Do not be fooled by the 2 Dollar Clothing Store‘s name. This is not one of those infamous discount stores in a strip mall, filled with cheap T-shirts hanging alongside an incongruous assortment of depressing (although sometimes necessary for life) soap and spatulas and other random junk. The 2 Dollar Clothing Store, on Santa Monica Blvd. east of the West Hollywood gay strip, has only one type of inventory: a giant pile of clothes, right there in the middle of the floor, a pile so big you can jump into it like it is a pile of leaves in your yard.
The clothes were costumes worn by extras in TV and movie productions, so depending on what is being filmed around town, the supply changes from simple T-shirts and shorts to occasionally high-end fashion. The garments have usually been worn only a few times, so–other than have been squashed in a big pile–they are usually in good shape. Dig past the T-shirts and you may find a cashmere sweater, and that cashmere sweater costs only $2, just like everything else.
This isn’t the store for everybody. Digging through a giant pile of clothes, both men’s and women’s, nothing organized and all sizes mixed together, can be a mind-numbing enterprise. It can also be physically tough, considering you have to literally climb on the pile to dig properly. But those Hollywood stylists dress some of those TV and movie extras in really good clothes, so wear something comfortable that allows you to move around and give yourself a lot of time to search the pile. You never know what you’ll find in there, and no one will know where you found it.
2 Dollar Clothing Store
7713 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood