New Page 1

Celebrate the beauty of Fall with a road trip to the nine best mid-Atlantic thrift shops from Chriss Slevin’s and Leah Smith’s "Dirt Cheap, Real Good."

Dulles, VA (PRWEB) September 21, 2004 -- If you are desperate for a last minute road trip to celebrate the end of Summer or are searching for cheap back-to-school clothes and supplies, consider visiting the nine best thrift stores in the mid-Atlantic region. "Thrifting is great for many reasons – you can recycle once-loved items, borrow from the world library of stuff, unearth the local cultural archeology, or play dress-up for cheap," say Chriss Slevin and Leah Smith, authors of the recently released book "Dirt Cheap, Real Good: A Highway Guide to Thrift Stores in the Washington DC Area." "Road trips, like thrift stores, are not about the final destination. Exploring is more than half the fun." After all of their travels and research, Chriss and Leah have collected a list of their top nine best and favorite thrift stores in the mid-Atlantic region.

Chriss Slevin and Leah Smith introduce shoppers and non-shoppers to the world of thrifting, the hunt for the perfect bargain by searching through second-hand, thrift, antique, and vintage shops. Chriss and Leah Smith, who logged over 4000 miles of thrifting as research for "Dirt Cheap, Real Good," the guide for the adventurous, fashion-conscious, urban hipster, vintage collector, and the downright cheap on a thrift store travel adventure around the DC area. The book covers seven mid-Atlantic states, hitting big cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Raleigh-Durham, and includes over 300 thrift, vintage, and second hand stores.

Chriss’ and Leah’s top nine thrift stores are, in alphabetical order:
1) Bargain Cellar, Pennsboro, West Virginia – "The store’s super-cheap prices and offbeat selection overshadow its dusty nature. We loved the Bargain Cellar for its thrift appeal and old school vibe."

2) Bargain Thrift Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – "The front corner of the store is devoted to fabulous vintage finds, while the rest of the shop offers more mainstream thrift gear. The retro area is full of amazingly priced goodies, from clothing to accessories to decorative home items."

3) Georgia Avenue Thrift Store, Washington, D.C. – "Everyone’s favorite and practically a local legend. The store is only average in size but has an upbeat atmosphere and is jam-packed with super bargains."

4) Gift & Thrift, Harrisonburg, Virginia – "Crafty types are in thrifty heaven at the stellar Gift & Thrift Shop. Find bargains all around and in a sunny shop with a down-home atmosphere to boot!"

5) Life Line Outreach Center, Henderson, North Carolina – 'Life Line Outreach Center appears at first to be just a dark doorway in a practically windowless, tan cinderblock building. But inside – holy smokes! Devote some extra time to investigating this little jewel."

6) Red White & Blue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania –"It’s a thrift bonanza at Red White & Blue Thrift Store, locally loved and honored as one of the Best Offbeat Finds of City Search in 2001. Red White & Blue is a mean thrift machine, the kind of place that warrants weekly visits. Try schmoozing with the friendly employees to get the scoop on new shipment arrivals."

7) Search Thrift Shop, Mount Jackson, Virginia – "Mount Jackson’s Search Thrift Shop is a dirt-cheap superstar. The charmingly disheveled store was opened years ago by a local woman, and all the proceeds are donated to Mt. Jackson’s group home for the mentally disabled. The shelves and aisles here are crammed full of offbeat bargains."

8) Teen Challenge Flea Market, Laurel, Maryland – "Teen Challenge Flea Market is an excellent place to lay your thrifty little paws on furniture. Find bargain surprises every which you turn."

9) Thrift Store USA, Norfolk, Virginia – "We saved Norfolk’s best for last - Thrift Store USA is one of our most beloved dirt-cheap stops. This gigantic, sprawling wonderland has many good deals on clothes, plenty of furniture, and in the far back, a bonanza for record buffs. The attentive staff is welcoming and can answer whatever questions you might have. Don’t miss this grand finale of the Norfolk area, an overflowing treasure chest of cheap fun."

