Recessionista: Opitz Outlet

Four words: 70 percent off retail. That is the shopping oasis that is Opitz Outlet. Although dwarfed by the Excelsior and Grand retail/residential bohemoth, Opitz has a surprisingly wide and fashionable array of apparel and accessories. Some Minneapolines seem to have never heard of it, yet for others it’s the icon of Twin Cities discount shopping.

Until a couple weeks ago, I fell into the former category. The storefront is easy to pass by, and I never imagined it would have any items that would make hours of rack-sifting worth the effort. But I desperately needed a new dress for a wedding – and since my wallet’s a little thin theses days – I decided to check it out. I remembered seeing a Vita.MN fashion spread that pulled a lot of items from Opitz, and it looked awesome. So I wandered in and it was…awesome. Not only did they have amazing items (Grey silk Marc Jacobs dress…yeah!) it was well-organized and the salespeople were cheerful and helpful.

I gotta tell you, it feels pretty good to find a place that can fuel my shopping addiction until the economy turns around or I marry some rich octogenarian…whichever comes first.