Downtown Amherst is a fun college hotspot with restaurants, bars, and a whole lot of personality. However, if you are obsessed with buying clothes like me, the shopping scene is pretty limited. Luckily, tucked away on Boltwood Walk is Mass Vintage — Amherst’s very own used clothing store that caters to college students and vintage aficionados.
Mass Vintage was originally an online-only production, but in 2019, the owners — two UMass alumni themselves — opened their first store right here in Amherst. Mass Vintage celebrated its retail store’s three-year anniversary last month by having sales throughout the week, which many students took advantage of. “We ran 30% off the entire store from Wednesday to Friday, and then we had our first $5 sale ever on that Saturday and Sunday,” co-owner Matt Williams said. Williams is a 2019 UMass graduate and also happens to be the brother of Mass Vintage founder Dan Williams.
The store carries vintage clothing, sports jerseys, decorations, and hats, which are displayed in a custom-built hat room. Another one of the many things that makes Mass Vintage unique is its price tags, as they are not normal tags, but instead, have the price and barcode displayed on vintage trading cards. “We had thousands from when we were kids just sitting in our closets, so we decided to put them to use,” Williams said, “It definitely brings some entertainment and nostalgia to the store.”
Not only can you buy from Mass Vintage, but you can also sell them your own belongings for cash or in-store credit, as long as it meets their criteria. The store is open every week, Wednesday through Sunday, and employees are always happy to take a look at the items potential sellers bring in. Some merchandise they look for specifically is vintage UMass gear, jerseys, L.L. Bean, and New England sports memorabilia.
While the store carries a wide variety of clothing and accessories, my favorite item to shop for is vintage sweatshirts. I’m a hoodie addict (yet lately I’ve been really into crewnecks) and they have new items come in every week. The employees post a lot of their new stuff on social media, but you truly never know what you will find there. I once found a T-shirt with my stepdad’s alma mater on it, and my friend was lucky enough to find a vintage sweatshirt embroidered with her sorority’s letters. Of course, you can occasionally score an item that has personal meaning to you, but Mass Vintage is always a great spot to find unique UMass apparel.
Thrifting is a great way to upgrade your wardrobe while shopping sustainably, and Mass Vintage is the perfect place to buy preloved clothing. So, stop by next time after grabbing a slice of pizza from Antonio’s and hunt for your new favorite clothing piece.
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