A couple of months ago, fellow RoA blogger Ari had her beloved bike bag and purse stolen. Ever since then, she has been in dire need of a new replacement. Knowing that Ari wanted to keep it green and not buy something new, we hit up vintage stores south of the river to score a unique find. Her requirements: long, adjustable strap, vintage but not too worn, solid color. Here’s what happened:

GypsySun / Big Rig Vintage (1601 South First Street Austin, Texas 78704)

First stop: My personal go-to shop, GypsySun. A bit off the traditional SoCo strip, it occupies a garage space on Monroe and South 1st. It opened right before SXSW this year.

My absolute favorite thing about the purse selection here is that owners Eryn Brooke and Lindsay Lipscomb keep things color coordinated.  Not only does this make it super easy to quickly spot something, but it just looks so stinkin’ purdy!

Ari ignored all purse requirements and scored a beautiful, tan computer/ over night bag.  She also spotted a couple of black purse options that met her “must fit a book” requirement. Since it was our first stop, however, she wasn’t ready to settle on anything just yet.

Prototype (1700 1/2 South Congress, Austin, Texas 78704)

More traditionally known for their eclectic furniture pieces, our next stop was Prototype. I’ve always had good luck finding great things here at the last minute. It was no different for Ari. Check out this  deep, white leather bag, unique and in great condition:

The price was right, but Ari wanted to keep shopping. And since they were closing soon (7:00 p.m. on weekdays), we asked if they could hold it (24 hr holding policy). They were more than happy to help a shopper in distress.

New Bohemia (1606 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704)

We then hit up the vintage cowboy super store, New Bohemia. I haven’t been here in a while-and I can’t seem to remember why. They carry so much stuff and are reasonably price. The great thing about New Bohemia is that they are open till 10PM, way later than most of the South Congress shops, so we didn’t feel rushed trying to beat day light.

We also stopped by Feathers, one of my favorites boutiques that seems to specialize in vintage clutches, and Cream Vintage, which didn’t seem to have much of a purse selection - although their denim cutoff choices can’t be beat!

At the end of the day, Ari wasn’t 100% successful. And even though she wasn’t able to find the exact black purse she envisioned, she now has a few more options to be stylish and stay green at the same time. Oh, and she did score an awesome overnight bag from GypsySun.

So…our saga continues. Stay tuned next week when our shopping adventure takes us to the drag!

Where are your favorite places to go purse shopping?

What’s the hottest purse style this summer?

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