Customer Reviews

Dirt Cheap, Real Good: A Highway Guide to Thrift Stores in the Washington DC Area (Washington Weekends)

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Chriss Slevin and Leah Smith travelled 4000 miles to research "Dirt Cheap, Real Good" and all of the hard work shows. This thorough travel guide of the thrift shops and other stores specializing in highly discounted items is broken down to six road trips that start in Washington, D.C. and travel to Delaware, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and other places surrounding D.C.

"Dirt Cheap" is a really fun book, and the restaurant recommendations included in it are a real treat.

I read this book assuming that, after 9 years living in the DC area, I would find summaries of my favorite haunts, and maybe scoff at outdated listings for a few that had closed. I did not expect, and was very happily surprised, to find mention of several newer shops, including a few nearby I didn't even know existed!

The book was obviously very thoroughly researched, and I'm sure they had a blast writing it. (Now, if only I had thought of it!)

You may purchase this guide looking for some stores to stop into, but what you'll find instead is the makings of a thrift vacation. The authors outline great roadtrips to surround the highlighted thrift stores, so you'll know where to stay and eat as you thrift your way around the mid-atlantic region. They even throw in some other activities besides thrifting in case you go into bargain-hunting overload. It's a pretty genius idea and a totally original take on road-tripping. I highly recommend picking this book up for a new perspective. Plus, they do give you all those great stores to stop into.

I bought DIRT CHEAP, REAL GOOD for a weekend trip to D.C. and I was blown away by the thorough research the authors had done on thrift shops in the area. They not only tell you where to go, but also include information about what to expect in terms of price, selection, and even atmosphere. The writing is lively and fun, and the book is illustrated with photos of many of the stores. This book is a gem for true connoisseurs of thrift stores and American popular culture.

Dirt Cheap Real Good Rocks. I was visiting some friends in Philly and my friend was wearing a cool old IZOD(I had been dying to find some IZODs and Le Tigre vintage shirts). When I asked him where he got the shirt-he pulled out Dirt Cheap... and we spent THREE full days on tours of the Philly area thrift shops! I cleaned up!(now you can find some of those shirts on my ebay site) There were also cool insights to local eateries!! Now I have one in my car and have circled the next several trips.. They need to write one for every part of the U.S.!!

I have been going to a lot of stores that were reviewed in this guide, and the descriptions were accurate. Even with google, I would have had a hard time compiling this list of places to shop for myself. I keep in my glove compartment, so when I am visiting a different neighborhood in DC I have new places to shop. It has been really fun.

we used Dirt Cheap this weekend on a trip to Philly - these girls know their stuff! i got a brand new thrifty couch at one of the stores listed in the book, and we ate breakfast at carman's country cafe in south philly, which was delicious and really really fun. i highly recommend Dirt Cheap Real Good.