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Boomerangs
Category: Shopping Thrift Stores Thrift Stores [Edit]
563 Massachusetts AveCambridge, MA 02139
Neighborhood: Central Square
(617) 758-6128
- Nearest Transit:
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Massachusetts Ave @ Pearl St (1, 47, 64, 70, 70A, CT1)
Green St @ Pearl St (47, 64, 70, 70A)
Pearl St @ Franklin St (47)
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 11 am - 8 pm
- Price Range:
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$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
25 reviews for Boomerangs
Review Highlights
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"...the profits benefit AIDS Action, we recycled furniture and..." In 4 reviews -
"1 Vintage dress (perfect size to fit a plus size model." In 4 reviews -
"...me to get out to the JP one, and while I love Boomerangs..." In 3 reviews
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25 reviews in English
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Review from Fujiko D.
Updated - 3/13/2012 2 Check-ins Here
I got a weird vibe from the staff today. Does it warrant a reduced star? No, but perhaps an update.
I bought two items for $1 each which were pretty nice for $1, IMO. A corduroy GAP jacket (reg. thrift store price $15) and a very pretty wool blend sweater (staff pick- so reg. thrift price more than $6, I am guessing). The cashier was not very friendly; even after laughing and talking with the customer before me. It had happen to me before when I shopped there, but maybe I'm reading too much into it?
Will still go here for stuff, but a little bummed.Listed in: Second Hand/ Thrift Stores
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/26/2012
Wowee! This place is my new stop on my way home from work. The Boomerang's in Jamaica Plain had… Read more »
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Review from Gabriela G.
Los Angeles, CA
3/3/2012 1 Check-in Here
Gross! This place has junky items. It's worth a browse because things are priced fairly so you may (though highly unlikely) find something you can work with, or at least cut up and use as kitchen rags?!?
I was surprised at how crowded with people this place was. Like a party in there! Junk Fest! Maybe I didn't get the memo!Listed in: Shop like you are from another…
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Review from Esther Z.
Somerville, MA
3/3/2012
Sigh, how I miss the thrift stores in NYC.
Boomerangs though is probably the closest I'll get to one in the Cambridge area.
Leather skirt for 5 bucks? Solid. Men's blazer for 15? Done.
Go with an open mind and you'll never know what you'll run into. -
Review from Rose R.
Boston, MA
4/20/2012
I will admit, it took me a while to get into the groove of this place.
I looked through all the racks, and felt simply uninspired. The whole store has a certain stuffy smell to it (maybe just because it was a hot day?), and all I seemed to be finding were a bunch of oversized Gap button-downs.
They had some interesting houndstooth/various patterned--trousers (for women) that I would have tried on and looked into buying if I had felt comfortable putting something right off the rack onto my body. You know how right after you eat a bag of chips, your fingers have a gross residue on them? The same thing here, after browsing for a half hour. Grimy, man.
However, my vigor was renewed after finding the vintage section. There were some cool pieces (prices slightly higher than in the rest of the store). I looked into buying an 80s blouse, but the worn, bright blue polyester didn't seem worth $12.
After this, I looked more closely at the rest of the store, and found a simple, versatile, (possibly silk) black skirt. All the skirts were $6. Sure, it's not designer vintage or anything, but at $6, why not pick up a somewhat-high-quality basic?
I also walked away with an oversized Brooks Brothers button-down for $4 that I intend to wear as a cover-up at the beach.
And the piece that won me over for Boomerangs and ensured a future visit? Black leather jacket, pretty-great condition, for $30! Sure, it felt kind of weird buying a heavy leather jacket on the hottest day of the week, but I'm not complaining. The staff very kindly got out a ladder to retrieve it from the top of the shelves, where it was being displayed.
My advice? Don't go expecting great things, but go with an open mind, and be prepared to look. Expect to see a lot of button-downs and blazers. Check out the staff picks, vintage section, and don't forget to scope out the tops of the shelves, cause they put some pretty cool shiz on those mannequins. Remember, all benefits go to the AIDS action committee! -
Review from Shaina P.
