Unveiling My Holy Grail Find Plus a Thrifting Adventure in Wilmington, DE
- Maria DeAngelis
- Mar 20
- 7 min read
Updated: Apr 26
Hello, thrifties! Welcome or welcome back! If you're new here, thanks for stopping by, and just as the title implies, I'm all about adventures being thrifty & frugal. Some might even call me a thrift-oholic. But that's not a bad thing, right?
This story kicks off with a table, and not just any table, but this table! If you follow me on Facebook, you already know how much I've been swooning over it. I've been dreaming about it since last summer! I almost snagged one on Marketplace a few times—if you missed that adventure, click here. But at last, my patience paid off! I got a tip about one on Marketplace, but it was in Delaware, and I live in PA. Road trip time!
I cruised through some incredibly swanky neighborhoods, passed by gated communities, and marveled at historic mansions that oozed old money. I was absolutely thrilled to explore and shop till I dropped!
As the story goes "she" was originally priced at $150, but I managed to grab her for just $100! Transporting her home didn't leave much room for thrifting, but I couldn't resist exploring a new area. Check out where I went, what I did, and my genuine thoughts on the thrifting scene in this neck of the woods!
Stop #1: Prime Thrift
2004 W Newport Pike, Wilmington, DE 19804
I arrived 10 minutes before opening, because it was close to my marketplace pick up and there were already several people eagerly waiting in their cars or at the door. What a great sign! Let me start off by saying the best hard goods are in window shelving, so be sure to check there first. After that, the selection got a bit limited. There's artwork lining the top shelf of the entire store, a mix of inexpensive prints and older oil paintings, but I thought the pricing was high. The lowest price for wall art was in the $27 range. The clothes were sized and organized well and comparable to Goodwill pricing. I snagged a fabulous green blouse with puffy sleeves (you know your girl can't resist unique sleeves) for around $6, as well as a new without tags candleholder for $7. I even got $2 off for providing my phone number to join their loyalty program. The girls working the register were the nicest people, I mean literally the best! They even went so far as to write down the name/addresses of other thrift stores in the area. 🎥 click for tour
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Pros: The employees for sure, and there's a farmers market next door that I did not get to check out.
Cons: Felt and looked a little run down and art prices were excessive.
✨PRO TIP: Be sure to ask for that $2 off bonus for signing up for loyalty if they don't ask!
My favorite score from Prime Thrift, I have it listed for resale and it's still available on Amazon!
Stop #2: Value Village
4507 Kirkwood Hwy, Wilmington, DE 19808
Just a short drive down the street, this store boasts two stories, and I was filled with excitement! The parking out front was a bit tricky, but I bet there's a better setup on the side. The first floor was packed with clothing and featured a few room displays of upscale furniture and seasonal items, while the second floor was a treasure trove of hard goods, shoes, linens, and even a separate room for furniture and larger items. I spent quite a bit of time exploring the second floor and discovered some truly amazing pieces, although none made it home with me this time. 🎥 Click here for tour
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Pros: I liked the selection of furniture from all eras - from antique to current day, and the linen selection was several racks larger than most thrift stores.
Cons: Shoe pricing was all over the place, and the clothing was matronly, giving southern church lady vibes.
