Astoria, Thrift Shops Oct 15, 2014 The Second Best Thrift Shop Is Going Out of Business Gotta love that sign, especially as we near Halloween. We heard through the grapevine that The Second Best Thrift Shop on Astoria Blvd near 31st Street is going out of (…) Share this Scoop by Meg Cotner total shares! Twitter Facebook Email Print Gotta love that sign, especially as we near Halloween. We heard through the grapevine that The Second Best Thrift Shop on Astoria Blvd near 31st Street is going out of (…) by Meg Cotner Share this Scoop total shares! Twitter Facebook Email Print Gotta love that sign, especially as we near Halloween. We heard through the grapevine that The Second Best Thrift Shop on Astoria Blvd near 31st Street is going out of business. We called to confirm and it is indeed true; apparently they lost their lease. They’ll be open for 7 more days and are selling everything off, from clothes to furniture, comic books to magazines, and more. The notable quote in this whole thing is “Everything must go, including the kitchen sink.” I do wonder what will go in that space. Coincidentally, it’s right across form the new Starbucks, surely a sign that this bit of Astoria is starting to gentrify. Second Best Thrift Shop, 30-07 Astoria Blvd, Astoria NY 11105 Twitter Facebook Email Print closingsThe Second Best Thrift Shop About Meg Cotner Meg Cotner was trained as a harpsichordist and now works as a freelance writer and editor. She is the author of "Food Lovers' Guide to Queens," and is a skilled and avid home cook, baker, and preserver. 15 Comments Kara October 16th, 2014 I’m also happy to see them go. Their store was dirty and gross before they had animals there. I can’t imagine what it was like afterward. Reply ThinkAstoria October 16th, 2014 That place is terrible, especially since they had animals in bad conditions. I’ll just be sad that a part of the opening credits to King of Queens will be gone. Reply Ron October 16th, 2014 Johnathan Dough – your comments are spot on. Well done,sir! Reply Nancy October 15th, 2014 Good riddance. That store is an absolute mess; merchandise (much of it broken) was piled up everywhere. And, the last time we stopped by they were using half the store to sell exotic birds (probably illegally). Reply Chris October 15th, 2014 Yeah, I always wondered if the animals they kept in cages there (dogs in addition to the birds) were being treated properly. It made me uneasy once they started having them there. It did often have the most random and interesting things to look at as you walked by at least. Sad for the owners, but I’ll be interested to see what they put in there next. Hopefully a business that I would have a reason to go to. Reply ep October 15th, 2014 Ever been there? It is the most expensive thrift store I’ve EVER seen! I’ve inquired a few times about items and was blown away at the amount of money they wanted. Reply megc October 15th, 2014 Not for several years, but I would walk past it often. Reply Joe October 16th, 2014 I agree, they wanted something like $200 for a turntable that didn’t have a cartridge, and wouldn’t plug in to show that it worked. I always felt dirty leaving, and while I was there, I felt like everything was going to topple onto me, killing me. Reply cindy October 15th, 2014 it is because of greedy landlords. ever notice all the places that open and close on Steinway each year. the businesses invest all they have to start up only to find the business traffic doesn’t support the rent. even the big business chains fail because the customer base doesn’t support big business in the area. Reply jonathan dough October 15th, 2014 That doesn’t sound like greedy landlords so much as unintelligent business people. If the business traffic does not support the rent, don’t agree to pay that rent. Reply dana October 15th, 2014 The 99 cent store next door (Super Saver) is closing at the end of the month too. The owner told me he decided not to renew his lease (too expensive). Reply megc October 15th, 2014 I am sorry to hear this. I wonder if El Cafetal – pretty decent Mexican food in an unassuming atmosphere (I like the sopes there) – up the street will be able to hang on. There is quite a bit of development happening nearby on both Astoria Blvd and 31st Street. Perhaps the landlords are banking on this element to bring in future tenants that can pay the $$$. Thanks, Dana, for the additional info. Reply jonathan dough October 15th, 2014 why on earth would you be sorry to see a 99 cent store closing? Reply megc October 15th, 2014 They do serve a purpose for a number of people in Astoria, from all walks of life. It means an independent business owner and their family are taking a financial hit. And it’s more evidence of the changes that are coming because of all the development that is set for that little corner of town. I’m sure curious to see what will be in its place. Reply ep October 17th, 2014 The owner of that 99 cent store is the nicest guy. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Kara October 16th, 2014 I’m also happy to see them go. Their store was dirty and gross before they had animals there. I can’t imagine what it was like afterward. Reply
ThinkAstoria October 16th, 2014 That place is terrible, especially since they had animals in bad conditions. I’ll just be sad that a part of the opening credits to King of Queens will be gone. Reply
Nancy October 15th, 2014 Good riddance. That store is an absolute mess; merchandise (much of it broken) was piled up everywhere. And, the last time we stopped by they were using half the store to sell exotic birds (probably illegally). Reply
Chris October 15th, 2014 Yeah, I always wondered if the animals they kept in cages there (dogs in addition to the birds) were being treated properly. It made me uneasy once they started having them there. It did often have the most random and interesting things to look at as you walked by at least. Sad for the owners, but I’ll be interested to see what they put in there next. Hopefully a business that I would have a reason to go to. Reply
ep October 15th, 2014 Ever been there? It is the most expensive thrift store I’ve EVER seen! I’ve inquired a few times about items and was blown away at the amount of money they wanted. Reply
Joe October 16th, 2014 I agree, they wanted something like $200 for a turntable that didn’t have a cartridge, and wouldn’t plug in to show that it worked. I always felt dirty leaving, and while I was there, I felt like everything was going to topple onto me, killing me. Reply
cindy October 15th, 2014 it is because of greedy landlords. ever notice all the places that open and close on Steinway each year. the businesses invest all they have to start up only to find the business traffic doesn’t support the rent. even the big business chains fail because the customer base doesn’t support big business in the area. Reply
jonathan dough October 15th, 2014 That doesn’t sound like greedy landlords so much as unintelligent business people. If the business traffic does not support the rent, don’t agree to pay that rent. Reply
dana October 15th, 2014 The 99 cent store next door (Super Saver) is closing at the end of the month too. The owner told me he decided not to renew his lease (too expensive). Reply
megc October 15th, 2014 I am sorry to hear this. I wonder if El Cafetal – pretty decent Mexican food in an unassuming atmosphere (I like the sopes there) – up the street will be able to hang on. There is quite a bit of development happening nearby on both Astoria Blvd and 31st Street. Perhaps the landlords are banking on this element to bring in future tenants that can pay the $$$. Thanks, Dana, for the additional info. Reply
jonathan dough October 15th, 2014 why on earth would you be sorry to see a 99 cent store closing? Reply
megc October 15th, 2014 They do serve a purpose for a number of people in Astoria, from all walks of life. It means an independent business owner and their family are taking a financial hit. And it’s more evidence of the changes that are coming because of all the development that is set for that little corner of town. I’m sure curious to see what will be in its place. Reply