1/9/2012
So, being one of those Cambridge locals means it takes a lot of effort to get out of the hood. When Boomerangs showed up in the old Attic store, (a) I was psyched to get that weird place out of Central Square, but (b) uber confused ... never heard of it ... because I never knew it started in JP and what not... not such a fan of a banner for a sign. Enter: friends of JP. Visiting from out of town, these past-JP residents brightened from their hangovers (or was it mine) when they saw the sign.
I just thought it was a strange junk store... and don't get me wrong, it kind of is... but it's really more than junk. It's cool junk that seems qualified to be brought to my home to be used as a container for my cat's food or wear around my waist at thrift store amazing pricing. It's the Home Goods store of thrift shops, doing your home good, but more importantly, your wallet.
The find of the day, which I didn't purchase, was a $65 solid wood set of drawers. It was one of those nice wide dressers holding two columns of 4 stacked drawers. Really great condition and enormous enough for two. And if weren't for the two column design, it would have been wide enough to pull a Kramer (when he hosted the Japanese businessmen in his apt). It could use a little paint restoration, but looked like they pre-stripped it for you. They also were selling a couple twin bed frames for $15. $15! Such a steal.
Such an appropriate store for our kooky square. -
Review from S. P. D.
Cambridge, MA
1/1/2012
OK, thought I'd give it some time before reviewing. When this store first opened, I got a fantastic first impression and feared it would put The Goodwill out of business. Since this location of Boomerang's has been around for a few months, I've got to say that the love affair is over. The really neat first-class and great vintage merchandise seems to be harder to find. Some items are way over-priced ($2 and $3 for empty French jam jars? I can buy the jar filled with jam at Market Basket for $2.50)
Mostly, I now buy just books here. The merch is fairly ordinary and I no longer fear that the Goodwill will be run out of town. I must add the staff here tends to be pretty nice, polite, helpful and decent. -
Review from Allison T.
Allston, MA
3/13/2012
A very decent place to shop for second hand threads and vintage items. I appreciate that the staff actually know how to recognize vintage and sort those items accordingly. My best piece of advice, to any would-be hunters, is to check out the $1 rack, the staff picks, and to keep your eyes open for days that certain color tagged items are reduced by half. I've had better luck here than at the JP Boomerang's.
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Review from Merissa O.
Boston, MA
10/19/2011
1 Vintage dress (perfect size to fit a plus size model)
2 pairs of infant sweatpants
1 vintage leather clutch
1 castiron pot (quality people)
1 large heavy mixing bowl (more quality people)
1 silk shirt
1 lavender polyester skirt (must have)
2 pairs of funky shoes (love'em)
1 toddler winter sweater
2 matching coffee mugs
ALL FOR $38.50- I'm an effin' winner people!
Enough said. "P.S. I don't buy crap!" -
Review from Monica R.
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Review from Dorothy W.
Cambridge, MA
6/14/2011
Clean, cool, and classy, this is one fine shopping experience for the thrifty shopper and a very welcome addition to Central Square. Not only does Boomerangs support AIDS Action with the donations that they receive (this is not a consignment shop), they also know how to operate a very upscale, tidy store.
The location is right across the street from the Goodwill, so if you are a bargain hunter, you can stop into both easily.
There are many small cubby spaces around the perimeter that hold a variety of items including fine china, lamps, crystal, electronics, collectables and quite a few candle sticks. Clothes,belts, ties and handbags are all hung on racks, carefully displayed and looking respectably clean.
Lots and lots of large book shelves hold an assortment of hardbacks for $3 and paperbacks for $2, but the colored stickers they use on the books are beastly to remove. (Do the smell test on your books, though. I found one that really smelled of mildew.) You'll also find lots of CDs here. Occasionally there is some very decent art work and some really fine looking furniture. The prices are sometimes (not always) on the high end, but they are still very affordable and when your money goes to such a worthy cause, that's a grand thing.
