Ever wondered where the best thrift stores are? Here are 60+ favorite spots across North America and Europe!
So you need some pretty fabric for a skirt, a pair of size 7 knitting needles, or a few glass jars to try etching your brand-new designs onto. Stop by a thrift store before you buy spendy new stuff. Thrift stores can be an incredible source of clothes, furniture, fabric, yarn, craft supplies, books--pretty much anything and everything, from 1960s party invitations still in the package to rick-rack in every color! As Jean says in Get Crafty, "Thrifting is one of the great pleasures of the crafty life."
I think one of the best things about secondhand shopping is the serendipitousness of what you find. The day you're desperately looking for a pink blazer is when you come home with a 1970s Pfaff sewing machine with all the original accessories, for $10. Then again, the afternoon you really want a copy of To Kill A Mockingbird, there's one on the shelf waiting for you for 69 cents. Maybe you spot a pillowcase from the set you had (and loved!) as a little kid, or a vintage Lilly Pulitzer dress in your size with a half-off tag. Some days you might not see anything good, or you might spot something awesome out of the corner of your eye... in someone else's shopping cart. Bummer.
The golden (pre-eBay and Antiques Roadshow, sigh) age of thrift stores may be on the wane, but you can still find incredible things if you're persistent. Independent charity shops in smaller towns can be a gold mine of cool stuff, and are usually far less picked over than chain stores in bigger cities.
Here are a few tips I've picked up over the years:
-Wear a skirt. It's much easier to change out of quickly in a dressing room than pants are!
-A quick and fairly accurate way to judge if a waistband will fit you is to hold it up to your neck and see if it wraps around. If it does with a little to spare, it will most likely fit your waist.
-Bring cash. Some thrift stores take credit cards or checks, but it is brutal to find incredible stuff and then realize you have no way of paying for it.
-Don't overpay. Some stores (I'm looking at you, Goodwill) have really started raising their prices, so a t-shirt or book is about as much as it would be new. Look for sales or try other, smaller shops that don't gouge you! Look for half-off-everything day, or fill a grocery bag for $2.
-If you're traveling, look in the phone book (or if you're in a smaller town, ask around or look in the main part of downtown) for thrift stores. My husband and I stopped at a few places along the Oregon coast this summer and found amazing stuff--a vintage Lacoste dress for me, a bunch of great 1940s baseball cards for him.
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I asked a bunch of cool crafty women where their favorite thrift and affordable vintage stores were, and got plenty of recommendations. Here they are, sorted by location. I'd love to include yours, just comment with it and I'll add it on!
comment by LittleMissLaur Sunday October 09th, 2005 04:50 PM
Tallahasse, FL
The Other Side
The Vintage Shoppe
comment by Indigo_fae Tuesday October 11th, 2005 01:25 AM
To all who consider Goodwill "Pricey" : Goodwill is is NOT a thrift store, it is a retail outlet that supports our neuro-rehabilitaion, residence, and "handi-able" programs. 100% of these proceeds go to these programs and our stores employ people with limatations. These cost of providing these things has increased in the last few years becuase of the cut in federal funding. Please be understanding, or buy elsewear.
comment by Slinkster Thursday October 27th, 2005 03:10 PM
Jacksonville, Fl
Paxon Thrift Town
comment by Kiara Wednesday November 02nd, 2005 03:49 AM
Keller, TX
Bearly Used
Simply Elegant
comment by elizabadurina Sunday March 05th, 2006 12:00 PM
OMAHA, NE
Thrift World (on 36th & O)
Salvation Army (on 84th & I-80)
Retro Recycle (415 S. 12th)
Blue Flamingo Thrift Store (1528 Vinton St)
Mama Kelly's & All Things Thrift (2223 Franklin St, Bellevue)
C B Thrift America(1920 W Broadway, Co. Bluffs)
comment by rowro Thursday January 25th, 2007 09:07 PM
I think the best BY FAR is The Goodwill WearHouse on 36th between Q & L.
I get TONS of stuff from them all of the time. They sell by the pound, which is hard to get used to. But once you get how it works....you are in LUCK!
I usually try to get the 50 pounds (everything from clothes for my kids to games to household items) and it only costs about $36 !!!
I used to shop at the Goodwill's out west like Maple and Oakview. But since finding this place, I only shop there now. I love it and I bet you will too!
