The Goodwill we visited was near Raising Cane’s (a plus) however, tucked away to the side in what can only be described as a slightly sketchy parking lot. Nevertheless, we made it in. Like many thrift stores, walking into Goodwill was the equivalent of walking into a huge warehouse. The clothes were in the front, with other items toward the back. The aisles were cluttered and confusing, with some set vertically and others horizontally, making it difficult to recognize the order of sections. Women’s clothing was in the front of the store, with men’s clothing following, but there was hardly any men’s selection. The thrifting experience involved patience throughout the search, but after digging through racks, we found some high-quality items, such as a sweater from American Eagle. Although the selection had some goodies, there was simply a smaller amount of clothes than any other thrift store we visited. They made up for this with a larger selection of the “other” category, with fall decoration centerpieces, loads of glassware and dishware, kitchen supplies, bikes, books, music and movies. The furniture was not unique and was actually quite dusty and dirty, with random pieces of trash thrown about in the furniture section. On the way out, we noticed a selection of snacks and candy near the register and a hand sanitizer station near the door, which no other place provided. Overall, Goodwill is worth checking out if you need a new skillet, but in search of clothing, there are better options.

While technically a secondhand store, due to its proximity to our school, we decided to review it. It is a much smaller store, but it only has clothes, shoes and jewelry. The clothing they have is trendy and you don’t have to dig as much to find the trendy items like other thrift stores. However, their trendier clothing includes a lot of fast fashion brands, including Shein, making the quality of the items subpar. If you keep looking, you’ll find a variety of higher-end brands, including Patagonia. The pricing is a lot more expensive than other thrift stores, which was definitely a downside, but it was nice not to sift through each rack thoroughly to find something cute. The store included five fitting rooms, seating areas and overall had a comfy vibe with good music playing, unlike the other warehouse-type shops on the list.

City Thrift was a huge warehouse-type thrift store, with an equal amount of clothes and miscellaneous items. Out of all the stores visited City Thrift definitely had the most options in terms of clothing. The sections were just a tad confusing, and if you go, expect to dig. However, there are some great finds. It was a little pricier compared to other stores we visited, however, buying two pairs of jeans, a sweater and a skirt for under $70 is no small feat and should be celebrated. The miscellaneous items included kitchenware, glassware, music, books, furniture, old stuffed animals and other kids’ toys. There was also a large selection of jewelry and purses, which is always welcome. Navigating the store was a little challenging, as it was a bit unorganized and the aisles were small and skinny. While having to dig through items, there were many unique pieces and the quality was good, making the slightly higher prices worth it. 

Another warehouse-style store, however, this one is meticulously organized. Everything is neatly arranged by section, gender, size and even color-coordinated. Unlike the other warehouse-style stores that felt cluttered, TurnStyles was easy to navigate. Prices are clearly displayed, with each section (such as men’s long sleeves or maternity) having all pieces at a set price, which was extremely helpful. The store also carries a variety of items beyond clothing, though again, these pieces were clearly not the most well-kept. TurnStyles is primarily volunteer-run and incredibly affordable, as well as having fitting rooms. Overall, this store is incredibly affordable, organized and has some great pieces, even if you have to search for them.  

This store is truly a blessing and is one of the few stores without the sterile feel of a warehouse. The workers were so kind and helpful and the overall vibes of the store were amazing, even down to the music being played. Blessings Abound was also the only store to offer a larger quantity of other items compared to the amount of clothing, although still having a decent selection. There is way more than just clothes here, such as tons of jewelry, cute bags (much better than some other places) and a very large and well-maintained furniture section, which was nice to see after the other stores’ measly few dusty couches. The clothing was definitely more of an older style, and you won’t find anything strictly “trendy”  here like Plato’s did, but there are still great pieces depending on your taste. Something that stuck out was the variety, especially in pants because it was rare to find a pants section including more than just jeans, as opposed to other stores. However, while it was organized by clothing type, it was not organized by size, gender or color, and also lacked the very helpful signage some of the others had, which made it harder to find certain things. This was not unbearable because of the much smaller selection compared to the places visited. The store felt clean, and had fun music and an impressive glassware collection, but only two fitting rooms. Overall, Blessings Abound was the least overwhelming sand easiest place to spend time shopping in.