There are three changing rooms with plenty of elbow room. Pleasant staff are always agreeable and helpful.
It's so delightfully clean and upscale that in many ways, it offers a sharp contrast to similar stores. They always have a great sound track and the staff is amazingly wonderful.
Welcome to Central Square, Boomerangs! -
Review from Temporarily J.
Cambridge, MA
6/12/2011
I love this place. They just opened up maybe a couple of weeks ago, and since I live pretty much right across the street, I've been going in every few days to check it out.
It's like a permanent yard sale. It's constantly changing, all kinds of weird and awesome stuff, and it's ridiculously cheap. I got a flour sifter in there for 50 cents, and a stuffed tiger almost as big as my 10-year-old son (for whom I bought it), for a quarter. Seriously. A quarter. This thing seemed almost brand-new, and was like 4 feet long.
There was a much smaller lion next to it marked at $2 though, so I don't know what sort of system they have for the "priced-as-marked" stuff, but if you look around, there are some real steals.
Oh yeah, and they have clothes and stuff. It doesn't seem like they have a lot of stuff for guys. I'm weird about clothes shopping though, so my opinion here likely won't matter to you. I do a quick scan of everything looking for any of the 5 basic items of black clothing I wear, and if a place doesn't have them, I move on. In this place, it takes me about 5 minutes to make my clothing scan, and I have yet to find something I like. But at least I know that when that perfect size medium black suit vest with lots of pockets shows up on the rack, it'll only be $3, so i can snatch it up quickly, so I'll keep scanning.
One word of advice: they have a pretty much constantly changing selection of CDs, which you should totally check out.. Before buying one though, make sure the disc is actually in there. I bought two CDs the first time I went in, and when I got home, one of the CDs was missing. Obviously, I should have checked while I was still at the store. Oh well. Lesson learnt.
Now, some stuff in there is priced more like you might expect in the average used-stuff store. There's usually a couch in the window (it seems to be a different couch each time I go, but I could be wrong) the price has fluctuated from between $150 and $300 so far, which sounds out of line with their pricing elsewhere in the store, but these were all really sweet, plush couches with no stains. The one they had in there yesterday looked all antique and shit. Velvet I think, with lots of old fashioned lacy stuff going on.
There seems also to be a coffee-table-of-the-day, which if memory serves (which it often doesn't- beware) has ranged in price from $15 up to maybe $25. Nothing too fancy there so far, but all sturdy, clean and unkitschy. They also had a brand-new, plastic-still-on-the-box Apples to Apples game for $8. Yoink!
One area where I haven't noticed a lot of turnover so far is their small electronics department. There were some video cameras (I only really picked up one to look at, and the battery was missing), and I didn't look at the prices on them. Those sold, but everything else in that section seems to have been the same each time I've gone. There a coffee maker, and some Foreman-style grills. I think I saw a panini press and some kind of tea maker? It looked like a coffee maker but had a porcelain tea pot instead of a carafe. That stuff's all still there. I'll likely be exploring that section in more detail later, in which case I'll update this.
Anyway, bottom line: I love this store, and I hope they stick around in Central Square a long, long time. I'll keep going in there to see what's new today, and I kind of hope you do too. What seems to make this place so awesome is how quickly there's always new stuff. So go buy something and make room for something I want. -
Review from Melinda G.
Boston, MA
6/12/2011
When I discovered Boomerangs was opening in Central Square, I was stoked. Its not entirely easy for me to get out to the JP one, and while I love Boomerangs Special Edition, getting there also requires a bit of planning.
I scored some great finds on my first visit, including a couple of adorable strapless dresses. While there I inquired as to when they would be taking donations, as the website says they are not taking any at this time. The staff (also super super nice!) said they took donations any time they were open.
