Big buzzwords at this year’s mega outdoor art festival Artscape were re-purposed and recycled—which fit nicely with Baltimore’s ongoing urban renewal. While farming vacant lots and joining bike shop co-ops are perhaps better suited to residents, visitors can embrace re-use at the city’s many second-hand shops.
Here are six of the best:
Newbury & Smith (closed): This consignment boutique in North Baltimore has women’s fashions, but the real reason to go is the accessories—and particularly the stunning selection of designer handbags at Great Recession-friendly prices. (5708 Newbury St., newburyandsmith.com)
Fashion Attic (closed): If accessories are why you trekked to Newbury & Smith, you’ll head to this Fells Point shop for clothes. Lots of clothes. Hit up their website before stopping in for a coupon for 20% off one item. (1926 Fleet St., thefashionattic.com)
Vogue Revisited: Another consignment shop, focused on high-end labels and clothes that aren’t quite old enough to properly be called vintage. Still, the shop has a cult following in town, perhaps helped by a 2005 Best Of award from Baltimore’s City Paper. (4002 Roland Ave., voguerevisited.com)
The Book Thing: Back in 1999, Russell Wattenberg gave a group of teachers a batch of books, unwittingly starting a “book thing” that’s evolved into an enormous warehouse in Charles Village, housing thousands of titles. But don’t call it a book store: Every single tome is yours to take for free if you like, no strings attached. (3001 Vineyard Lane, bookthing.org)
Station North Flea Market: With everything from clothing to jewelry to gifts to odds and ends up for sale, this once-a-month event is an IRL eBay. (They even claim to have “everything and the kitchen sink.”) The market happens on the first Saturday of every month, through November. (100 block of W. North Ave., Station North Flea Market)
Killer Trash (closed): This vintage shop is the place to go when you’ve got absolutely nothing to wear to next weekend’s ’80s party. Just off Fells Point’s main drag of Fleet Street, near Fashion Attic, the store has so much to offer that racks of sequined whatsits often spill out onto the sidewalk. (602 S. Broadway, myspace.com/killertrashboutique)
How to get there: Both Amtrak and BoltBus stop at Baltimore’s Penn Station, at 1515 N. Charles St. Check schedules and fares at amtrak.com and boltbus.com. Baltimore’s MTA operates a wide reaching bus and rail system that can get you from Penn Station to just about anywhere. Plan your trip at mtamaryland.com.
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Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram