Dan DaranciangScholarShop
8211 Clayton Rd.
Mon.-Thurs.: 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Fri.-Sat.: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Sun.
By Jessica Sommer
For the perfect combination of philanthropy and frugality, ScholarShop is the place to go. Lying just behind the Galleria Mall, ScholarShop offers a mix of bizarre track suits from the mid-1980s, dresses from every era and for any occasion and an eclectic mix of accessories. Although lacking a thorough collection of typical thrift store T-shirts, the store proffers cute vintage jewelry and even shoes for those brave enough to try them on. Standout features of the store included an ornate wedding gown perfectly suited for any bead and lace-loving bride, a metallic dress inspired by the American flag and bras reminiscent of an age before Victoria’s Secret.
Aside from some outlandish pieces of clothing, the truly striking feature of the store is its never ending philanthropic efforts. The store is an outlet for the Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis and profits go toward helping students in St. Louis realize their goals of attending college. Through the foundation students can receive interest-free loans and special grants for nursing students.
Whether looking for a Halloween costume or a cheap new outfit, ScholarShop is great place to find new, old clothes while supporting the local community.
By Felicia Baskin
The wares at ScholarShop range from dazzling dresses to dinky dishes. The store’s exterior is rather unassuming, as is the collection of goods available inside the store.
The store is divided into sections of different types of clothing and household items. A lot of the clothing found at the shop was actually quite practical and could easily be added to someone’s everyday wardrobe. The designer section even included clothing from designers like St. John’s Knits and Ralph Lauren. The housewares section, however, was really just a hodgepodge of random pieces from different collections of china and bizarre household accents.
On a typical rack of about 50 items of clothing, probably 10 of the items were worthy of a costume party. We found track suits in all shades and sizes and outfits made out of incredibly stretchy and probably incredibly unflattering materials that changed colors in the light. We also found a lot of clothing that looked appropriate for infants, but was made to fit a grown woman. Particularly noteworthy were sweaters so heavily covered with beads and appliqu‚s they were probably heavier than the people who would fit inside them.
In fact, excessive beading was a characteristic that tied together much of the clothing at ScholarShop. The formalwear section was filled with dresses and suits that sparkled in the store’s yellowy lighting. Racks were completely crowded with sequins and lace. We found several wedding dresses, a few of which were slightly decent. We also found dresses that were anything but decent – short, tight and pretty much see-through. Though most of the clothing in the formalwear section looked like it was in style decades ago, the arrival dates of the items were all fairly recent.
The store has some choice pieces for wacky outfits, but overall, its best function is to fill out a conservative wardrobe, not a collection of stylish or fun clothing.
By Sarah Baicker
I’ll be honest – I wasn’t expecting a lot from ScholarShop. I assumed from its name that it was a thrift store with a noble cause, but never thought about actually going inside before working on this story. I’ve passed it probably hundreds of times, as we all have en route to and from the Galleria, but now I might just consider going back – even if it’s just to show my friends that crazy, almost military-like, beaded wedding gown that Jessica tried on.
ScholarShop is a typical thrift store in that it has that unmistakable musk and its floor is filled with racks of randomly organized clothing. But unfortunately for me, ScholarShop is not the kind of place to pick up the vintage, child-size soccer jerseys that make up most of my wardrobe. Instead, the store is filled with a lot of ’80s-era business attire, shapeless suits and dresses from who-knows-when and a considerable collection of formal gowns. If you search hard enough, though, you might be able to find something you saw at Nordstrom’s a few years ago but couldn’t afford. And ScholarShop’s prices are nothing to argue about – while they might be just a tad pricier than Goodwill or St. Vincent de Paul’s, they’re still far below what you’d expect, and all their proceeds go to the Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis.