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Dandelion Vintage & Used Clothing
Rating Details »
Categories: Used, Vintage & Consignment, Costumes [Edit]
9 E Taylor StChampaign, IL 61820
(217) 355-9333
- Hours:
Mon-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
8 reviews for Dandelion Vintage & Used Clothing
I loved Dandelion when I lived in Champaign. Standouts: red corduroy flares that fit like a glove. A garment my roommate found that looked, in her words, "like somebody sheared Elmo and made him into a sweater". Old school men's shirts that gently nudged my college boyfriend away from straight-ticket punk rock skater gear.
The prices for sell/trade are fair. I once had an agonizing dilemma in which I had to choose among the following: food that was not ramen, a weekend in Chicago centered around seeing Sleater Kinney, and retaining possession of a variety of beautiful clothing items I rarely wore. I went with selling the clothes in favor of the concert. That turned out to be a questionable decision, as the weekend was an epic disaster and I occasionally missed a couple of the pieces I parted with. However, on the upside, the show was great and I like to think my vintage men's stripey silk pajama pants made someone's day.
I didn't visit Dandelion frequently enough to be a regular customer, but my roommate got to know the owner, Sarah, quite well. She is not only a lovely person, but has excellent taste and always had intimate knowledge of everything in the shop. As for the complaints about her employees being blasé hipster douchebags, I guess this is fair (provided things are the same as when I was last there). However, I find hipster douchebags amusing, not annoying. Just set the bar really, really low in terms of social skills and you'll start to feel sorry for them.
Drop by Dandelion. Even if the items there aren't your style, you'll still be intrigued by the fun vintage wear.
Highlights of Sunday's trip to Dandelion:
- A sequined blazer befitting a 70's gameshow host
- A rabbit fur coat straight out of Siberia
- Horribly awesome 80's prom dresses
- Pants in every conceivable color of pleather
- A sweater vest festooned with images of playful cats
That being said, while this stuff was undoubtedly fun to dig through, could anyone actually wear it "for real"? This place is great with Halloween right around the corner, but what about the other eleven months of the year? Most pieces seemed far too extreme for the average person to pull off.
On the plus side, however, the woman working behind the counter didn't seem to have any issues with us documenting our more outrageous finds with our camera phones. While we wouldn't be able to wear most items on the street, at least we could have fun with them in the store.
The best thrift store I've been to outside a major city.
I rarely leave without finding something I love (AND HAVE TO HAVE!) and they stock everything from the occasional obi sash to fedoras to wigs to bridesmaid gowns to bomber jackets.
Sarah's impeccable taste ensures an incredible selection of pieces that really reflect their provenance: fifties dresses are cut like fifties dresses. Eighties blouses are true polyester eighties blouses. There are obscure labels and strange finds. It's the kind of place where you find a floaty skirt and automatically know it would make a great dress so you strap it 'round your chest and vogue in front of the mirror.
There are boots to match in the corner, you know.
The part I love the most is that the store is kept up so well that I never walk out with Goodwill hands and I don't feel like I need to give the clothing a chemical shower before I wear it. No wonder they've been around so long.
They were having a 50% off sale, which intrigued me greatly. I sauntered in in the middle of the afternoon on a Sunday. They were dead. There was one employee there. She saw me as I walked in, and I smiled and said hi. I got nothin'. I figured perhaps she didn't hear me, but whatever. I walked around, browsing through the racks of very cool coats (I am a whore for accessories). The Holier Than Thou Employee continued on about her work very near me, but never once looked at me or said anything. It was like I was invisible (a super power that sounds better than it really is).
My lack of hipness and disaffectedness made me leave before trying anything on.
Still, if you can hit up that sale before it goes, I would suggest doing so. They had some seriously great things there....and they're not expensive when they're 50% off!
The One-Stop Shop.
Something old, something new.
I like the collection of frocks and outerwear.
Also the accessories are fun. And the vintage frames are great!
Dandelion tends to be the first place I check out if I'm looking for something unique or for a piece to complete a costume. A surprising amount of my wardrobe favorites are from Dandelion.
Its just a fun shop! (that I miss dearly!)
(That being said it can still be very hit or miss, but so are a lot of shops)
My g/f brought me here because she is a U of I alum.
Although I have only been here once, I really dug their selection of men's clothes. I found an awesome brown bomber jacket (with a fur collar), some sweet shirts, and a new pair of leather dingo boots like I've been trying to find for a couple of years now! One of the shirts was a black 1990s shirt with the guy from Zero Wing on it that said "All your base are belong to us" on the back. Totally boss.
They also had a really nice selection of cool watches (one of which I purchased) and a bunch of other random cool shit. In short, this place made me late on my rent for a month!
Seriously, if you have some dough to spend and you like interesting unique guys fashion, hit this place up!
Though there has been the rare occasion where I did not find anything that fit me/wanted to spend money on at Dandelion, it's still an awesome store.
The owner is really nice, and the place has a pretty wide selection of everything from simple to fabulous. I've found that most of their inexpensive items are the ones worth buying and wearing daily, and have heard many good things about their menswear selection. Though the selection is sometimes not for everyone, chances are, if your style borders on the eclectic and eccentric, you'll really dig Dandelion.
(They also have a great sale in January/February where everything is 50% off!)
The selection can be iffy, but I've found great items, too, which are usually dresses or outerwear. With the exception of a few people (including the owner) employees tend to be unenthusiastic/unhelpful/bored, etc. to the extent that not even a trip to the register can cure bad attitudes. It's kind of a staple of Champaign, though, so I hope it remains for a long time to come.
