The Thrifting Diaries: Richmond, VA
- 3 days ago
- 8 min read
Hello fellow thrifters! I hope you're all having an amazing spring! I'm thrilled to reconnect after a bit of a break. Believe it or not, I started this blog post right after Christmas, but I've given it a fresh update for the new season. I've been channeling a lot of energy lately into my social media, and if you're not following yet, make sure to follow here and here. I promise to make a dedicated effort to blog more regularly so stay tuned!
Right before the holidays, we took a little pre-holiday thrifting trip to Richmond, VA. We drove through at night on our way to Savannah last holiday season, so I was anxious to go back and really experience this city as I love to explore and thrift new-to-me places. I will say that what I thought Richmond would be like was anything but what it was in reality. For starters, I imagined a history-rich, conservative, almost sleepy town, but it was anything but! It was artsy, diverse, and had a bustling nightlife and shopping district full of unique shops and eateries, rooftop bars, and luxurious spas.
Like any trip, it begins with planning, but for Richmond, other than booking an Airbnb in the downtown area, I winged it, instead relying on Google for thrift stores near my location upon arrival. Let me tell you, as soon as the luggage hit the floor on the Saturday before Christmas, I was out the door in search of treasures!
Our airbnb in Richmond Views from the second floor.
But thrifting didn't start in Richmond, oh no! A quick stop at the Adams County thrift store was on the way down, so I couldn't just drive by! This store is a bit of a hodgepodge, and I personally do not buy clothes here, but the hard goods never disappoint. In fact, this visit it seemed they were thinning out and cleaning up the store a bit. It does feel a bit dated and run down, but don't let that deter you! I've sourced many wonderful items here, and the basement is a treasure trove of furniture, large art, and lighting just waiting to be discovered. In season, some of their larger inventory spills outside to the back dock where you'll find sporting equipment and medical aids, such as wheelchairs and push walkers. And since their mission is to help those in need, you can often find free canned goods and pantry staples in the entrance vestibule.
I also couldn't head south without a stop at my favorite Goodwill EVER, the new Thurmont, Md location on Thurmont Blvd. If you want to see more of this amazing store (that gets new donations from Home Goods!), click here. This store is heavy on hard goods and decor in general. They also have a pretty fantastic linen section, and since it's a new store, they take pride in keeping it clean. The hard goods are a little haphazard, but they are also packed, so that's to be expected. And while they don't have a dressing room (I think it's a Maryland thing), they do allow 7-day returns with tags intact and the receipt, so if you're planning a trip to Richmond and hit them up on the way down, be sure to hit them on the way back up if you bought clothes that don't fit. For the record, most of the kids' clothing is priced at $1.99, and they do have a color tag sale. Prices for adult clothing were also priced lower and more consistent than our stores in PA. If you're on the road heading south, I highly recommend this location!
The pricing and organization at the Stratford Hills Goodwill location.
Our first stop in Richmond was the Goodwill in the Stratford Hills shopping center. This store was large, well-lit, with wide aisles and curated displays. They had a color tag sale and flat rate clothing prices, which honestly I liked, and felt were cheaper than items priced individually in my area. The sorting was well done in the sense that I didn't come across any stains or tears, but kids' clothing was bundled together. Sizing was "loose"; it wasn't perfect, and you did need to check the entire rack to be sure you didn't miss a great find in your size. Linens were pretty much non-existent, and the hard goods were very limited and consisted mostly of new items. This location had a dressing room and was next door to a Publix, which was convenient for us as we mostly grab heat-and-eat meals from a local grocery store when we travel.
The following day was Sunday, and we took a walk along the canal walk. while I planned my thrift adventures for the day. Much to my dismay, the Goodwills were closed, but I did find two
thrift stores that were open. One was
Furbish Thrift, check it out here. This store supports local animal welfare, and I appreciated its mission as much as I did the cozy displays and unexpected plant nursery area. This thrift store accepts plant and plant clipping donations for propagation and sale, which I think is a novel idea. They also had an abundance of vintage decor and furniture, some even antique. The clothing section was small but priced comparably for this area and had a $1 rack where I scored a figure-flattering blazer I can't wait to style. I did not see any kids' clothes here, but they did have a well-curated pet department and allowed pets, although you know how I feel about that!
.
Items for sale at Furbish Thrift and they also sold plants!
Next up was Diversity Thrift. This neighborhood felt a little run-down in general, which sometimes boosts the best thrift stores, so location did not deter me. A "witches" market took place that day which I'm assuming is a flea market of oddities and pagan paraphernalia. It sounded interesting, but I was more into the thrift scene, so I didn't venture to that side of the building to investigate. Per their website: Diversity Richmond values diversity and is committed to seeking equity and inclusion for all in the LGBTQ+ community. The building itself is a hodgepodge of different rooms and areas, so be sure to explore it all, or you might miss something. It does feel a bit run-down inside in some areas, but it was a picker's paradise without the dig. While I didn't buy anything here, I appreciated the variety of merchandise and the true thrift/yard sale pricing. They had a good bit of fantastic small and large furniture pieces that caught my eye, but everything was marked sold, which was disappointing. A tall Victorian-era plant stand with curved legs was calling my name, but sadly it too had been sold. My only complaint was they should move sold items, which outnumbered items still for sale, off the sales floor so as not to excite potential buyers.
