Crossroads Trading — Attraction in Seattle

I’ve been a loyal fan of Crossroads Thrift Shop in the University District since 2004. Back then, their beautifully curated selection of vintage and designer finds made every visit a treasure hunt. As I transitioned from college into the tech world and could afford Nordstrom's and Neiman Marcus' couture, my love for Crossroads never waned. It’s why, as my husband and I prepare to move overseas, I chose to resell my cherished designer wardrobe here. I wanted someone else to experience the thrill I once had discovering like-new designer couture at this iconic shop.

Unfortunately, my recent visit was nothing short of disheartening. I brought in four meticulously organized boxes of luxury items: a never-worn Burberry rain jacket, purse, and boots, Dior and Louis Vuitton sunglasses, Coach and LV purses, Manolo Blahnik heels, and more. The courteous younger employees explained the process, which I appreciated. After an hour of waiting, they selected a few items, offering me $24 for pieces I didn’t expect them to choose while deeming my designer pieces “out of style.”

As someone with professional experience helping high-end brands optimize their online presence, I know the value of timeless fashion. What surprised me wasn’t just the lowball offer but the apparent lack of knowledge about luxury goods.

While waiting, I noticed a worrying trend—no shoppers seemed to be making legitimate purchases. Instead, the store was teeming with individuals visibly distressed or experiencing homelessness. Multiple people blatantly stuffed items into backpacks or under their clothes, unchecked. One woman left the store after selling clothing only to be seen moments later aiding a man pushing a stolen television in a wheelchair down the street.

The surrounding neighborhood, once a vibrant hub of eclectic dining and shopping, has sadly deteriorated. The streets were filled with the stench of urine, vomit, and decay, with homelessness visibly rampant. It felt like the vibrant, safe community I adored had completely vanished.

I want to emphasize that the staff was polite and kind, even in the face of these challenges. Their leniency toward vulnerable individuals is commendable in principle, but the store’s inability to maintain security or uphold a high standard for inventory is disheartening. I left feeling a deep sense of loss—not just for the shop but for the neighborhood I once loved.

To anyone considering a visit, I’d suggest caution. Crossroads isn’t the gem it once was, and the environment might leave you feeling more disheartened than inspired. I sincerely hope this store and the neighborhood can find their way back to being the incredible, vibrant spaces...

I have an extremely positive attitude towards everyone, often times judgemental millennial eye rollers get the brunt of my cloying dialogue, but regardless of my outer facade, I'll be honest, i know I feel the exact way their chosen way of interacting with me was meant to make me feel, insecure, not cool enough, sometimes I wonder if they're trying to run me in circles changing what they accept between buyer to buyer...but as a mid thirties momma of 2, I know I'm not Kate Moss, but I AM always positive, gracious and friendly and always hoping to retain knowledge/info on what CR is looking for season wise, brand wise etc to boot. Oftentimes the buyer of the day will write off brand new on brand clothing I wore once and bought the week before at Free People, just to be able to ...idk...feel superior? At the end of the day, I'm the one selling my identity in order to make ends meet and it's really just not about me...nor them. And for the record, I've religiously combed that store weekly at least, as the dressing room girl called me a regular, and I have never seen an item I've sold to CL not sell. I may be mid thirties but I am a NYC native, my first jobs were flagship 5th Ave and SODO boutique stores, and no, I wasn't raised for a life of Northface vests, I know what's in, I know what's timeless and I know a 19 year old with a smug attitude and a Pinterest board to buy off of may as well have no soul when it comes to fashion.

Ps. While they turn down my brand new Madewell's and Frye's, my Lulus and anthropologie stuff, tediously deeming an actual vintage Valentino baby doll, Peter pan collar dress - with pristine tags non the less, simply unworthy of their purchasing due to a "drop waist"- (which news flash millitards, drop waist are in...) Their garment racks grow more and more bare and with less and less daring styles and a real obvious lack loss of individuality. Shame shame, as I left the Buffalo Exchange last year due to this same attitude, and the women here welcomed me kindly after hearing my story yet here we are s year later, and they've pokemon leveled up into real ...monstrous retail snobs.

Sigh. Just being honest, sell on cap hill or at Plato's Closet. Srsly. Keep your...

I brought in about 25 items to sell for the 1st time the other day. I have shopped at Crossroads in Capitol Hill before and this was my first time to the University way location. At 2pm the wait to sell was about 90 minutes (understandably). All of my clothes were good brands and in good condition (Carlos Santana, Jessica Simpson, Betsy Johnson, etc.) . The girl who looked through my things took about 3 minutes to do so and told me they would like to purchase 2 things for the retail value of $29. (So I would get about $9 cash). She said she didn't take the other items due to "wear and tear or style". I saw one of my Philosophy tank tops in the bin that she took and I assumed one of my lower worth items was the other item. She didn't offer to show me what the other item was and seemed in a hurry to get on to the next person. Granted, I could have asked but it was my first time selling. So I took the cash without further question. After I got to my car I realized the other item she took was my Betsy Johnson dress which was purchased at about $200. I was not happy about that, but I decided to take the rest of the clothes directly over to the Crossroads in Capital hill. The girl that helped me there was much more thorough even though they were just as busy. She took her time and took $60 worth of the same clothing the precious store had looked at.

Long story short, how much/what you sell completely depends on the employee that is looking at your clothes and what their sense of style is (and how many hundreds/thousands of pieces of clothing they have already looked through.) They choose what to buy based off of their perception of good style and what they think will sell at the moment. It probably has little to do with "wear and tear", so they should stop saying that as a reason for not taking clothes unless there is visible damage.

If you are thinking of selling your clothes there, I recommend getting there early, before they've already looked through a ton of clothes and aren't as likely to take yours or price them fairly. Also, ask to see what they do take before accepting the price they...