Blue Bird Circle

06/12/08

Great - if you know your limits.

by halflegendary at Citysearch

I have been frequenting Blue Bird Circle for nearly a year, going about once a week. The only other store that gets such devotion from me is Target. Because they accept anything and everything the daily-updated stock is consistently surprising. Sometimes it's the housewares section that gets me, sometimes the clothing department. I have purchased everything from silk dresses to mid-century furniture here. Best find to date? Three weeks ago I purchased near mint condition first edition copies of "All the President's Men" by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward and "Thirteen Days" by Robert Kennedy, $6.00 each. They are each worth around $500.

Be careful, however - some items are incredibly reasonable, some horribly overpriced. I suspect that the pricing is left to whatever volunteer is working that day, thus it's mostly personal preference on the worker's part. Never the less, I do love the place.

• Pros: quality of merchandise
• Cons: pricing inconsistent

04/29/07

A big maybe

by lilmach at Citysearch

Some items are priced well, others are way over what you'd expect. I assume it's a volunteer staff and I've found an "attitude" permeates.....almost snobbish.

• Pros: Some of the prices
• Cons: Snobbish staff

06/29/06

Eclectic

by susanroberts at Citysearch

You never know what you will find at Blue Bird because they accept nearly anything and are full from floor to ceiling with items that have mostly been donated. They also take some consignment clothing. Although the consignment process is not the most customer friendly, they do contientiously track and mail consignment checks promptly. Their prices are rock bottom and you can find some great bargains, but you have to spend some time digging to find them.

• Pros: Very friendly and customer oreinted.
• Cons: Quite a lot of stuff to look through to find the bargains.

A Montrose institution, this resale shop offers higher-end clothing, furniture and housewares at modest, though hardly bargain-basement, prices.

by Contributor at Citysearch

The Scene
This resale operation has been putting secondhand shirts on people's backs and providing used couches for their behinds long enough to become a Montrose institution. Run as a charitable enterprise supporting a pediatric hospital, it's staffed by a small army of pleasant, civic-minded matrons who, in keeping with the name, wear distinctive blue smocks.

The Goods
The Blue Bird won't dazzle anyone with its amazing values--most items are relatively pricey to begin with, then reduced each month they don't sell. And the inventory isn't the sort to entrance collectors of kitsch--very few lime-green shag ottomans or retro bowling shirts on hand. The furniture is fairly conventional, and the apparel traditional. In short, the sort of stuff you'd expect to be offered by a group of pleasant, civic-minded matrons. Rack after rack of blouses, slacks and skirts for the ladies and--with much less to choose from--sport coats, jeans and dress shirts for the gentlemen. All in good shape, all about one-fifth what they cost retail. There is a "vintage" room where the dedicated camp-o-phile might stumble upon a '70s polyester jumpsuit in a shade never found in nature or even some old wedding gowns. But for the most part, you should expect no more--or less--than a selection of reliable used goods at fair prices.