Upon hearing this, I likely let out some sort of whoop and told them they would be seeing a lot more of me. And then I went on my merry way with my new-to-me purchases. I've been in the process of cleaning out my closets and frankly I'm sick of looking at stacks of crap I've piled in the hallway to giveaway. I cleaned out yet another closet, and because Boomerangs takes books and DVDs and housewares, I was able to amass quite a drop and was a little nervous they would tell me I couldn't give drop off that much on a busy Saturday afternoon or something.
Nonsense. They were awesome. I'll be donating everything to Boomerangs for now on not only because its convenient, but it supports the AIDS Action Committee AND because I love shopping there. I always find some of the best stuff, both vintage and otherwise. The staff is great and the way the goods are merchandised is exceptional. -
Review from Dee P.
Auburndale, MA
6/1/2011
Just ventured in for the first time after seeing a few weeks ago that it would be opening in May. Central Square was in DESPERATE need of a store like this; Goodwill and Salvation Army are OK, but overpriced, with a tendency toward unbearably stinky (Sally's is worse than Goodwill-- I can barely go IN), and since Gap and Tello's closed there's really no place to even browse for clothing.
First impressions: Well-sorted by both size and color (for the most part). They have made a pretty good use of the former "Attic" space, with cute little square niches all over the store and paintings hung up high -- maybe too high-- to maximize the extraordinary height of the ceilings, and a faux staircase showcasing items at the center of the store. Clothing types and gender are well separated; there's even a section just for authentic vintage items. Good furniture selection at mostly low prices (even if the awesome corner cabinet is $225!), tons of books, smaller home goods and some appliances, a bit of jewelry, and even some bolts of fabric (sweet!). Great music (Beatles!) and REALLY friendly, cool-looking staff.
Boomerangs' profits benefit AIDS Action, a wonderful organization that has worked for many years to raise money for AIDS research and improving the lives of those living with HIV and AIDS. I used to volunteer for them in high school...
As someone mentioned, the dressing rooms have no hooks for hangers (??) but hopefully they'll get that sorted.
Pricing, overall, is excellent. $2 for a tank top instead of the $4.50 you'll pay at Goodwill, and it's likely to be in better condition, from a higher-quality brand. (I got a silk Anne Klein shell for $2).
One star lost because of lack of selection (it still looks pretty empty so far and there's not a lot in any one category) and the hook-less dressing rooms, but if that improves I'll update to 5! -
Review from James H.
Cambridge, MA
3/29/2012
Very disappointing. Great for the first month with lots of vintage items. Good for clothes still. Not good for anything else. They don't seem to solicit donations so maybe that is why? Everything has to be shipped over from JP and they keep any interesting objects at that store--or so it seems. Really nice staff!
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Review from Ginnette P.
Dorchester, MA
3/10/2012
love it because its small enough to not overwhelm and is in Central Square where I go shopping anyways...
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Review from Lynette S.
Roslindale, MA
5/31/2011 8 photos
Great items and serious overall potential.
I only wish it were bigger and/or seriously packed.
Look carefully around bc there's items in nooks in the walls. -
Review from Sox G.
Arlington, MA
5/24/2011
Love it here! It just opened last week and I scored a relatively new (and dry cleaned, as tags from dry cleaning were still on there) Ann Taylor dress for a wedding for $12! I was pretty psyched. I also bought a rubber ducky for 50 cents :)
I will be visiting more often now that it's close to my work. -
Review from Nazli S.
Cambridge, MA
10/8/2011
Made my very first purchase (cheap but cute office supplies) and donated my first item (a black kenneth cole winter coat) this past week. Super close to my office, and I make sure to check out the selection all the time. Walked out with a pink Banana Republic shirt and a patterned Ben Sherman shirts the other day. I will be donating and buying again and again. Keep up the good work!
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Review from cc c.
Cambridge, MA
7/8/2011
Boomerangs is GREAT! First they restored my faith in thrift stores. Then they restored my faith in humanity. *Heart*
This is the review I planned to write after Saturday:
1. Prices are really good. They're like flea market I-just-need-to-make-space-please-take-my-treasure prices.
2. Effective displays.
3. Clear pricing.
4. No broken/stained stuff.
5. I'd much rather support AIDS Action Committee rather than a certain overpriced thrift chain whose branches often blast preaching radio. But that's just me.
This is what I have to add after Tuesday:
My mom and I went for the first time last Saturday and in the course of buying a bunch of awesome kitchen stuff and fitting it into our bags, my mom left sunglasses she had borrowed from me. They were really expensive (I don't wear leather, so eyewear is one accessory I can indulge in. What?) We called another store we had been in, when the girl heard the brand she laughed as if to say 'you won't be getting those back if I find them first.' That killed my soul a little, though she wasn't telling me anything I didn't already know. When Boomerang opened after the holiday, we dropped by... and the sunglasses were safely behind the register! I was mildly ok with never getting them back, but I can't even begin to say how much it meant that the people who work there are honest. Maybe it's because they're volunteers but whatever. This place has great karma all around.
I'll also add that there was definitely new stuff on Tuesday compared to Saturday.Listed in: My Neighborhood
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Review from R. M.
Cambridge, MA
9/17/2011
A beautiful store with great quality items -- MUCH better than Goodwill. I even picked up some gifts for people there (the items might as well have been new). Prices are fantastic and the staff is helpful and friendly.
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Review from liz c.
MA
5/20/2011
Get there while it's fresh! They just opened this week & the place looks great. Good, well-curated selection of housewares, books, clothing, etc. Prices are reasonable, staff are friendly, and the items are quite varied. Something for everyone!
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Review from Niamh H.
Cambridge, MA
6/4/2011
Great shop, great concept! My husband and I just moved to Cambridge and we have been searching for shelving to fit in the corner of our kitchen. We visited a number of furniture stores in the area without luck, but happened to pass by Boomerangs and found exactly what we needed: a gorgeous wooden corner cabinet! We picked up a few more items and cancelled our Ikea trip. I feel really great about our purchases: the profits benefit AIDS Action, we recycled furniture and the price was right. I'm so happy to find this piece which fits perfectly in our new home.
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Review from M H.
Boston, MA
5/18/2011
Like the other Boomerangs locations, you'll find tons of quality clothes, mostly used, for cheap cheap prices. I visited this location earlier for it's opening and I was really pleased with it. Smaller than the Boomerangs in JP, but still a great vintage selection for ladies, although in the future that may vary by day. Men's section at the back of the store did seem fairly small though.
Items are sold by a standard list of prices unless otherwise marked. General price range seemed to be:
Scarves - $2-3
Longsleeves - $4 ish
Sweaters - $6 ish
Dresses $8-12
Definitely still in its opening phases (dressing rooms still need hooks, etc.), but so far so good. -
Review from Raf v.
Newburyport, MA
12/28/2011
Nice store, good stuff, decent prices, but often lousy staff service from people with bad attitudes, or who act like they're scared to death of strangers. Some store clerks are great, as are the managers. Others though won't look at you when you speak to them, or two or three of them will talk among themselves and act like they're having a private party that customers are interfering with. Ask for help and they don't respond, or one will sort of respond, but rarely with a smile. Go up to some of these clerks and stand where they can see you and they won't say, "May I help you?", you have to almost beg for assistance. The other day I expressed an interest in a tablecloth that was on a table, covered with other items for sale, and was told to "just take the stuff off" by a clerk who was yakking with fellow clerks. I like this store and will go back, but the customer service is often non-existent or poor, and as a repeat customer, I expect more, including a "hello".
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Review from Mo D.
Portland, ME
11/11/2011
i love Boomerangs and i am *so* happy that they've opened a store in Central Square! this one is smaller than the JP spot, but has a similarly rockin selection of goods at great prices. when i visited, they had one color tag at half price and another color tag marked down to just $2! they have some nice furniture, too... i just wish they had more space here for more good stuff!
