Hidden Gems

A resurgence of interest in old styles has put clothing and accessories such as high-waisted pants and round, John Lennon-esque sunglasses back on the shelves. While millennials take to stores like Forever21 and PacSun to get their fix of new trends, local stores can remedy the same demand.

“I like that local shops feel homey,” senior Poppy Cox said. “You know that they’re trying as hard as they can to support themselves. You get the feeling of the people that own it rather than the corporation that are just trying to make as much money as they can for probably lower quality things.”

Residing nearby in Chelsea, small businesses like Violet & Moss, Moran’s Consignment and The Attic Boutique are some examples of such stores.

MacKenzie Goss visited these stores to see what items could be found. Although some outfits strayed out of budget for an average high school student, Goss still found items she admired.

“The clothing was really cute,” Goss said. “I loved a lot of what I saw. I liked all of the dresses at The Attic Boutique. They were pretty and priced really well. Usually, I shop at Hot Topic before school starts, but I might consider going to smaller stores now.”

Shopping at smaller stores is not all that uncommon. According to the U.S. Small Business  Administration, 28 million small businesses in America account for 54 percent of all U.S. sales. One reason, from Goss’ perspective, could be the feeling of the stores.

“Smaller town stores have a certain charm to them,” Goss said. “It’s hard to describe, but they’re more homey compared to crowded, bigger stores. Something I noticed about all the stores we visited was that they weren’t packed full like more mainstream mall shops. For the most part, bigger stores can be harder to find the time to go to if you don’t live in the city.”