There are a lot of thrift stores spread over the Edmonton area, but they are definitely not equal. Price, quality and selection vary greatly from store to store and even between locations of the same chain. Below is a roundup of the top picks for thrifters in Champion City.
Thrift Shops on Stony Plain Road
Insiders know that the west end holds the real treasures, and the Stony Plain Road thrift triangle includes some of the best in the city. Bibles For Missions, or BFM, sits at 15222 Stony Plain Road, watched over by sweet elderly volunteers. Prices are super cheap, making it a great spot for low-income individuals and families to stock up on clothing or household items. Interesting things tend to wind up here often: a huge collection of vintage Avon perfume bottles; a gold 1970s folding bike; and a 1960s Barbie mansion are just a few examples.
At 15311 Stony Plain Road, the MCC Thrift Shop, operated by the Mennonite Central Committee, is one of Edmonton's easiest places to find secondhand furniture. Stock here is priced with extreme fairness, and MCC's craft section and book section are both excellent.
Just down the road at 15603 Stony Plain Road is Buy By The Pound, run by charity Harbour 4 Life. Junkier than the strip's other two shops, it's nonetheless a good place to stop for a quick browse through bins piled with clothing and books. Most textiles are priced, as the name indicates, by the pound, although premium items have price tags attached.
Edmonton's West End Thrift Stores
Goodwill is a well-known name in secondhand goods and its west-end location, at 10004-69 St., boasts the best selection of any thrift shop in town. Endless racks of men's, women's and children's clothing make it truly difficult to leave empty-handed, and the bins of random items in the knick-knack section always seem to conceal the unexpected, from expired film to vacuum filters to personal diaries from the 1940s.
Further west yet, Discount Thrift Store Inc. (9528 163rd St.) may be dwarfed in size by the Value Village next door but the clothing on its packed racks is priced so low it's almost like getting the stuff for free. Recent examples include vintage Lacoste dresses for a dollar, whole encyclopedia sets for the same, and collectible Fire King mugs for 49 cents.
Central Edmonton Thrift Stores
One of Edmonton's oldest charitable organizations, the Bissell Centre has been serving the city for 100 years now. Its thrift shop is decades old and although books here are slightly pricey, the selection is immaculately curated and features titles both rare and current, giving traditional used book stores a run for their money. Household good, clothing and furniture all feature in Bissell Centre Thrift Shop's stock.
Value Village in Edmonton
Prices at Value Village have increased so much over the past year that shoppers might as well visit Wal-Mart and buy new. Used items in economical brands such as Joe Fresh often cost on par with their unused counterparts; shoes have seen an especially high increase, with nondescript pairs regularly running $20 or more. It's still possible to find a bargain at Value Village but many dedicated thrifters now opt to give it a pass. Value Village operates five locations in Edmonton; addresses can be found on their website.
Thrifting the Best Vintage Items in Edmonton
With so many places to choose from, including a number of Goodwill and Salvation Army thrift shops not mentioned here, deciding which to visit is not an easy matter. For newer gently-used clothing, the big names like Value Village and Goodwill are a safe bet. For older, unusual pieces and bargain-bin prices, try the stores run by faith-based organizations. But treasures can show up anywhere at any time, so it never hurts to hit the shops up often.
Edmonton's Thrift Shop Hours
With the exception of Value Village and Goodwill, which keep roughly the same hours as other major retailers in the city, thrift shops usually close around 5 or 6 p.m. Some, especially those run by church groups, may be closed Sundays.
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