I was assigned a feature of my choice this past winter in my writing class. I thought a roundup of some of my favorite thrifts stores would be fun, practical, and worth sharing. 🙂
There are so many reasons why thrifting is a worthwhile venture. My personal experience of thrifting as a hobby has evolved over the past two years, but I was raised on Saturday yard sales so it is totally in my blood. When traveling, thrifting has been one of my favorite types of sightseeing. It’s like visiting a giant sustainable gift shop for the city that is much easier on the wallet. When I can’t travel and thrift that itch is absolutely scratched thrifting in the Triangle. This roundup will focus on my go-to shops here in Raleigh, particularly within 540, where I have found some of my most favorite treasures.
- North Raleigh Ministries (Stonybrook)
It takes time to go through both North Raleigh locations. This location has a great selection of clothes and books but also random odds and ends you forgot you were looking for. I am often impressed with their dress selection, and I usually find 1-2 clothing pieces for the kids. It takes time to search through the clothes, which makes this less of a quick stop. I would say you could spend anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours here. All proceeds go to help families in crisis in the community in a variety of ways. And when you leave– walk around the corner and grab a Tepuy Donut or a dozen. My favorite finds were an adult hockey stick for my son, old school Michigan Bird feeder for my Mom, a small router table for $8, a super cute Loft summer dress, brand-new with tags dress from Bohm for $11, matching mid-century glass pitchers, and most recently a Hurricanes Hockey playoffs mug to name a few.
If I want to thrift, but I don’t have a lot of time this is a favorite. This sweet little shop is tucked away off of Lacy Avenue and right past the train tracks on Millbrook. I love this store because there is literally something for everyone. It’s small enough not to feel overwhelmed, and everything is well priced. If you are looking for unique baskets, random electronics, vases and glassware, used books, and records you will not be disappointed. And if you need to purge before you bring anything else into your house, they have a super convenient drop off spot behind the store with great hours. It’s an inclusive, safe spot where neuro-divergent and neuro-typical employees work together. My favorite finds here have been a record player, many unique baskets, quite a few unique beautiful votives for an event, and guitar hanger for the wall.
If I am honest, I don’t want to share this one. Thousands probably pass by it on Capital daily, and one of you readers might steal my next treasure but sharing is caring and all that so here you go. There is nothing shiny about this little shop, but I always walk out with something I am super excited about. You may need to do a little searching but the shop is small so it makes for a great little spot when the thrifting bug bites and you have 30 minutes to shop. All proceeds go to Healing Transitions, a recovery program for those experiencing homelessness. My favorite finds have been a pair of Brass candlesticks (I had looked for months for these), Montessori word puzzles, Old Salem framed art, and a hand painted Japanese mug,
If you’re looking for kitchenwares and children’s games and toys this choice will be your jam. Put the kids in the toy section with Dad and explore the glassware, furniture, and clothes. The clothes can take time to search through because there is quite a lot, so you may need a bit more time, but everything is clean, spread out and organized. There really is an impressive amount of quality toys and games that really do still have a lot of life left in them. HandmeUPS also aims to provide employment and volunteer opportunities to neurodivergent individuals. My favorite find was a wooden Armoire for $50.
betweenthemagnolias.org 