Cafe Society

Delicious old (but not ratty) men’s clothes! Last I was in there the didn’t have anything sized accurately (just in S-​M-​L, no measurements) so finding the right fit took a while, but I’ve found some staples to my wardrobe there for some sweet prices.
Go!

Pretty funky place! I wasn’t looking for anything specific and I didn’t buy anything, but I enjoyed browsing. The jewelry stood out to me especially because there were quite a few beautiful pieces and I don’t think the prices were unreasonable. There’s also a good selection of shoes and dresses. My favorite, though: lingerie! Cute, sexy ‘lil things. And it’s vintage! Hard to resist.

On my walk to a JP costume party, I passed this little gem and backtracked a few steps — this store was too hip, unique, and cute to pass up. I was left mostly to my own devices in the store, which I appreciated. The lady working had long 70s hair and plaid flare pants. The vintage clothing wasn’t cheap, but it wasn’t crazy expensive either. The finds were pretty high end — I went in looking for a costume accessory and walked away with a top I’ll wear often. This area is tucked away from most folks who don’t spend a lot of time in vehicles or the D-​line, but if you’re venturing from Brookline to JP (one of the prettiest walks in Boston!), definitely take the time to stop at Café Society. It’s one of the nicest, most accessible vintage stores I’ve been to. You know, one where you don’t need a full-​blown case of hipster to don the clothes appropriately.

LOVE LOVE LOVE.
Did I say love? Because I love all of it…
The chatty but not overly-​chatty shopkeepers, the lovely women who compliment your outfits and give wise advice for wearing and tailoring, the big windows pouring in natural sunlight, and the abundant but not cluttered stock of clothes. That every hat box indeed has hats in it. The melodrama-​like dressing gowns, the beautiful wool coats, the $ 5 bin full of worthwhile digging. I really adore this place.
By far my fave vintage store in Boston, perhaps above my beloved Artifaktori in Davis Sq!

The incomparable Café Society. This place is perfect for poking around and finding pieces that are truly one of a kind. A large selection of Womens’ Clothing dating back to the turn of the 19^th century. shirtwaist dresses, hippie pallazo pants, classic green Levi’s cords, enough hats to make throwing a Tea Party a totally probable idea, perfect buttery Scotland cashmere, a spread of precious and semi precious jewelry, menswear, books, appliances, brick a brack for enthusiasts of all types. Staff is sweet and knowledgeable!

Wow this place was great. Plenty of worthwhile treasures to hunt for here. These person working here was very welcoming and extremelly helpful. A complete change from some other wanabe vintage stores that have been in lately.
The prices here are VERY fair. No one is trying to rip you off and exploit you.
5 stars — check it out asap!!!
More parking needed.

I found out about this place from friends and coworkers and finally had the privilege to come by today. The high reviews from this site are spot on. This place has a great collection of vintage clothes and accessories and luckily, I found a hat (for only $ 12!) that goes perfect with my ‘1928’ costume for a party I’m attending tomorrow night. All of the prices are reasonable, and everything is in good shape. The service is also excellent. It was worth the trek to Brookline Hills! I will definitely be coming back!

I’d passed this place dozens of times before a dear, wise friend took me by the hand and walked me inside. Jackpot! The ease and comfort with which I perused Café Society’s offerings was appreciated, as I can’t stand going to chain stores and being bombarded by sales clerk suggestions (and questions for that matter).
The intimate space reminded me a lot of my grandmother’s home, a place I hold dear. The excitement I felt seeking out treasures was soothing and energizing all at once. If you enjoy worn, loved piece and objects, Café Society is a must-​visit.
So what if one time you go there and aren’t blown away by the inventory? – next time you will be. That’s the beauty of vintage shops: things come and go and if you don’t snatch that amazing red Pringle of Scotland cashmere sweater when you see it, someone else will likely scoop it up before you return next.
Café Society is great, and so is the beautiful young woman who was there working the first time I ever stepped foot inside. It was a Sunday, the perfect day for vintage exploration.

«That place made my heart happy.» — me
I spoke those words on my walk back from amazing Café Society. Good old Billy Shakespeare had it right when he said «Though she be small, she be fierce!» I was referred over to this gem before by my boss’ wife and THEN read about it in the globe. I live close, I needed to check it out. My heart started beating a little faster before I even entered the store, and it almost flat out stopped as soon as I walked through the door.
There are so many dresses to choose from here, but a good tip would be to first go ask the store owner Betsy to measure your waist before picking out dresses to try on. Most seemed to depend on the waist and although I have an average sized waist there were a few darling dresses that I knew I had to measure before I spent anymore time lusting over them. Also ask her opinion whether a dress might give, as she’s so familiar with the pieces that I almost didn’t try on the 40’s mauve Mad Men-​style dress that ended up fitting like a damn glove!
As far as pricing in relation to the goods in the store — AMAZING. For $ 150, I walked out of there with two adorable dresses (from the 40’s and 70’s), two blouses and a faux pearl necklace that I’ve been getting rave reviews on, they look so real. I had to remind myself 50 times that I would come back and ransack the clutches/​bags another day, otherwise I’d have blown ALL my funds here.
The only negative for me and my waist? All the adorable skirts, they seemed to be really small waisted, made for the waifish 50’s housewife.

