The Thrifting Guide to Savannah, Georgia
- Maria DeAngelis
- Feb 13
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 15
Hello thrifties! If you've hung out with me this long... THANK YOU! And if you're new here, welcome! I'm Maria, and I am a THRIFToholic! If you're like me, you're in the right place! Here we celebrate saving money, thrifting, upcycling, and decorating with our thrifted treasures. Add in a pop of travel and reselling on the side, and that is my recipe for a happy life!
Recently, I traveled to Savannah over the Christmas holiday. If you missed that post and would like to see what I did and how much I spent, click here. Aside from playing tourist, I was able to get in some thrifting time, and I'm here to give you the lowdown on where I shopped and what I really thought!
👉Full disclaimer: Traveling during the time period I did, we didn't get to visit all the thrift stores in the area due to their hours and Christmas, but we did go to enough to scratch my thrifting itch!
The first stop was the Goodwill bins. This location was much smaller than I was used to, and surprisingly only consisted of bins of only toys, only shoes, only purses, and only textiles. It was nice that they were separated that way, but hardgoods were non-existent. When I asked the cashier if they had any, she didn't even know what hardgoods were! Not a good sign when you're thrifting mainly for decor. There were a few vacuums against the wall, but that was the extent of the household section. Click here for a tour of this location.
I must say, this place wasn't too crowded and certainly not aggressive. I noticed a few resellers (you can usually tell), but most people were shopping for fun or personal use. The clothing selection was decent, though nothing particularly impressive; the best brand I saw was Loft. I did come across a vintage coat that could have been a good resale item, but it reeked of mothballs, contaminating several bins as it was tossed around. However, I didn't leave empty-handed—I found a Target brand throw in like-new condition and a shirt, with the total cost being under $5. Linens were rare, so that was a fortunate find!
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars being the best)
Cons: no household, smaller location, infrequent bin changes
Pros: lots of clothes, shoes are kept rubber banded together in own bin
👉Worth mentioning:
They didn't have a lot of carts, nor provide bags, so bring your own. Click here for my recommendation.
Next up, I hit up this retail Goodwill store just a quick five-minute drive down Eisenhauer Dr. It was in a busy shopping center and definitely had more than their share of customers! They had a decent section with household stuff and another spot where larger items were kinda crammed together. The aisles were pretty tight. Prices were all over the place, which is classic Goodwill. No color sale going on, though. I ended up snagging a brass genie candleholder and a brand new 5-pack of socks for Mr. Thrifty (who totally forgot to bring his) for just $8.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Cons: hard to maneuver with a cart, lots of people, very messy in the back area
Pros: they had some new merchandise at the register, and some vintage on the floor
At Friendly Mission, we arrived roughly an hour before closing, and I was immediately puzzled. Was this a thrift store, cafe, bingo hall, pallet seller, discount grocery store, Ashley furniture store, or antique store? The answer is all of the above. It features a mix of new and used items, a counter resembling a pawn shop, an actual bingo setup, and a cafe. Numerous people, whom I assumed were employees, were standing around and greeted me enthusiastically as I entered. I felt very out of place and didn't take any pictures. Needless to say, I took a quick look around and left without buying anything.
My rating: ⭐⭐
Cons: too much going on to really get a feel for what this place is
Pros: greeted upon entry, store and cafe were clean
Goodwill in Richmond Hill: This store was very similar to the first, a little larger in size, more organized, not a lot of larger items. No color sale. I spent a good deal of time at this store going through clothing and did end up getting a sweatshirt there. Pricing was fair. While the housewares were nice, linens were skimpy, and I did not see any vintage items. Clothing, however, was sorted well, and I saw a number of better brands.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Cons: no vintage, very limited on large items
Pros: clean and easy to maneuver, assortment of new items up front
St. Thomas Thrift Store: This was more upscale; displays were carefully thought out, but I found pricing to be more in line with a consignment store. This was an in/out for me, as they carried mostly clothing.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Cons: clothing was better brands but geared towards a more mature woman
Pros: felt like a boutique in some areas, displays were professionally done
Goodwill on Johnny Mercer Blvd. This was my favorite Goodwill in Savannah and the one I spent the most time in. While it is cramped, the housewares and linens were abundant, and there were some great vintage furniture pieces worthy of a little love. The customers were also very friendly and I held several conversations with other shoppers. I did buy several items here, but for the life of me, I can't remember what they were!
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cons: lots of stuff, hard to maneuver a cart
Pros: friendly folks, and a good bit of vintage, hard goods department was overflowing
Bargain Center on Bull: I was excited to go here after seeing the Google pictures of housewares, although the neighborhood was a little questionable when we drove by later in the early evening. I did read some negative reviews and, due to time constraints, needed to choose between here or the Salvation Army. I called them and asked if they have hard goods, and they said they are mostly clothing only. No rating because I didn't go.
Salvation Army: Questionable neighborhood, but they have a private lot. Employees were very friendly. Good bit of furniture and clear glass, small hard goods department. Clothing pricing was very reasonable, although mostly low-quality brands. Saw lots of Southern Lady church clothes and some lilac pimp shoes. Some vintage glassware and furniture.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Cons: very little housewares & artwork
Pros: clothing and furniture was priced fairly
Keller's Flea Market: This flea market is open on Saturdays and Sundays with a late opening of 8 am. This kind of threw off our schedule a bit as we wanted to allow ample time to go through it but also time to take a tour of Bonaventure and Tybee Island. It was also the farthest we ventured to thrift, a good 18 miles away from our Airbnb. I was so excited to come here, and because of getting lost (thanks GPS and your "restricted access road"), we arrived closer to 8:30, so when I saw 3 vendors, I was shocked! One of the vendors told me most don't set up until between 10 - 12! I don't know if that is a southern thing, but up north that's about when they start packing up to close. Needless to say, as much as we wanted to come back, our schedule did not allow it. But the area was large, a combination of older pavilions and outbuildings with scattered parking in between, and could hold a number of vendors. I just wish they were set up as advertised!
My rating: ⭐
Cons: wasted trip, vendors don't align with hours listed, GPS considers this a "restricted access road" which really screwed us up!
Pros: has the space to potentially be a good sale
Blessingdale's, this was my favorite thrift store in all of Savannah! They were clean, organized, and their sorting process on point. This was one thrift store that had true yard sale pricing and even a color sale! I snagged a little swan for a future project and a quality linen blazer, half off for a only $2.50! They had a good bit of vintage, and even a crafting section - most of which was under $1. Take a tour here.
My rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cons: closed Sundays
Pros: friendly staff, clean, and genuine yard sale pricing, many vintage items including furniture
Like I mentioned earlier, there were several stores we didn't get to because they were closed or our schedule didn't align with their open hours. I suggest, as you travel to Savannah or anywhere, to make sure your location is turned on in your phone and periodically Google "thrift stores in my location." This method is how I discovered some of my favorites today.
Do you live in or have you thrifted in Savannah? If so please share spots I missed or places I haven't discovered. I'd also love to hear about your favorite city/state for thrifting, after all I travel to thrift!
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