Austin's 4 Best Neighborhoods for Thrift Stores
Design mavens hoping to save a few bucks on furniture, decor items, and clothing regularly flock to thrift stores, those discount temples where secondhand goods can be found for exceptionally reasonable prices.
As the cost of living in Austin continues to rise, long-time residents and new arrivals all find themselves more and more interested in finding ways to budget and reduce their spending, and the Lone Star Capital’s excellent assortment of thrift shops proves essential to that goal.
First of all, we need to mention one key point: “vintage stores,” which can be found in abundant supply in trendy Austin areas like South Congress, are not equivalent to “thrift stores.” The former category constitutes carefully curated boutiques that often include lofty prices for garments and home goods.
A proper “thrift” store, however, has a product supply more similar to that of a massive garage sale. That is to say: a quirky melange of furniture, decorative items, clothing, and vintage tchotchkes of varying quality degrees. Thrift shopping is, by nature, a treasure hunt, which makes it such an enjoyable (and economical!) pastime.
If you’re hoping to find some pre-owned gems, check out these neighborhoods to find the best thrift stores in Austin.
East Austin
Of course, Austin’s trendiest neighborhood features an abundance of pricey vintage shops and spots to snag some high-end used furniture. But denizens of East Austin also have easy access to inexpensive thrift stores chock full of diamonds in the rough, if they know where to look.
Treasure City Thrift is an East Austin legend for excellent reason. This unique secondhand shopping venue focuses heavily on waste reduction; to that end, Treasure City partners with grassroots activist groups to “transform waste into resources which benefit our communities; we link economic and environmental sustainability.”
This warehouse-like space contains a wide range of goods, from furniture to decor items to clothing and accessories, all priced to move and as charmingly eclectic as you would hope from a thrift shop in artsy East Austin.
Southeast Austin
As Austin neighborhoods continue to become more and more expensive (in terms of both real estate and costs of living), enclaves like Southeast Austin, where home and lifestyle prices are comfortably below the city average, see rising demand and interest from current Austinites and newcomers alike.
Not only does Southeast Austin feature economical property listings (current values range from the mid-$100s to the high $600s, with most in the low $200s), but the area also includes what many consider the holy grail of Austin thrift shopping: the Goodwill Blue Hanger Outlet.
Goodwill stores get a lot of love from thrift shoppers willing to roll up their sleeves and dig for treasures, thanks to their wide range of products and exceedingly gentle prices. But as cheap as a normal Goodwill store may seem, their Blue Hanger outlets go one step further by pricing their wares by the pound.
Goodwill Blue Hanger charges about $1.50 per pound for all merchandise, so depending on how much you’re willing to carry, you can restock both your closet and revamp your home decor for just pennies on the dollar.
North Lamar
The quiet, residential, and affordable North Austin neighborhood of North Lamar makes for a top-notch location for thrift store enthusiasts who prioritize efficiency and quality. Shops in this area tend to be more carefully curated than their Austin competitors and, therefore, require less of a time investment to yield worthwhile items.
North Lamar’s Goodwill location prioritizes its clothing selection, and it’s easy to find stylish duds there, whether you’re interested in current styles or prefer more vintage looks.
For a small but well-appointed vintage boutique that’s an Austin thrift store icon, check out St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, which recently relocated from its long-time South Congress digs to a space in North Lamar. Along with a cheap and attractive array of vintage clothing, St. Vincent de Paul shoppers can find items like record albums, framed antique paintings, inexpensive furniture, and old-school luggage.
North Loop
Finally, we come to the absolute best Austin neighborhood for thrift shopping: North Loop, a fast-growing area known for excellent restaurants, a quirky community vibe, and the city’s highest concentration of secondhand stores.
On Burnet Road (one of North Loop’s main drags), you’ll find the Assistance League of Austin thrift shop, a charitable nonprofit retail establishment with a particularly strong selection of home goods and decor items. While the Assistance League isn’t known for its clothing, right across the street from the Assistance League stands Top Drawer Thrift, a veritable treasure trove of vintage clothing and accessories.
Just across I-35, North Loopers can find Texas Thrift, a massive warehouse boasting everything from furniture to name-brand clothing, and typically offering better prices than its competitors. Texas Thrift provides daily deals to its shoppers, so your savings could prove even better than you expect.