Glorious, glorious sunshine, beaming down from the heavens and alighting lightly on the skin of thankful Oregon State University students across campus.

Alright, so maybe the warm weather is predicted to disappear by next week, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t be overly dramatic about the sunshine today!

If you’re looking morosely at your coat-and-sweater-stuffed closet, and are wondering where in the Corvallis area you can get some summery clothes so that you can pretend to be on Waikiki Beach when you are in fact on the concrete floor of the MU Plaza, then fear not! I have compiled a short list of local places where you can get what you’re looking for without having to go to a mall somewhere and dodge angsty middle schoolers.

The Goodwill on Ninth Street

Thanks to the hipster movement, the Goodwill is cool again! And it’s a Goodthing, because as far as clothing goes, the prices at this charity shop are pretty hard to beat. And honestly, who doesn’t want to wear something that hasn’t hugged the body of a stranger? The Goodwill in Corvallis is fairly big, and with its ever-changing inventory, it’s likely that you’ll go in looking for a pair of shorts and a few tops and leave with none of those things but instead a new chair, a groovy lava lamp and a slightly worn pair of cowboy boots. You can also feel good about dropping a few bucks at the Goodwill, because, according to its website, “82 percent of Goodwill’s revenues go directly into employment and training programs for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment.” Rad! The Goodwill website states that the store is open Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Runway Fashion Exchange on Madison Avenue

If you’d prefer to stick to the downtown area, Runway Fashion Exchange is a good place to start prowling for new pieces to add to your summer wardrobe. You can also sell some of your clothes here for nearly nothing in return, but cash is cash, right? As far as buying goes, though, the prices here are reasonable and sometimes you can score what would normally be a very pricey item for a pittance, which is fun. Runway Fashion Exchange is open Monday to Friday from 11a.m. to 7p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10a.m. to 7p.m., according to its website.

My Campus Closet on Fourth Street

Although I haven’t actually been to My Campus Closet yet, it’s certainly on my list of local stores to check out. According to an article titled “My Campus Closet takes family owners in time loop” in the Gazette Times, the store is owned by Corvallis local Michelle Fuchigami and her daughter, Dianni Freeman, and opened in 2013. The article states that the shop “carries men’s and women’s fashion and accessories, specializing in current Los Angeles fashion.” If that doesn’t sound summer-y, I don’t know what does. And though I haven’t been in yet, I’ve window-shopped there, which is another term for creepily peering into a store window while walking past it and making a mental note to stop by there the next time you’re downtown. While window shopping, I noticed that the displays offered styles that I can only describe as “cool” because I don’t know fashion terms. According to the MyCampusCloset.com, the shop is open Monday to Friday from 11a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 11 to 5.

The Sixth Annual Biggest Clothing Swap in the Northwest (Portland)

I know that driving to Portland for clothing sounds like something that perhaps should not be included in this list. Well you’re right. But this event looks just a little too tempting to pass up. According to the event’s Facebook page, “this is possibly the biggest, most abundant clothes swap you will ever attend,” and is outlined with strict rules about what kind of clothes are acceptable to bring, in order to ensure “we only get rad clothing–no duds allowed.” The price of entry is a bag of clothes to swap and $8 or $9, depending on whether you buy tickets in advance or at the door, and you get to stuff a bag with all of clothes you can get your hands on. According to Facebook, the event is hosted by Alley 33 Productions, and the proceeds will go to fund the company’s fashion show. If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, the event will be on May 15 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland.

I hope you all take these suggestions very seriously. Or don’t. You’re adults and I’m not the boss of you. Have a wonderful, sunshiny week.

The opinions expressed in Keating’s column do not necessarily reflect those of The Daily Barometer staff.

[email protected]