Looking for some thrifty threads

February 16, 2007 6:56 PM

Know of any good thrift stores in/around Portland, OR?

I know there are plenty of Salvation Army and Goodwill stores, but I'm looking for something that's unique to the area. Think "Powell's" . . . but for clothes, furniture, and other random items of interest!

posted by charlesroper to Shopping (9 answers total)

Red Light on Hawthorne is good for clothes, and there's a thrift store on NW Glisan between 22nd and 23rd (I don't know the name of it off the top of my head) that always has a good selection of furniture, books, and whatnot.
posted by pdb at 7:57 PM on February 16, 2007

The bins!

(I'm sorry, I'll have to let someone else elaborate.)
posted by TonyRobots at 8:02 PM on February 16, 2007

There's a St. Vincent De Paul store on Powell Blvd. (I haven't been to it in 30 years, so I don't have the slightest idea what it's like now.)
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 8:12 PM on February 16, 2007

Red White & Blue Thrift Store in Milwaukie is awesome, but I admit it's been several years since I've shopped there. It's quite a drive from where I live.

My favorite chain is definitely Value Village. Although they have some of the flaws that Goodwill does (brand name clothes are ridiculously priced sometimes), all of their clothes seem to have been examined and labeled properly, and are arranged meticulously by size. The stores are very tidy.
posted by peep at 8:51 PM on February 16, 2007

It's not totally unique to Portland, but there's always Buffalo Exchange
posted by croutonsupafreak at 10:18 PM on February 16, 2007

Best answer: Didn't the bins close, or did they just move from that spot on 99E? The bins was the only unique thrift "experience" (if you can call it that!) in the area. I used to walk to the bins along the train tracks that pass by, always in the hopes that I could hop a freight there or back. It was fun when it happened, especially on the way back when trying to manage a trash bag full of clothes. In my experience, some of the "unique to the area" thrift stores kind of sucked if you were looking for some real hardcore thrift action. Really, people take their used stuff to recognized places that are convenient to their location... the best way to thrift in PDX, IMO, is to shop by neighborhood and enjoy making demographic inferences based on the available selection. Try the Goodwill on Burnside up by NW 23rd, then the Value Village on SE 82nd, and so on. I'll second that thrift store on Glisan between 22nd and 23rd (has something to do with the William Temple House), and there's always the free listings on craigslist. Oh, if you're looking for a thrifty computer, try Free Geek's thrift store.
posted by chudder at 10:39 PM on February 16, 2007

The Bins is still on 99E, turn up 17th St and you'll find it. Officially known as the 'Goodwill Outlet', the bins is a giant warehouse full of giant plastic bins that are semi-sorted by housewares/clothes/what have you, with furniture and other weird items. The best part is - clothes are by the pound, so we always end up going there for costumes.

The Red Light has a new place next door to the Buffalo Exchange on Burnside.
posted by lilithim at 10:48 PM on February 16, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks for all of the great ideas. My wife and I live just outside Portland (Aurora, OR) and will be checking out a couple of these places tomorrow. I didn't know that ANY of these places existed - glad I turned to the mefi community!
posted by charlesroper at 11:26 PM on February 16, 2007

I know I'm a little late but Rerun is worth taking a look at.
posted by chrisroberts at 9:05 AM on February 17, 2007