Some of the items for sale at Diversity Thrift, sadly the table was sold.
On Monday we headed to the area of Midlothian Turnpike, and into lower-class neighborhoods. Family
Thrift Center was our first stop, arriving moments after opening. Check it out here. I had high hopes going in, but found the clothing to be extremely overpriced, organization poor, and the store run-down and dismal. It was my least favorite of all the places we visited. Still, even with disappointment, I was able to find two pairs of ladies' boots, priced well, and in like-new condition. One pair was $7.98, the other $6.98, the latter being Bass brand and real suede. The moral of the story is even if one department feels overpriced, continue to explore the entire store, because clearly it was not the same person pricing the shoes as the clothes! It saddened me that they priced the clothes so high in a neighborhood that was visibly struggling and could benefit from thrift pricing.
Across the street was Liberation Thrift. I absolutely loved this place, even if I did leave empty-handed. It was massive and had a good bit of furniture and art. The furniture was priced very inexpensively, and they had a good bit of vintage, including a groovy 1970s living room suite for $50 that would make any disco dancer shake their bo thang! Clothing was priced fairly. I feel that this is the kind of place that, if you went regularly, you could find something really valuable for cheap. Shop with me here.
Views from Liberation Thrift
Further up the turnpike was the Goodwill Outlet, which also was running a Goodwill auction in the adjacent building. They do this several times a week, and although I did not explore the auction, I did witness the purchases coming out, which were impressive. The bins themselves were low-key and not aggressive. Check out my adventure here. They limit each shopper to one cart, and you couldn't line them against the wall and continue to shop. Everyone was very respectful and polite. It was a very different experience than what I was used to. While you could tell there were some resellers there, the majority of folks just seemed to be shopping for themselves. There were more textile bins than hard goods, and two bins strictly for toys, which were overflowing. I did not see any books. There were shelves along the wall with lamps and breakables, and also smaller bins with glass items. Off the back was an electronics department selling TVs, computers, etc., that were plugged in and could be tested. They had an ample amount of carts, which is usually a problem at the bins. They do not give bags, nor have a cart scale, so you do need to separate hard goods from textiles at the register, and they are weighed in a tub. I was there about an hour and a half and witnessed one bin change out of hard goods. They didn't even make you clear the floor during this process nor wait till all the bins were changed to start digging. Once it stopped rolling, it was fair game!
Bought 'em, ended up costing less than $5 The cart is looking good!
Cast iron pan, yes please! How does the pricing compare to your bins?
The last stop in Richmond was the Midlothian Turnpike Goodwill location. I can't say enough good things about this location. Purple tags were only $1, orange was half off, and they had a small furniture department with vintage and like-new items; many were flying off the floor as I was there. This Goodwill had a plentiful hard goods department and loads of Target new or like-new kids' clothes. I scored big time at this store, and it was my favorite of the two Goodwill locations in Richmond. Shop with me here.
We did not get to a place that was highly recommended twice, called: Where Ya Bin , described to me as a Goodwill bins meets Amazon returns kind of place, where items are housed in bins and you pay by pound. From what I was told, there was also surplus there. If we ever find ourselves in Richmond again, I'll definitely need to hit this one up!
I also had an opportunity to explore a neighborhood in Richmond called Carytown, where the Publix was located that we bought our daily meals from. Carytown is best described as a robust shopping area, full of boutiques, stores, restaurants, and bars. It was young, lively, and upbeat. There were a lot of highly curated vintage shops that I enjoyed checking out, but with curation comes a heavy price tag for items I can find on my own thrifting, so I did leave them empty-handed. However, the inspiration I gained was invaluable for styling and using items differently than intended.
I did not leave Carytown completely empty-handed as I fell in love with a bath and body boutique that had the best handmade soaps and skincare called Mamie's Apothecary. Normally I'm not drawn to places like this as they tend to be expensive, but the soaps were so luxurious and the scents so divine I had to indulge. I even bought a few gifts for my oldest granddaughter for Christmas.
This store had clothes sorted by era + postcards for framing. This storefront was inspiring.
Various signage in Carytown.
After exploring Carytown, I knew we had booked our Airbnb in the wrong neighborhood, which was downtown. I felt it was like the Wall Street of Richmond, and on the weekend when the large corporate offices were closed, it was dead. If you want to be in the center of it all, Carytown is where you need to be!
.
We left Richmond with fond memories, a full car (although not as full as it could be), and a long ride home, but not without hitting up the old Thurmont Goodwill first. Thrift mission complete!
Do you travel to thrift? Please tell me I'm not alone! If so ,leave me
a comment with your favorite travel to thrift spot, who knows, I might end up there next!
Comments