by Marcella Ortega
Daily Lobo
On the West Side of Albuquerque lies a treasure unknown to many.
Fallas Paredes, a discount clothing outlet, carries a variety of clothing, shoes and house dÇcor at insanely low prices.
The first time I visited the store, I was skeptical. My aunt, who lives on the West Side, noticed I had a thing for cheap clothing and suggested I check it out.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
At the time, I did most of my shopping in thrift stores, digging up whatever I could find that seemed clean enough to take home. At Fallas Paredes, however, cleanliness was not an issue.
All of their products are new. Where they come from, I will never know. Truthfully, I don't want to. As long as it keeps the goods flowing in, I will just pretend they are a gift from the fashion fairy.
My last visit to the store was a success. For $40, I managed to buy all my school clothes. That's right - school clothes. I haven't purchased that much attire at one time since 2001. Not to worry though, the store's selection is not limited to women's clothing. It carries items for children, men and young adults.
The possibilities are endless. I found amazing polyester tank tops for $1. I purchased an authentic Mexican shirt with a giant ruffle for $1. The most I spent on a shirt was $4. It was a black scrunchy tube-top dress with white leaves embroidered on it - which I later cut into a shirt. Since we are on the topic, I found three other similar cotton dresses for $2 each.
I also found an item I desired for many months - a western shirt. It was red plaid with snap buttons. I found it on a children's rack for $1 next to a navy blue high-waist skirt for the same price.
The most treasured item I found was an oversized brass-studded black pleather bag. As much as it pained me to make such an investment, I couldn't leave the store without it. So, I paid the $5 and never looked back.
That's enough about the clothes - on to the shoes. Although its shoe selection was not as enormous as its clothing section, I still managed to find a pair of white flats for $3. The cheapest flats I found at Payless were at least $6, and that was on clearance.
Over the past few weeks, my friends have begged me not to expose the secret of Fallas Paredes. They asked me to wait for them to visit the store before it went public. But now, it is time people know what is out there. Today, the cat is out of the bag.
