Old Town Alexandria: Shopping Edition 1

Spring has sprung, and with it comes outdoor shindigs, wedding and the need for new outfits at every turn. But with a less than stellar economy out there, fashionistas countrywide are being forced to scale back on their shopping sprees and thus finding quality pieces and great sales have taken on new importance.

So after writing about the fantastic Old Town Alexandria scene in one of my last posts, a few people asked that I write another post about where to shop in Old Town in comments and on Twitter. Being a shopaholic, I of course loved the idea. Couple that with my ever-so-wonderful government salary (there's sarcasm as thick as molasses there if you were unsure), I'm now looking at shopping in a new way. And that's where we are now...

I'm going to break this down over a few posts, but the first shop in Old Town worth your visit is...

Mint Condition
114 South Royal St.

Nestled into the heart of Old Town, you'll stumble upon Mint Condition. A chic second-hand shop that will make your heart pitter-patter with glee after glancing around the multitude of treasures within.

With the economy the way it is, people are looking for new ways to shop

Named the DC Metro’s Best Consignment Store by Washingtonian Magazine (2010) and the Washington Post Express (2009). Labels we like include Tory Burch, Diane Von Furstenberg, Trina Turk, Marc Jacobs, Lilly Pulitzer, Chanel, Gucci, Manolo Blahnik and many, many more.

Store owner Toni Henderson.

Shoe Hive
127 South Fairfax St.

They had the gorgeous Kendra Scott pieces I Polyvore'd here even. This quaint little boutique brings you elegant designer shoes and accessories. And you don't even have to live in the area to experience the Shoe Hive. You can order off their website and the best thing is that there's free ground shipping on purchases over $100 within the continental US. If the shoes you order online don't fit, just return them unworn within 30 days. Yeah, can't be that.

There of course tons of other shops worth checking out, but I'll leave you with these two for now. And if you're in the area -- get on over to Mint Condition when you get a chance. I promise you won't be disappointed.