs. Tatters has an impressive collection of cowboy, go-go, and Dr. Martens boots, and some of the biggest and baddest belts north of Texas. A sunglasses collection as intense as UV rays themselves, classic band shirts, leather, pleather, and (very) hot pants make the unfortunate parking situation worth bearing. Because Tatters’ goods tend to be quality, there’s a chance you’ll go over-budget with your favorite finds, but the deals are still better than wearing your malaise on a sleeve you purchased at American Apparel. The best bargains go to patient foragers, of course, but at least the hunt isn’t smelly at this markedly sanitary secondhand shop. You might also dig the shopping soundtrack provided by Tatters employees, who typically look and act like they’d rather be manning record-store counters.
2928 Lyndale Ave. S., (612) 823-5285, tattersvintageclothing.com

Everyday People
The nearest consignment shop within walking distance of campus, Everyday People is home to men’s and women’s used and vintage clothing. (Besides its U of M location, it has a branch in Uptown and a new store in St. Paul, joining ranks with the other retro stores on Selby Avenue.) Notoriously picky about its selection, a glance inside shows why, with generally up-to-the-minute trendy selections, throwbacks to more glamorous eras, and items simply made for theme parties. Unlike many other retro/used boutiques, all three shops keep the volume down to avoid the burn-out and frenzy that shopping for lost gems can create.
Dinkytown: 323 14 Ave. S.E., (612) 623-9095; Uptown: 2912 Hennepin Ave. S., (612) 824-3112; St. Paul: 1599 Selby Ave.

Accents And Accessories
St. Paul Retro Loop
Five stores sandwiched between Raymond and Summit offer three miles of mid-century vintage shopping in multiple genres. Lula on Selby, Up Six on Snelling, and Swank on University carry clothing and accessories that can take you from zero to Twiggy (or Bowie, for you gentlemen) in one flip of a fitting-room curtain. Up Six and Swank are also excellent for furniture, art, and mod trinkets like lamps, radios, and obsolete fashion statements circa the ’50s through’80s. Classic Retro @ Petes on University and Succotash on Raymond specialize in furniture and “flair,” but obviously you’re looking at higher price tags if it’s a Harry Bertoia diamond chair you’re after. Still, the Retro Loop offers range, old-fashioned good service, and a chance to introduce your feet and bike wheels to Mac Groveland and Midway area pavement.
stpaulretroloop.com

Books
Half Price Books and Barnes & Nobles Booksellers (Har Mar Mall)
Although it’s a chain, Half Price Books isn’t the coffee-scented self-help display one normally associates with reading-as-retail. The name says it all, actually: used books at least 50 percent cheaper than the prices on their covers. So if you find an aged copy of Catcher In The Rye that cost $1 in 1960 (easy, Oswald), it’s all yours for 50 cents. Not too shabby—and the pages won’t be either, with all books in good condition. There are several HPB locations around the Twin Cities, but St. Paul’s is the most centrally located. There, in addition to an extensive collection of hardcovers and paperbacks in all fields, you’ll also find used CDs, records, tapes, and a basement lined with vintage magazines and journals. The retro pulp is worth a browse, if only for the decidedly un-PC titles and illustrations, and don’t miss the unsorted carts scattered throughout the store. If you prefer your discount reading with a grande cappuccino in hand, however, Barnes & Noble on Snelling has a sizable used section that kind of makes you want to go grab a beer with a corporate giant.
Half Price Books: 2041 Ford Pkwy., St. Paul, (651) 699-1391, halfpricebooks.com
Barnes & Noble: Har Mar Mall, 2100 N. Snelling Ave., Roseville, (651) 639-9256, bn.com

Music
Electric FetusWeston MillerCheapo Discs & Electric Fetus
The sound of jewel cases clicking against each other as CD scavengers flip through hundreds of recent arrivals must be to music lovers what coins dropping from a slot machine are to gambling addicts. Cheapo is the kind of place you can go to feel like MP3s never destroyed the recording industry, with a warehouse-style layout of new and used that confuses the senses and causes eardrums to salivate. Rare finds require time and energy, though, since most people sell back early-’90s albums in hopes of forgetting the early ’90s. (What does everyone still have against Sinead O’Connor?) Electric Fetus typically carries weirder albums and lots of local artists—a favorable trait that carries over into its used selection. Even if you do stumble across a “Nothing Compares 2 U” single at the Fetus, at least you’ll do so in the presence of an immensely knowledgeable and friendly staff, and you may even catch one of the many live in-store concerts. Nothing compares 2 a show where you can have a conversation with the musician afterwards. (Note: The Fetus temporarily closed after being hit by a tornado, but is now back open at its regular business hours.)
Cheapo: 1300 W. Lake St., (612) 827-8238 & 80 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul, (651) 644-8981
Electric Fetus: 2000 Fourth Ave. S., (612) 870-9300, electricfetus.com

Bikes
Express Bike Shop
There’s more than one good place to pick up a used bike or spare parts for the ol’ wheels and chain in the land of 10,000 angry cyclists; but Express Bike Shop in the Midway neighborhood deserves a special shout-out since it’s a nonprofit that reinvests all of its revenue into a business internship program teaching kids from urban areas about small-business ownership and, of course, bike repair. Bike donations to EBS are tax deductible, and the owners recently started accepting credit cards, rendering the experience more hassle-free than it was before.
1158 Selby Ave., St. Paul, (651) 644-9660, exbike.com