Finding a good Thrift Store!

Believe it or not, it is actually hard to find a good Thrift Store. Sometimes, you find the stores that have taken the good items and placed them behind glass at over inflated prices. Although, it can be laughable what they consider to be high-priced items, but that's another post! Finding a good thrift store is critical to getting your board game collection growing and profiting.

Searching the web is a good start, but I have not found too many sites listing thrift stores in my area. The ones I did find were for stores that were no longer in business. I quickly got frustrated and turned to an old source - The Yellow Pages. It is actually a good source for Thrift Stores in your area, but watch out because they are not called "Thrift Stores". Take, for example, "Unique Thrift." This is a chain-store type of thrift store that I just absolutely adore! They work in bulk and just push the items out at pretty good prices. They are very large stores and have lots of toys! A recent search of the web (june 08) has turned up this listing of Thrift Stores in Fairfax County, VA. I have visited several of them, so I know the list is up to date. Obviously, you need to keep looking both online and off line!!!

A better example is called, "Value Village," and they operate pretty efficiently catching the really hot items and pricing them at fair prices. The aisles are usually stocked and I can find some good items in the piles. Be sure to check the yellow pages for any stores that might be associated with a local non-profit or hospital. Of course, you have the Salvation Army Thrift Stores and these are located across the country. I'm not sure about Value Village or Unique Thrift. That may just be in the DC area.

It's good to really survey the thrift stores that you frequent, and note the kinds of items in stock. Some stores have good toy collections and others do not. As you develop your list of stores, it's good to keep in mind when the stores open and which ones you really want to hit first on your trip. What I do is hit my favorite store right as it opens, move quickly through the store, and then on to the next one!

Don't forget to go back through the store again, after you go through all the aisles. I'm not joking! I have found a lot of great items that I missed on the first trip down the aisle!

Happy Hunting!!!