Finally… A Thrift Store with Some Decent Prices!

A few weeks ago The Girl and I stopped by the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store in Tacoma, Washington after our trip to the Goodwill Outlet Store.

At first, I was like, oh here we go again, another thrift store with outrageous prices. At first glance, the selection in the front of the store was small and looked like a bunch of things that didn’t sell at other people’s yard sales.

The clothing section was pretty lackluster too.

And then just as I was about ready to give up and leave, I followed some guy {who looked like he knew what he was doing} to the back of the store… and what would turn out to be, the back door.

Bingo! I wasn’t looking for any used appliances, but every appliance imaginable was there. As well as exercise equipment and a huge selection of children’s bicycles.

And then there was the covered area. Again, outside, where unless you knew to look there, you’d probably never notice it from the front of the store {we didn’t}.

Need a dresser? A bed frame? Some wooden chairs? A couch? This place had it.

The funny thing was though, not a single item outside had a price tag on it. Which I thought was kind of odd since everything in the store did.

If I had a store, I totally would have snatched up these Pottery Barn style display table/shelves. Seriously! Aren’t they just beautiful? I must have stood there for like 5 minutes trying to figure how or where they could possibly go in my house or who I knew that would be able to use them. They would have been PERFECT in an art studio or a salon or a gourmet/specialty store.

In the end, we found a farmhouse table that was just the right size for our dining room. When I asked the guy how much the price for the table was he said… “How about 20 bucks?”

I don’t know about you, but I thought $20 was a reasonable price for a nice study table with some scratches on it. All I needed was a simple table to stick in our dining room for when we list the house. I used some leftover paint we had in the garage to spruce it up and I think it fits in the space pretty well. Mission accomplished.

They also had a nice selection of windows, blinds, tools, skis and golf clubs outside too.

And to be totally honest, it didn’t bother me that the items outside were not marked. I’d like to think if there was someone in real need, the store was designed to be flexible and able to accommodate and help them out.

Had I not taken the time to walk outside and see all the store had to offer, I would have gone away disappointed. But instead, I was pleasantly surprised. There were treasures to be found everywhere, just like in the old days, when thrift store shopping was fun and a true bargain hunt. You know, when you left the store you felt like you were going home with a great deal.

The place may be a little more run down than the local Goodwill stores, but you know what? The deals are better. I’d rather get a better deal, than knowing an item was priced higher to pay for a fancy checkout counter or store shelving that matched.

For what it’s worth, I give the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store in Tacoma two thumbs up.

~Mavis

St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store
4009 S 56th St, Tacoma, WA 98409