Bettie Gets Cool Weather Ready with Primark

Darlings, darlings - I just had the best weekend in Boston, one of my favorite cities, and boy do I have some fun finds to share with you!  I was able to do some thrifting, but before we get to that, I want to gush about my haul from Primark.  For those of you who are unfamiliar, Primark is an Ireland-based department store-like chain that carries trendy clothing items at cheap prices.  They graced the US with their presence last year, and I am SO GLAD they did!  The Primark in downtown Boston is huge, and was the first Primark I ever visited.

I always find great things, but this time in particular I was really impressed by the quality and selection of items at great price points.  With any steeply discounted fast fashion store there are bound to be items that look cheap, but I am absolutely in love with everything I purchased, and with the prices!  I was able to pick up some cozy clothes to get ready for our cooler seasons.

I absolutely adored the baby pink of this sweater.  It's pretty thick, and I loved the neck line and puffy sleeves.  Great for a day spent in bed, or can be dressed up. Definitely worth just $16!

The scarf and hat were $7, and the sweater was just $16.  Aren't the button details on the sweater so cute?  The hat and scarf came in 2-3 other colors, and it was hard for me to decide on just one!  It ended up being chilly and rainy one of our days in Boston, so the scarf ended up being the perfect purchase.

It was huge, soft, and cozy - definitely going to head to our Primark in NJ to get it in every color!

Our stop in Primark was pretty quick,  so I'm sure there is much more I missed - I didn't even get to look at the shoes!  My bestie also picked up some adorable Harry Potter themed pajamas and pajama sets, all $10 - $15.  If you're on the East Coast, I definitely recommend having some fun and visiting a Primark near you.

Stay tuned for a post on my other finds from my thrifting adventure in Cambridge!

xoxo, Bettie

Summer Sundays in New Hope - Night Bird Vintage

Obviously I have a love of all things vintage, and you better believe that includes vintage cars.  Since I was a little girl I've always loved car shows or cruise nights, admiring cars from the past that have been kept or refurbished to look like new again.  My sweetheart is a big fan as well, and we have a summer tradition of attending the New Hope Auto Show that takes place every August in New Hope, PA.  We love to spend the day together perusing the show, and then walk around town, grab a bite to eat, and, of course, do a little shopping!

This year we had the absolute greatest time!  There were so many great cars - foreign and American, modern and vintage.  Everyone was in great spirits - we had so many pleasant conversations with owners who were happy to point out features of their cars and explain some history.  One owner was so generous - he invited us to sit in the driver's seat of his gorgeous 1960 Corvette!  I think the grin on my boyfriend's face perfectly portrays how excited we were.

My other favorite car of the day was this 1957 Chevy Nomad (can you tell I'm a Chevy girl?).  The color is called "Canyon Coral".  Talk about swoon!

My sweetie and I always talk about wanting to own a vintage car one day.  Who knows, maybe there will eventually be a Bargain Bettie post about a new ride!

If you've never been, New Hope is an adorable town that sits right on the Delaware River.  It's an eclectic, welcoming town with tons of great little restaurants and shops.  On Tuesdays and Saturdays nearby there is a Flea Market my friends and I have gone to since we were in high school.  Between that and the stores right in town you can easily spend an entire day shopping New Hope!

One store I always pop into is Night Bird Vintage.  The store is off of a side street, and you need to walk down an alleyway with steps to get in the door on the side of the building.  The shop is small in size, but packed wall to wall with vintage.  It's organized by clothing type (jackets, dresses, women's tops, men's tops, etc.), but that's about where the order stops, so get ready to dig!

I always enjoy perusing Night Bird because of the fun patterns.  Even though I'm more of a 1950's girl when it comes to cut and style, I'm a huge sucker for the bold, colorful 70's plaids and patterns.  Night Bird carries a good range of items from all decades 50's-90's, so there's bound to be something for everyone.

My find of the day was this fun dress, which I'm really excited to wear when it gets to fall and winter!  I'm loving that retro plaid is in for this fall, and this dress fits the bill.

