New York has no shortage of meticulously curated designer vintage boutiques, but nothing beats the rush of unearthing a gem-in-the-rough in a thrift store bin.

The best thrift stores feel like treasure troves, with equal parts bargain-bin finds, pre-loved designer investments, and vintage must-haves: trusty Levi’s jeans folded next to Manolo Blahnik kitten heels, or a perfectly worn-in leather jacket hiding behind a rack of office basics. Time your run to your favorite secondhand location’s restock hours (and skip the weekends to avoid New York’s crowds), and you’ll catch new arrivals as they hit the shelves: designer denim , cashmere cardigans, and those hype-worthy sneakers from last year that vanished the minute they hit shelves.

While the terms are often used interchangeably, t

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