"Dirt Cheap, Real Good" is a take-along travel guide to the best second-hand shops in the Mid-Atlantic region. It leads readers on six adventurous road trips, featuring the very best of local thrifting. The network of routes, which map the finest second-hand, antique, and vintage shops, all originate from Washington, DC, allowing you to create your own weekend thrift expeditions. "Dirt Cheap, Real Good" offers the low-down on the merchandise, hours, and phone numbers for each location, plus colorful descriptions of each stop, as well as photos, road maps, and quotes from local characters. As the icing on the cake, the book notes pit stops at quirky bars, cheap motels, greasy spoon diners, off-the-wall amusements and miscellaneous roadside oddities.

The seven routes featured in the book are:
Route #1: Home Base - Washington, DC
Route #2: Washington DC to Philadelphia, PA
Route #3: Washington DC to Pittsburgh, PA
Route #4: Washington DC to Charleston, WV
Route #5: Washington DC to Winston Salem, NC
Route #6: Washington, DC to Raleigh, NC
Route #7: Washington, DC to the Delaware and Maryland Coasts

Chriss Slevin is a bona fide packrat. On numerous road trips and other journeys she has accumulated a collection of highway souvenirs, clothing, and thrift oddities. She works as a Program Officer for an arts foundation in New York City. Chriss studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design and her artwork has been exhibited nationally. Chriss currently lives in Brooklyn, NY and is a dedicated thrifter, expert bargain hunter, and a staunch advocate of dirt cheap living.

For the past fourteen years, Leah Smith has developed thrifting into a form of creative expression. She has made numerous thrift shopping expeditions across the country and has collected enough artifacts to practically open her own vintage store. Leah currently lives in Boston, MA where she earned a BFA at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Tufts University in film studies. One of Leah’s plays is published in "Seven Short Plays for the Bedroom" (Mutable Press, 2002).