Overall Night Bird is a worthwhile stop when visiting New Hope, but I will say that prices are a little higher than some of my other favorite stores.  Also, be prepared that there is only one dressing room.  For a store with minimal space it's not surprising, but on a busy Sunday there was a line of people waiting to try on while I was taking my turn.  I was interested in a bunch of items, but ended up not trying them on because I didn't want to take everyone's time, or didn't want to wait in line again.  Either be prepared to be in this position on a fair weathered weekend day, or try to hit up Night Bird on a weekday!

This shop is just the tip of the iceberg of all of the fun you can have in New Hope.  Definitely be on the lookout for a post on some of my other favorite spots in the area!

Until the next adventure!

xoxo, Bettie

Bargain Bettie Goes Back to the Burgh!

Summer is in full swing, and what's a summer without a girls' weekend away?  My two besties and I went out to Pittsburgh for the weekend in June, and of course, did some serious shopping.  I've done some Bargain Bettie adventuring in Pittsburgh before, and was excited to explore the vintage scene in a different neighborhood this time-the South Side.  The South Side has been my favorite neighborhood since I was a kid!  When my family would visit my mom would always take me there for some mother-daughter bonding time.  We would shop to our hearts content, since the South Side had so many cool stores that were nothing like back in New Jersey.

Three Rivers Vintage was on my list to visit last time I was in Pittsburgh, but we weren't able to make it across the river on that trip.  Having visited now, I wish I had come here years ago!

For starters, my first impression was two words: GOOD DISCO.  A Lover's Holiday by Change is one of my all-time favorites, and it was bouncing from the speakers when we walked in.  I felt right at home!  The store was perfectly organized by category: dresses, jackets shirts, bottoms, long dresses, etc. They even had a great selection of vintage swimwear and a HUGE men's section in the back (men's swim trunks included!). One thing I LOVED was that all of the dresses were organized by waist size.  This made shopping such a breeze.

I would describe Three Rivers Vintage not only as a vintage shop, but as a carefully curated vintage collection.  Every item is treated as a treasure from the past that needs to be handled with care and respect.  The signs with specific instructions not to grab items by their fabric made this clear to everyone.  Nothing but respect for teaching others to respect vintage!

On that note, the owner and staff of the store guard their prized possessions with their life - do not be intimidated by the chains on the dressing room doors or the signs demanding care and attention when trying on your items! Scott, the owner, and his staff were SO nice - when I mentioned the blog and asked to take pictures of the store, he volunteered to take the 'best picture of the store' for me.  He stood on a stool, and took this picture of us shopping!

How often do you have an owner of a store do something like that for you? Reading reviews on Facebook and elsewhere, it seems like Scott and his store have a following, and you can see why!

On to my finds!  I was ESTATIC about my purchases from Three Rivers Vintage.  The price points were amazing - $30 vintage dresses in amazing condition?  Heck yes!  Check out what I took home below:

$32 50's Dress

$32 70's dress

$15 80's Pitt Sweatshirt.  Hail to Pitt!

Three Rivers Vintage will be a must-visit every time I'm in Pittsburgh!  They also sell through their Instagram, which I'm sure will end up hurting my wallet. :)

Scott recommended another vintage shop on Carson Street, Highway Robbery Vintage, so we made a stop there as well.  Another awesome store with a great selection.  It was so interesting to see the differences in the vibe and target audience of the store!  The setup and atmosphere at Highway Robbery reminded me of Urban Outfitters, and the selection definitely catered to that type of crowd.  Lots of vintage crew necks, converted grandma jeans to daisy dukes, and the vintage dresses seemed to fit that aesthetic.

I didn't have much luck, but my friend came away with two super cute sweatshirts.  They were both $20 each, and in great condition.  You sure as heck aren't finding new replicas of that sweatshirt at that price!

My ladies and I had an amazing time shopping the South Side, and spending time in my dear old Pittsburgh.

Until the next adventure, darlings!

xoxo, Bettie