Stop #3: Goodwill
4317 Kirkwood Hwy, Wilmington, DE 19808
Located on the same street at stop #2, this Goodwill location was average in size, but had an neglected feel. The fashion here was much more stylish than the other stops, featuring trendy mall and current Walmart brands. The shoes were absolutely stellar, and I found several pairs that tempted me, but I had to exercise self-control because I wanted them all! There were some intriguing furniture pieces, mostly chairs, including a set of three that I suspected were MCM Heywood-Wakefield, though there were no markings to confirm. Maybe unbranded Danish modern? Either way, they were of excellent quality, and I hope someone scoops them up at just $7.99 each. This store only has color tag sales on Sundays. I also noticed that many of the shoppers seemed to be resellers (it takes one to know one), so I'm surprised those chairs weren't snatched up! 🎥 Click here for tour
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ + 1/2 star
Pros: larger selection of hard goods, more current clothing, shoe selection was good
Cons: felt dirty and color sale only runs on Sundays
Stop #4 Goodwill Outlet
400 Centerpoint Blvd, New Castle, DE 19720
Although this location isn't in Wilmington, it was just a short drive away! At first, I was a bit worried seeing so many people hanging around outside. I thought it might be like Jersey, where you have to go outside for bin changes, but that wasn't the case at all! This is one of the rare bin locations I've visited where it wasn't swarming with resellers with overflowing carts. It was super laid back and non-aggressive. Amazingly, there were more people outside than inside, making it a breeze to grab a cart and have a bin all to myself. I browsed through a few clothing bins and had some linens in my cart, which I eventually put back. One clothing bin on the bottom was packed with a ton of Chico's jewelry. I even stumbled upon a Tiffany blue jewelry box, and my heart raced! Inside was a like-new pair of clip earrings, but unfortunately, there was no branding on the box or the earrings, so they probably weren't authentic. I was amazed to find jewelry in the clothing bins, and good jewelry at that, and even more amazed that no one was picking it up! The outer walls were lined with furniture, including vintage pieces and larger items, with large cardboard gaylords for even more oversized items. I leisurely took my time diving deep into the hard good bins, not just once but twice, since it was so relaxed and laid back. I ended up spending about 2 hours there, and even though there weren't any bin changes, and didn't come close to filling my Hulken bag, I went home with $5 worth of items that I can easily flip for $50+! 🎥 click here for tour
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pros: easy to get a cart, not aggressive, lots of larger items
Cons: no cart changes and no idea how larger items were priced
✨See my haul here
Stop #5
New Castle Farmer's Market
110 N Dupont Hwy, New Castle, DE 19720
I stopped here just to grab some grub, and to my surprise, they had an outdoor flea market! Even though it was cold and extremely windy, it was absolutely amazing! It was later in the day, around 1 pm by this point, and there were still tons of vendors! I can't praise this flea market enough. They had an incredible array of vintage everything, the pricing was great, haggling went smoothly, and you could even score entire furniture sets! When I got home and read up on this flea market, I was thrilled to find out they "require" everything to be second-hand, meaning no Amazon returns, Target pallet sellers, or expired food/health products. While I did see a number of new items, mostly toys and kids' stuff from China, the majority of the goods were vintage. Inside, it's mostly food-based with a variety of ethnic eateries, groceries, and produce, as well as specialty shops and discount grocers. I would have loved to try some ethnic food, but those stands had the longest lines, so I ended up eating at a PA Dutch stand, probably from Lancaster Co where I'm from! While I wanted to stay and explore each and every store, the sheer amount of people deterred me. It was so crowded that it was downright uncomfortable and had me feeling overwhelmed, so I left. I can't wait to come back another day, hopefully when the crowds aren't as intense, because I'm sure there's a lot more to see inside.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pros: one stop shopping for food, vintage, groceries, and more! Lots of vintage.
Cons: parking was hard to secure, having to stalk someone who was leaving for their spot, the crowd inside was overwhelming.
To sum it up, even with the stunning neighborhoods and grand homes, it seems like these folks might be donating elsewhere since the clothing brands ranged from low to average. There was plenty of Shein and Walmart. The top brands I discovered were Chico's in the bins and Dress Barn at the stores. Furniture was available in most stores, but the quality and condition were just okay. Aside from the flea market, vintage home decor in hardgoods was mostly limited to dishware. But hey, who's to say it wasn't just an off day? As you know, thrifting can change from day to day, and stores often feel like a completely new experience each time. I came, snagged my holy grail table, and stumbled upon an incredible flea market that I'm definitely going back to, so overall, it was a fantastic day, AND I even stopped by the Avondale, PA Goodwill location on the way home!
Total spent on thrifting amounted to just under $20, plus $100 for the table!
Want to shop my scores? This lion doorknocker and more is for sale!
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