I have yet to actually buy anything from Café Society, but I stop in almost every afternoon on my way to work… they do get new stuff in pretty regularly (which many vintage places claim, but few deliver the goods). I think the pricing is reasonable and though it’s a smallish shop, there are lots of treasures if you have time to dig around. I’m especially fond of their funky old suitcases and trying to come up with a good reason to buy one.
They have mostly clothes/​accessories from the 1930s-​60s, unlike Garment District which has mostly 70s, 80s, and 90s stuff. I keep trying on dresses, hoping I’ll find the right fit… one of these days, it’ll happen!

I’ve been meaning to stop by for years… so glad I finally did! Make sure you check their hours before you go, as they are not typical.
There are some really great gems in this store– everything from sweaters to jewelry to ‘50s style housecoats. Looking through the racks is so much fun. Made me feel like a little kid in grandma’s closet (a really cool, stylish grandma, that is).
The woman working there was super friendly and nice, and in a good way, not an annoying way. I will definitely be back.

Now, I don’t really get off on shopping and whatnot, especially for clothes, which is probably why I like this place. They have a very… what’s the word I’m looking for… focused? organized? approach to vintage clothes, it’s not to overwhelming like a lot of these places can be.
I can go in there and look at a few things and get out quick. I like that.
Great, friendly staff, funky stuff, and some cool practical vintage stuff as well, not super cheap, but not unreasonable, and all really good quality. no crap here from what i can tell, but what do I know anyway.

after these rave reviews, i expected to love this place, but i thought it was just okay.
like any vintage/​consignment shop, what’s sold depends on what people consign and what the owner finds, and as a result i found a lot of the stuff to be extremely old ladyish. old ladyish in a bad way (like sweaters with sprinkle-​looking things sewn on them), not in a good way like i had hoped to find. in fact there were some old ladies even picking up their consignment checks when i came in!
i will definitely return to check this place out in the future, though. especially since they have a men’s section too.

After seeing my neighbor in a gorgeous, powder-​blue polyester waitress uniform from Café Society, I decided to trek out on the D line in search of some vintage fashion. I’m an avid eBayer, and let me tell you, folks, Café Society is CHEAP compared to some of the bids I’ve made on very similar garments.
Lots of beautiful dresses, sweaters, and accessories. The owner was a lovely, older woman who pleasantly assisted me without being pushy at all. She knows her merchandise well. You could walk in and ask if she has any 1970’s dresses with a 29-​inch waist, and she’d lead you right to them.
For sixty bucks, I walked out with a shirt for my picky boyfriend, an awesome dress with scissors and flowers printed on it, a silky full slip, and a nice length of fun 1960’s fabric to cover my stand mixer and sewing machine.
I will totally be back.

Went in just expecting to browse, but walked away with a polka dot dress from the 1930s. Great items, I found three dresses I was thinking about, but unfortunately can only afford one (dresses cost anywhere from $ 14 – 100 and up). The owner said she has people she knows whom she goes to to get the items. Cute shirts, shoes, dresses, and purses. Basically everything is wonderful. I’m going to recommend this store to many friends! Worth the trek out to the Hills!
As an update: Just went here again, and had the nicest employee working at the store, she gave us tons of info about vintage glasses and clothes, and even the Mac Nuts she had with her she shared… AMAZING.
Plus don’t miss the 3 dollar bin in the front corner. I found a funky bowtie there I’ll be using for dress up.
This store rocks my world.

Vintage purple waitress dress, anyone? How about an original Girl Scouts jacket/​dress? Bell bottom madras? Black whimsey hat? Yup, you’re in the right place.
Some say this place is hit or miss, and I can believe that, since vintage can be unpredictable. But for me it’s a huge hit. I literally tried on every hat in the store yesterday, a pile of dresses, and lusted after beaded necklaces, leather purses, polka dot blazers, and bright yellow plastic sunglasses. And that aforementioned vintage waitress dress? I’m wearing it right now.
This is a great place to find costumes, accessories, or just that special dress or shirt to make you stand out in a crowd. Whoever does the buying knows their stuff, and allows only top quality, unique finds onto these racks. It’s not tiny, so the selection is good, but it’s also not so huge that you have to dig down deep. I like that.
Café Society makes Brookline Hills almost cool.