Top 9 Mid-Atlantic Thrift Stores
	Celebrate the beauty of Fall with a road trip to the nine best mid-Atlantic thrift shops from Chriss Slevin’s and Leah Smith’s "Dirt Cheap, Real Good." Dulles, VA (PRWEB) September 21, 2004 -- If you are desperate for a last minute road trip to celebrate the end of Summer or are searching for cheap back-to-school clothes and supplies, consider visiting the nine best thrift stores in the mid-Atlantic region. "Thrifting is great for many reasons – you can recycle once-loved items, borrow from the world library of stuff, unearth the local cultural archeology, or play dress-up for cheap," say Chriss Slevin and Leah Smith, authors of the recently released book "Dirt Cheap, Real Good: A Highway Guide to Thrift Stores in the Washington DC Area." "Road trips, like thrift stores, are not about the final destination. Exploring is more than half the fun." After all of their travels and research, Chriss and Leah have collected a list of their top nine best and favorite thrift stores in the mid-Atlantic region. Chriss Slevin and Leah Smith introduce shoppers and non-shoppers to the world of thrifting, the hunt for the perfect bargain by searching through second-hand, thrift, antique, and vintage shops. Chriss and Leah Smith, who logged over 4000 miles of thrifting as research for "Dirt Cheap, Real Good," the guide for the adventurous, fashion-conscious, urban hipster, vintage collector, and the downright cheap on a thrift store travel adventure around the DC area. The book covers seven mid-Atlantic states, hitting big cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Raleigh-Durham, and includes over 300 thrift, vintage, and second hand stores. Chriss’ and Leah’s top nine thrift stores are, in alphabetical order: 1) Bargain Cellar, Pennsboro, West Virginia – "The store’s super-cheap prices and offbeat selection overshadow its dusty nature. We loved the Bargain Cellar for its thrift appeal and old school vibe." 2) Bargain Thrift Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – "The front corner of the store is devoted to fabulous vintage finds, while the rest of the shop offers more mainstream thrift gear. The retro area is full of amazingly priced goodies, from clothing to accessories to decorative home items." 3) Georgia Avenue Thrift Store, Washington, D.C. – "Everyone’s favorite and practically a local legend. The store is only average in size but has an upbeat atmosphere and is jam-packed with super bargains." 4) Gift & Thrift, Harrisonburg, Virginia – "Crafty types are in thrifty heaven at the stellar Gift & Thrift Shop. Find bargains all around and in a sunny shop with a down-home atmosphere to boot!" 5) Life Line Outreach Center, Henderson, North Carolina – 'Life Line Outreach Center appears at first to be just a dark doorway in a practically windowless, tan cinderblock building. But inside – holy smokes! Devote some extra time to investigating this little jewel." 6) Red White & Blue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania –"It’s a thrift bonanza at Red White & Blue Thrift Store, locally loved and honored as one of the Best Offbeat Finds of City Search in 2001. Red White & Blue is a mean thrift machine, the kind of place that warrants weekly visits. Try schmoozing with the friendly employees to get the scoop on new shipment arrivals." 7) Search Thrift Shop, Mount Jackson, Virginia – "Mount Jackson’s Search Thrift Shop is a dirt-cheap superstar. The charmingly disheveled store was opened years ago by a local woman, and all the proceeds are donated to Mt. Jackson’s group home for the mentally disabled. The shelves and aisles here are crammed full of offbeat bargains." 8) Teen Challenge Flea Market, Laurel, Maryland – "Teen Challenge Flea Market is an excellent place to lay your thrifty little paws on furniture. Find bargain surprises every which you turn." 9) Thrift Store USA, Norfolk, Virginia – "We saved Norfolk’s best for last - Thrift Store USA is one of our most beloved dirt-cheap stops. This gigantic, sprawling wonderland has many good deals on clothes, plenty of furniture, and in the far back, a bonanza for record buffs. The attentive staff is welcoming and can answer whatever questions you might have. Don’t miss this grand finale of the Norfolk area, an overflowing treasure chest of cheap fun." "Dirt Cheap, Real Good" is a take-along travel guide to the best second-hand shops in the Mid-Atlantic region. It leads readers on six adventurous road trips, featuring the very best of local thrifting. The network of routes, which map the finest second-hand, antique, and vintage shops, all originate from Washington, DC, allowing you to create your own weekend thrift expeditions. "Dirt Cheap, Real Good" offers the low-down on the merchandise, hours, and phone numbers for each location, plus colorful descriptions of each stop, as well as photos, road maps, and quotes from local characters. As the icing on the cake, the book notes pit stops at quirky bars, cheap motels, greasy spoon diners, off-the-wall amusements and miscellaneous roadside oddities. The seven routes featured in the book are: Route #1: Home Base - Washington, DC Route #2: Washington DC to Philadelphia, PA Route #3: Washington DC to Pittsburgh, PA Route #4: Washington DC to Charleston, WV Route #5: Washington DC to Winston Salem, NC Route #6: Washington, DC to Raleigh, NC Route #7: Washington, DC to the Delaware and Maryland Coasts Chriss Slevin is a bona fide packrat. On numerous road trips and other journeys she has accumulated a collection of highway souvenirs, clothing, and thrift oddities. She works as a Program Officer for an arts foundation in New York City. Chriss studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design and her artwork has been exhibited nationally. Chriss currently lives in Brooklyn, NY and is a dedicated thrifter, expert bargain hunter, and a staunch advocate of dirt cheap living. For the past fourteen years, Leah Smith has developed thrifting into a form of creative expression. She has made numerous thrift shopping expeditions across the country and has collected enough artifacts to practically open her own vintage store. Leah currently lives in Boston, MA where she earned a BFA at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Tufts University in film studies. One of Leah’s plays is published in "Seven Short Plays for the Bedroom" (Mutable Press, 2002).

Top 9 Mid-Atlantic Thrift Stores