I am a big fan of the Crossroads Trading Company, a centrally located clothing store in downtown Berkeley, close to the Downtown Berkeley BART station. Although some of their clothes have never been worn – apparent leftovers from stores like Rampage and Urban Outfitters – Crossroads has mostly used clothing in good condition that is current in style. They have a wide selection of women’s sweaters and tops, all arranged by color. Crossroads also has a small collection of formal dresses and coats, and racks of pants, skirts, dresses, and men’s clothing. Usually, the store has some clothes from well-known labels, which are hanging on the wall. As in most used clothing stores, Crossroads’ inventory varies from day-to-day.

I often stop by Crossroads to see if they have anything new. I bought a black long formal dress for a friend’s black tie wedding ($13), a black chenille sweater ($25), and a purple bias-cut skirt that had never been worn ($15). I have also seen an Ann Taylor silk dress for $15 and a nice coat resembling camel hair for $35. When I last dropped in, clothes hanging on the wall included labels such as DKNY, Vivienne Tam, Anna Sui, and BCBG.

Crossroads accepts major credit cards. Metered street parking lines Shattuck.

Crossroads is open Monday through Saturday between 11 am and 7 pm and Sunday between 12 pm and 6 pm. There are several other Bay Area locations in Oakland and San Francisco. Check out their website, www.crossroadstrading.com, for more information. Their phone number is (510) 843-7600.