Raspberry Beret

I’m not sure how the staff at Raspberry Beret do it, but wow!!! For a variety of reasons, I’ve done nearly all of my clothes shopping at secondhand/​consignment shops over the years, and never have I been as impressed by the selection of quality, unique pieces as I have here. I tend to create my own style as I go, so I really enjoy coming across items that let me express myself while staying just a little out of the mainstream.
Yes, as others have noted, prices here do tend to be a bit higher than other used-​clothing stores in the area, but keep in mind– you’re paying for the luxury of access to pre-​screened items displayed in an organized fashion. Opportunity cost of time, and worth it, every so often, in my opinion.
Also, the shopping parties are a blast! Is there really anything not to like about free wine?

So there are a ton of different styles I go for. I’m interested in everything from vintage 50’s to androgynous looks to bulky layered styles. When I shop, I look for basic pieces that I can pair with anything– like a black pencil skirt or brown slacks while also keeping my eye out for eclectic accessories and clothing that I won’t be able to find just anywhere.
I do not know how they do it, but I cannot walk into that store without finding 10 things I want and each fits a different style of mine. I find pretty great deals too; I got a vintage Dior suit in amazing condition for $ 55 at one of their shopping parties. The salesperson even pointed out that there was a very small imperfection so I would be aware before purchasing. The shopping parties apply a 20% discount, so I will definitely be going to the one on October 29^th!
I also love that they support local jewelry artists. It always nice to know someone in the area hand-​crafted the pieces wear on a daily basis.

Speaking and rating as a consigner rather than a buyer —
This was my first experience consigning clothes (excluding selling clothes to Buffalo Exchange (BE)), and it was a good experience. The staff had a great knowledge of the value of the items and priced things accordingly. I also liked that they knew how important it is to have an even variety of sizes — I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to go to BE to have several of your larger (L, XL, shoe size 9 & 10) sized items denied by the buyer, and then go in the back and see 3 times as many XS and S dresses on the floor as there are L and XL. Case in point about RB — I consigned a pair of riding boots in size 10. At the end of the consignment period, the staff told me the boots weren’t yet sold but he wanted to reconsign them, because they were the only boots in the store in a size 10. This guy gets it!!! They also take local tastes into account — the staff said shoppers in Cambridge are more inclined to buy practical, comfortable items rather than flashier things. These things tell me they have a solid structure and criteria for the items they take in. Much unlike BE, which will deny or accept your clothes on the whim of the buyer and the seasonality of some garbage trend, or if the moon is full.
I was wary of some of the other reviews — that said the staff have a tendency to lose items or claim that things get «stolen». I didn’t find this to be true at all — they accepted 15 of my items and I believe they sold 12. Not bad!
My only reasons for taking away a star — though the staff was knowledgeable and saavy about the items to take in, when I came in for my appointment I kind of felt like they were skeptical of me and if I was actually going to show them worthwhile items. Once they saw what I had to offer I felt like they warmed up. Also they have a pretty long wait list for appointments — be prepared to book about 1 month ahead of time for an after 5 PM slot.

Insanely expensive! Especially for the quality of the merchandise. And the vintage items were falling apart! :(

This a comment to the comment left by the staff member from the store.
While I understand that consignment and resale shops are limited regarding what items they accept there was simply no reason for me to be spoken to in the manner I was. Tall and petite women also do not face discrimination and institutional oppression based on the size of their bodies so comparing the disrespectful manner in I was spoken to on the phone and the lack of all «specialty» sizes is sizest and ignorant of said oppression.
I’ve had luck with Found and Second Time Around. While they don’t have a great deal in stock they do accept and sale plus sizes and are very friendly. A Unilocal reader contacted me after reading my review of the Raspberry Beret-​she actually created an account simply to contact me-​because of the rude staff she experienced while shopping there. She suggested the Evolving Closet in Waltham.
There you have it, my lovely fellow voluptuous, zaftig hotties and allies. Three more stores to shop at that value and respect larger women.

OMG I love this store! I’ve been there a handful of times and part of the goods, and I do mean GOODs I’ve got have been a Marc Jacobs bag in perfect condition for $ 50 and a St John cocktail dress $ 150. I really can’t say enough about this place except go there!

This place has such good karma! I usually find something adorable whether it’s a dress, skirt, or a pair of cool gloves.
DON’T BE A SIZE QUEEN, if you’re getting a skirt for $ 10.00 you can spend $ 15.00 on alterations. I just bought a great pair of toasty winter boots a size and a half bigger so I can wear thick socks!
Rachel, Arielle, and Mathew couldn’t be more helpful and friendly and will give suggestions willingly if asked, there’s a nice balance of friendliness and professionalism.

So… when I walk into a store the size of my living room, I don’t expect a fanfare.
I didn’t get a Hello, no eye contact, not even a lift of the head. I’ll live. Those two people behind the counter must have something very important to discuss, yeah? But when 2 more people walk in and the counter help keeps chatting, never looking at who came in… Thats kinda weird and rude to me. The place has cool stuff but that vibe leaves me feeling not welcomed. I decided to leave that cute blouse behind. I’m sure they didn’t even know I left.

