With Macklemore faintly singing “Thrift Shop” in the back of my mind (okay, not really, but still), I spent my Saturday morning scouring SLO for the four best thrift shops in town. I hope you’re inspired to go check out the stores featured here in beautiful San Luis Obispo, or find your own in your city.
1. Goodwill Warehouse
880 Industrial Way, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
This Goodwill was one of the most interesting ones I’ve been to yet. Unlike usual Goodwill Stores, this one is warehouse-style. It has clothing, records, holiday decorations, and furniture; the clothing is in bins, and although some items have tags on them, you pay by weight. After deciding what you’d like to buy, you bring your purchases up to the cashier where you drop them onto a scale and then pay by the pound.
I bought two sweaters with tags that said $3.99 each, but ended up paying a total of $4.27 for the both of them.
Pros: Cheap, items in bulk, large quantity
Cons: Hard to dig through the clothing bins, very dusty, lots of repeats
2. Mission Thrift
2640 Broad Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Mission Thrift is one of my favorite thrift shops in SLO. They update the store frequently with the changing seasons/holidays, and have ceramics, books, and furniture in addition to their clothing. The layout of the store is clean and open, unlike some over-crowded thrift stores I’ve stumbled upon, prices are fair, and the selection is clean and vast.
Store Associate Taylor Jordan Inase says, “Mission Thrift definitely feels like a family business. There’s only 5 part-time employees, and our bosses feel more like friends than superiors.”
Mission Thrift is also home to many quirky finds throughout. Inase’s favorite donation since he started working there “would have to be an Indiana Jones kind of satchel that was literally jam packed with condoms. I haven’t laughed that hard since.”
My own personal finds included a pair of high-waisted shorts with little sunflower details ($5), big Disney-type fairy wings for my halloween costume ($5), and two halloween cookie cutters ($0.50/ea) for a total of $11.88.
Pros: Clean, organized, good prices
Cons: Small store, limited clothes selection due to carrying housewares, etc.
3. Fred and Betty’s
532 Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Fred and Betty’s is another one of SLO’s hidden gems. While I was there they were having a sale, and every clothing item was $2 – a thrifter’s dream. They have a large, open floor with racks of clothes organized by gender, style, and size which makes it easy on the shoppers if they’re looking for something in particular. I found Adrian Pearson browsing around the men’s half of the store, and found out he’s been a long time customer.
“Fred and Betty’s is the perfect spot to come when you’ve got a few bucks in your pocket and you’re bored with your current closet,” Pearson said.
Max, my boyfriend (and photographer for the day), left with a button-down from Nordstrom for $2.16.
Pros: Large selection, great prices, good for basics
Cons: Nothing very unique or vintage
4. Retrofit
956 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Retrofit has been a long time favorite of mine, and was one of the first shops I stepped foot in while touring the Cal Poly campus before getting accepted.
Owner Katie Cobler says her favorite part of owning Retrofit is “going out and finding treasures to bring back to the store.” Although not technically a “thrift” store or even a “consignment” store, Cober says, she prides herself on selling unique, one of a kind vintage apparel that she makes sure stays in pristine condition.
It’s pricier than the other shops I went to, but this weekend they were having a 50% off sale, so it cut costs immensely. I bought an 80’s sequined sweater for $9 (originally $18), and a geometric black and white mod blouse for $6 (originally $12), for a total of $16.80. When I went back to visit Katie to take some photographs and shop around, she gave me a warm welcome (and a nice discount).
Check out the photo slideshow to see my shopping experience at Retrofit:
Photos by Emily Holland and Maxamillion Polo
Pros: Best spot for vintage finds, beautiful/authentic clothing
Cons: Pricier than the other thrift stores, small store with small selection
Dress Relief 