Thrift Away the Summer

Washington, D.C. July 7, 2004 -- As you walk down the crowded aisle full of mountains of boxes, piles of house-wares, and shelves of dusty romance novels from the 1970s, you suddenly catch the glimmer of something different. When you rush toward the shelf, you realize that you've found the jewel among the junk – a first edition copy of Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" or an original Ramones' album or a vintage Chanel suit – whatever your collecting passion is. Imagine planning a road trip vacation around such a treasure hunt. "Dirt Cheap, Real Good: A Highway Guide to Thrift Stores in the Washington DC Area" isn't just a travel guide; it introduces readers to the world of thrifting, the hunt for the perfect bargain by searching through second-hand, thrift, antique, and vintage shops. Chriss Slevin and Leah Smith, who logged over 4000 miles of thrifting as research for this book, guide the adventurous, fashion-conscious, urban hipster, vintage collector, and the downright cheap on a thrift store travel adventure around the DC area. The book covers seven Mid-Atlantic states, hitting big cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Raleigh-Durham, and includes over 300 thrift, vintage, and second hand stores.

"Thrifting is great for many reasons – you can recycle once-loved items, borrow from the world library of stuff, unearth the local cultural archeology, or play dress-up for cheap," say Chriss and Leah. "Road trips, like thrift stores, are not about the final destination. Exploring is more than half the fun."

"Dirt Cheap, Real Good" is a take-along travel guide to the best second-hand shops in the Mid-Atlantic region. It leads readers on six adventurous road trips, featuring the very best of local thrifting. The network of routes, which map the finest second-hand, antique, and vintage shops, all originate from Washington, DC, allowing you to create your own weekend thrift expeditions. "Dirt Cheap, Real Good" offers the low-down on the merchandise, hours, and phone numbers for each location, plus colorful descriptions of each stop, as well as photos, road maps, and quotes from local characters. As the icing on the cake, the book notes pit stops at quirky bars, cheap motels, greasy spoon diners, off-the-wall amusements and miscellaneous roadside oddities.

The seven routes featured in the book are:
Route #1: Home Base - Washington, DC
Route #2: Washington DC to Philadelphia, PA
Route #3: Washington DC to Pittsburgh, PA
Route #4: Washington DC to Charleston, WV
Route #5: Washington DC to Winston Salem, NC
Route #6: Washington, DC to Raleigh, NC
Route #7: Washington, DC to the Delaware and Maryland Coasts

Chriss Slevin is a bona fide packrat. On numerous road trips and other journeys she has accumulated a collection of highway souvenirs, clothing, and thrift oddities. She works as a Program Officer for an arts foundation in New York City. Chriss studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design and her artwork has been exhibited nationally. Chriss currently lives in Brooklyn, NY and is a dedicated thrifter, expert bargain hunter, and a staunch advocate of dirt cheap living.

For the past fourteen years, Leah Smith has developed thrifting into a form of creative expression. She has made numerous thrift shopping expeditions across the country and has collected enough artifacts to practically open her own vintage store. Leah currently lives in Boston, MA where she earned a BFA at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Tufts University in film studies. One of Leah's plays is published in "Seven Short Plays for the Bedroom"(Mutable Press, 2002).

Dirt Cheap, Real Good:
A Highway Guide to Thrift Stores in the Washington DC Area
Chriss Slevin and Leah Smith
May 2004 ISBN 1-931868-68-9 $18.95
Paper, 5-1/2 x 8-1/2, 231 pp. + b/w photos



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