On an interminable quest for obtaining unique articles from every era (ignoring that each favored a certain body type though deep down I know I’ll never be able to wear 50s dresses well) we bounded to Brookline Hills.
I stepped in the door and like a barracuda to silver made a beeline to the most manageable eye level thing, the purses. Many types and colors, from in good condition from various decades and all but one under $ 45. I think I yipped audibly!
Surveying the landscape of vintage, they boast a lovely 40s-​50s hat collection, several racks of footwear, a veritable selection of men’s button downs from bold and bright polyester to embroidered traditional Filipino shirts and an ample amount of women’s clothing. When we speak of costume, don’t think the garish sequined or faux flapper dresses, these are the genuine articles.
If you seek something from a particular era the owner has a super discerning eye and will gladly assist, but otherwise she’ll probably sit bemused and listening to WERS. I think she’s smiling because seeing us she remembers that indeed the most fun way to shop is with a buddy so you can pick out ridiculous frilly, silly or ostentatious things and make each other try them on resulting in fits of giggles. But hey, I managed to get an awesome late 60s early 70s dress out of it that I never would have tried on otherwise.
So I encourage you all, rummage away!

As I scour the city trying to find costumes that look 1920s to use in my short film, I stumbled through the doors of Café Society 5 minutes before closing time. The worker said it was not a problem and stayed for nearly half an hour past closing time to help me find the clothes i needed.
I didnt really explore the store too much since she zipped around the shop pulling things off the rack saying «this might work» and «try this.» They have an impressive collection of good quality vintage stuff from the middle of last century, and the prices are fairly reasonable.
Well worth the trip out to Brookline Village, but I agree with Lindsey B, they do open and close at random times.

Great vintage clothing! Small store, with a great variety — more women’s then men’s clothing along with some hidden housewares.
None of the clothing quite fit my boyfriend and I right, but I still got a great pebbled leather purse.
The prices are very reasonable for the items! There were some silk lined suit sets for $ 45 that were incredible, but too big for me :(
Will definitely be going back to see any new items!

Thrift (excuse me, VINTAGE) stores are transitory in nature; nothing really stays the same, and the stock is constantly replenished. When one goes thrift-​store shopping, one has to expect nothing. It’s not like going to a typical store. Expect to be disappointed.
Now that I’ve stated the blatantly obvious, let us move on. Café Society is literally right around the corner from my apartment, yet today was the first time I’d set foot in there since moving into the ‘hood almost 7 months ago. This is mostly due to the wonky hours CS keeps. What can I say, I’m used to the near-​ridiculously convenient hours of chain stores.
I was on the lookout for some work-​suitable skirts I could pair with an adorable pair of boots that I scored at Payless (shut up) a few weeks back. I didn’t find any skirts that caught my eye, but I found plenty of entertaining, sometimes amusing, sometimes envy-​inspiring articles of clothing. The tacky side of me wanted to try on the ridonkulously awesome aqua dress with a tight ruched satin bodice and a puffy tulle skirt, but common sense won out. On the rack it stayed. I found an adorable tweed trench coat, but alas, it was way too small. An all-​too-​common lament of the curvy girl in a thrift store. Looks like it’s time to try out Urban Renewals and some of the other stores for better luck.
I was more impressed by the men’s section, where I found plenty of funky shirts, cardigans, and blazers that I’d gladly wear. You know, if I were a man. Or a drag king. The selection of T-​shirts is limited, except for the $ 12 maroon beaut I found in there. Score #1!
The jewelry was adorable, although (predictably) the $ 4 box was a huge jumble. I did manage to find a cute, simple pair of black beaded earrings in there. Score #2! There are some great patent-​leather handbags that look more like boxes than bags, too.
The housewares are spread throughout the store and sort of blend in if you don’t look carefully. I was totally enamored with the housewares, even though I promised myself that I wouldn’t buy any more kitchen crap. A plastic cream pitcher featuring a cow on the front, sort of like the honey bear? Yay! A set of green and white plastic plates that looked brand-​new? Hell yes! A set of green old-​school plastic canisters for sugar, flour, and salt? Want! If you happen to be looking for a silhouette-​style (framed) picture of the Pied Piper leading the kiddies to their legendary certain doom, Café Society will hook you up. Also, there was an awesome old-​school huge glass martini shaker with drink recipes printed on it in yellow and green. If I were more of a mixed-​drink-​at-​home kinda gal, you betcha I woulda snapped it up.
I think it’s safe to say that I’ll be back to plunder Café Society and add to my already embarrassing state of consumerism. At least they’ll be recycled goods, so maybe that’ll assuage some of my guilt.