As consignment shops go, Raspberry Beret is the bee’s knees. (or is it bees’ knees? the knees belonging to plural bees? hmmm. And now cue Gob: «beeeEEES!!!») Anyway, this boutique is great; I’ve not consigned here (though I’ve considered it; their process seems straight-​forward and simple and fair), thus I review here only as a shopper… for now.
Every visit here yields multiple fantastic finds, which range from jeans to jewelry to shoes to leggings to infinity and beyond. The shoes I scored are particularly amazing: a pair of suuuuper comfortable Clark’s running shoes (in which I do NOT run, btw, unless the cops are chasing me) which were in perfect shape, looked totally unworn, and though they would retail for $ 90, RB’s price? Just $ 27!
The staff are always friendly, happy to answer questions, and in one instance, I witnessed a fun exchange: a couple of dudes stopped in because they needed gear to wear to a «Bollywood party» they were attending that night; the 2 ladystaffers were eager to help and really got into brainstorming, had fun offering several suggestions, and when the guys didn’t find all they needed, the ladies directed them to The Garment District – very much their competition – which really showed how much they value the satisfaction of the customer. So yeah, they great, they great…
Oh, and the name of this place??! – couldn’t possibly be awesomer.

I practically live here. 80% of my clothes are from here and I love consigning here.
I am so happy that Raspberry Beret is still around these parts!
The ladies who work here are wonderful.
Go and see!

«She wore a Raspberry beret. The kind you find in a second hand store!» Prince
This great store lives up to the fun of its name.
I had a wonderful time shopping at Raspberry beret — browsing clothes, accessories, and jewelry.
I ended up happily leaving with a beautiful top & 2 sets of earrings. (I’d just finished my Christmas gift shopping, so I figured I deserved a celebratory purchase for myself.)
I highly recommend stopping by this store when you’re in the area, to see what new items are there.

Lame. I admit I’m not into vintage or used clothing. But clean fun antiques intrigue me. They had nothing worth staying awhile. Also rude people!

A really nice shop, with super friendly staff. I found a lot of accessories i liked and a super cute coat. It is not extremely cheap, but it is worth.

I’m writing as a consigner rather than a buyer. This was my first-​ever experience as a consigner. After cleaning out my closet and discovering a few nice but never– or little-​worn items, I made an appointment, showed up on the right day and time, only to be told that they don’t do Saturday appointments. After a few awkward moments of the girl behind the counter looking at me blankly (I could see my name in the appt book right in front of her, mind you), another girl came over and said she could look through my stuff. Very quick and businesslike, they took everything and I was out of there in 5 minutes. OK.
When the consignment period ended, I went to get my remaining items (2 items out of 6), only to be told that they had actually «lost» one of my items… the most expensive, tags-​still-​on dress I had brought in (from Anthropologie). No real explanation or apology given, just a shrug of the shoulders and a «check back with us, maybe it will turn up.» Meh. It didn’t turn up. Now I’m out both the dress and the money I could have sold it for. I understand that these things sometimes happen, but the lack of any sort of explanation or «we’ll make it up you» effort means that my first consignment experience will most likely be my last. I hate to give a small local business such a meh review, but it truly is reflective of the experience.
I’ll still go in and browse the racks, though.

Super cute shop! I’ve never been very successful with finding clothes at consignment shops, but Raspberry Beret has lots of jewelry and accessories. I bought a beautiful vintage bag for $ 15 and use it all the time. Definitely worth a visit.

I love this type of store. All sorts of fun stuff jumbled into a small space. For those who are into that kind of thing, they seem to have a nice selection of vintage-​y clothing.
Personally I prefer the jewelry, accessories and handbags since I have more clothes than brains. My first ever visit was the most fun but only because they were having a great end of season sale.
Prices run the gamut from low to whoa. I will guarantee that you’ll find something to oogle even if you don’t end up buying.

I visited after hearing about their vintage section, which is well-​curated but woefully small. The prices weren’t unheard of by Boston standards, but I find so many comparable dresses on ebay for less that I wasn’t really tempted. (Why spend $ 75 for a dress I could buy for $ 35, right?)
I wish they would consider devoting more space to vintage: Those are the best pieces in the shop. As another reviewer said, the rest is a bit of a hodge-​podge of lowend to mid-​range mall brands, most of which were REALLY dated. Overall, I was really disappointed. However, I’m happy to give the shop another chance.

It is always a pleasure when Frannie Z. surprises me with the a visit to the area. Since she is the queen of all things thrift, antique and secondhand, we took a trip to this store on our way to Harvard Square.
First, the store is not huge, so it is really manageable to pick through. Second, it does not have that smell … you know what I mean, that moth ball and sweat smell. Last, the stuff is real quality stuff so picking through is really not hard to do.
I immediately found a real wool cable knit sweater from Ireland for under $ 25. You really get a sense of how good a bargain that is when you walk across the street to the Irish Imports store with all their beautiful imports. I wore it today for the first time and I got about 10 compliments on it already. They were also having a 50% winter scarf sale, so I picked a unique knitted one.
The had a great section that was divided into decades and it was just fantastic to see the eras and the quality. There is another section for higher end products and designer labels.
I will be back to dive into this place again.

Raspberry Beret is a great little place. And the clothes are great little clothes. I wish I had the figure for them! If they had more items in medium to large sizes, I’d take out my wallet a lot more often. For now, I’ll stick to browsing their accessories, which are always funky and cool.
Interestingly, there are a lot of shoes in my size 9s! If only the clothes matched…

She wore a RAAAAAAAAAAAASPBERRY BERET!
Love the Prince reference… and it all comes together for me because I recently purchased a vintage fuchsia and purple dirndl here.
Come on, Unilocal — how fortuitous that I (a person of German heritage whose parents used to dress her in Austrian dirndls for fun — see photo) would be walking down Mass Ave. one blustery Saturday afternoon, only to find a vintage purple dirndl out front that fits me like a glove?!
Makes me wanna sing.