The gold and black walls of The Attic (located at 346 East College Ave., formerly Campus Candy) are lined with every style of jeans and jackets for both guys and girls. The floor is consumed with circle racks packed with trendy sweaters (yes, even Christmas sweaters), tanks and graphic tees; shelves neatly lined with strappy pumps, fall boots, and what seems like an endless supply of accessories catching the eye of customers as they excitedly buzz through the store.
Welcome to utopia; the land of affordable wear for every college guy and girl. Finally.
Looking for a boutique experience at thrifty prices? Ta-da! Stop in to shop, or sell your clothes for cash or store credit. (Can you say cha-ching!) The Attic resells some vintage items from the 80’s and 90’s, as well as on-trend clothing for both men and women. They have a vast jewelry selection, in addition to the awesomely large costume section that will be available all year-round, so no matter what your weekend-party theme, The Attic may become be your go-to shop. Laurel Ann Gonsecki, a sophomore secondary English education major says, “People should definitely come in for the selection!” Dresses originally priced at $50 from Urban Outfitters run for only $14-18, and Forever 21 tops typically range from $5-8. Score!
Anne Kuronyi, a Penn State alumna and the owner of The Attic, stands relaxed behind the front desk pricing new consignment pieces. She’s sporting a loose gray, studded tee and hip glasses with bright yellow accents. Her dirty blonde hair is swept back into a ponytail, and she calmly dashes over to the register to help a new employee learn the register system. Looks to us like a well-seasoned entrepreneur. Spot on! She’s actually the owner of two other branches, as well as a thriving online store.
“In Kutztown, we’d get all the frat guys looking for beer money who would literally sell the shirts off their backs,” Kuronyi says, laughing. “That happens all the time– college towns are great!”
Growing up, Kuronyi always loved thrift store shopping with her dad. “He’d say, ‘you can buy whatever you want!’ and we thought we were rich,” Kuronyi recalls. “I love thrift stores, and after living out west for a while where thrift stores are huge, I thought this could be a really cool concept here.” She was on to something.
After 12 years living in New York City, Kuronyi grew accustomed to finding unique pieces in stores outside the “mall-chain” type. “In a lot of stores [here], if you don’t look the part or aren’t looking for expensive clothes, well, it’s just very hard to ‘keep up with the Jones’,” Kuronyi says. “If you’re not the rich kid or the cool kid, you can come in here and find something that’ll make you feel good about yourself. And especially for younger women, that’s really important.”
Get 10% off your first shopping spree by snagging a store-opening coupon by the front door, and stay up-to-date on flash sales by getting on the email list. They’re open from 10am-9pm Monday through Saturday, and 11am-8pm on Sundays. Don’t forget to visit them online at facebook.com/atticclothes, or @AtticClothes.
