Good Bohemian Shopping in your area...

I'm interested in where other people shop when *that* mood is upon them, when you're looking for the perfect shirt to wear to the next book signing you're going to, or have come to the conclusion that that stretch of bare wall could use a few posters or a tapestry; where do you go to to fulfill your fleeting material needs?

I'm currently living in London, and there we have Camden. I haven't been back since the fire, but it is an absolutely amazing place to shop, especially on a budget. There's tons of markets stalls and small shops everywhere, selling clothes of all styles (plenty of Gypsy/hippie stuff, a lot of Goth, and a little bit of everything else). There's stalls selling fair trade jewelry and tchotchkes, and stalls selling cheap ethnic food. And, necessary for any good shopping area, a used bookstore and, not too far from the main markets, a comic book store.

Boston is my real home, though I haven't explored it near as well as I have London. The best place to shop there is easily The Garment District on Broadway in Cambridge. They've got the dollar-a-pound of clothes there, as well as a big selection of vintage clothes and accessories.

Living near Seattle, you only have to go to either the University District (who is more bohemian than a depressed student?) or Capital Hill. I love Crossroads Trading Company for cool vintage clothes, and there are a dozen other places for home decor.

There's also a great New Age-y store in downtown Seattle called Eco Elements. That's where I've gone for some great jewelry, tarot, and some yummy massage oils.

Around where I live now, though, you can just try to get lucky at the Goodwill.

I go to school in Santa Fe. This place is lousy with bohemians. Double Take is a fantastic thrift store, and there's the Tesuque Flea Market out by the Opera House, and Jackalope, and pretty much every other store on the plaza. I love the Gilded Page for things like fancy pens and paper and sealing wax

I live in Astoria, Queens, which is fast becoming a hipster community. There are, however, a few nice vintage stores here and there, but the neighborhood shopping is on Steinway Street, which is very mainstream. Still, I'm a few subway stops away from Jackson Heights and their Indian clothing, not to mention the Lower East Side of Manhattan...

nothing like Camden Market. #2: how devasted is that area now? Was it contained and will it be back to normal anytime soon?

Well, like I said, I haven't been back since the fire, but I've heard that it wasn't nearly so bad as the initial reports made out, at least in terms of area. I'm still trying to determine exactly which part and which shops were the most affected. I'm probably going to head up on Friday though-- my friend is handing in her dissertation that day, and I promised her some drinks.

I agree with Lexid, Camden is the best I know in the UK, with the exception of Glastonbury which is alternative heaven. I make a pilgrimage there at least once a year and splurge on books, incense, clothes and home decor. It's got a little 'gentrified' now but still full of great shops and wierd and wonderfully dressed people.

There are several great neighborhoods in Portland for shopping, though my favorite has to be SE Hawthorne, which is filled with thrift stores, locally owned gift and music stores, bookstores, and a brew pub theater where you can watch a movie on the big screen and drink a beer (or cocktail) for under $10.

We also have one of the best bookstores in the US, Powell's Books. The main store is four stories high and filled to the rafters with new and used books. You can't beat it for book therapy. (And I felt that way before I began working there.)

the salvation army. someone's always dying in or near my size.

although, i once bought a pair of shoes that had one heel higher than the other: other than that minor inconvenience, it's a great place to recycle your clothes and pick up new ones.

other than that, i've bought a few yin yang, eyes of buddha, that kind of tshirt off ebay.

and as an aside, i spent some time in portland, was it really all those years ago? i remember the "check stores", transients would "check" their dufflebags and never return. i think they wre in the poor seciton of, was it SW now, just off the river? last time i was back there, they'd upscaled most of that area.

chuckling at myself, i've forgotten more than there possibly could be to remember from that 4 + year meander.