North Jersey’s Hidden Thrift Warehouse: Udelco
Imagine an immense warehouse dedicated to vintage clothing, shoes, and accessories. Picture hundreds of labeled cardboard boxes filled to the brim with wool sweaters, colorful printed blouses, and piles of denim in every kind of style and shade. Does it sound like a dream? A fantasy of yours? Then head Udelco Warehouse for some extreme thrifting located in Hawthorne, New Jersey.
I only learned about Udelco a few weeks ago from a Youtuber who vlogged about her experience shopping there. As a person who naturally enjoys the hunt for unique and discounted, I thought this place looked very promising for some vintage pieces to add to my wardrobe. I was ready to put my thrifting skills to the test so I invited a friend and went for the first time.
The warehouse is on a dead-end street inside of a quiet suburban neighborhood in Hawthorne. But don’t let the isolated horizontal building fool stop you from exploring its wonders that awaits inside. At first glance, Udelco doesn’t seem so daunting. We were welcomed by a boutique-like space with few clothing racks filled with denim, jackets, dresses, and tops. The walls are decorated with flags, vinyl and shelves of combat boots along with other antique pieces all possibly found there. Stepping further to the back is where the real mission begins.
There are walls covered with massive cardboard boxes filled to the brim with different shades and textures of textiles. The boxes were labeled with everything from 80s long cotton dresses to ugly Christmas sweaters. But don’t let the amounts of boxes filled with clothes overwhelm you because that’s the fun part. Make sure to really dig into the bottom of these boxes because you might never know what you can find.
We left the warehouse with our arms hugging a pile of clothes to our chest to make sure that we don’t drop them. My first trip to thrift paradise was a success!
I really didn’t know what to expect walking into Udelco. After my experience there, I think I can provide some tips that I wish someone told me beforehand.
Tip 1- Bring a Tote bag!
Udelco doesn’t provide bags to put all your vintage goodies in. I left the warehouse with my arms filled with my purchases and I don’t know what I would have done if I had found more.
Tip 2- Take your time!
Shopping in Udelco shouldn’t be rushed. There’s so much to discover in both the women and men section. Make sure you have more than an hour to dig into boxes filled with potential gems. They are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays they are closed. So, plan ahead accordingly to indulge in some vintage hunting.
Tip 3-Bring hand sanitizer!
Stay clean after digging into piles and piles of clothes
Tip 4- Stop by an ATM beforehand!
Udelco only accepts cash so don’t miss out on a mint conditioned vintage leather jacket because you forgot to stop by the bank.