SeeingGreen ™

Ah, the strawberry-pink smell of a thrift store. That curiously distinct odor that masks the cumulatively nauseating stench of used items, particularly strong around the shelves of pre-worn shoes. Never mind though, you’ll get used to it, especially if you are looking to save some dough. Portland has a long history of being home to cheap, fruitful and wonderfully quirky thrift stores. However, that all changed when the retro hipster scene started mining the thrift stores for bargain finds such as vintage tees, records, classic house wares, and 1950s modern-chic furniture. Couple this stiff competition with the real estate boom of the late 1990s and Portland’s landscape of bountiful thrifting changed forever.

Gone were the good deals, sprawling warehouse style thrift stores and unique finds in the church basements (where at one you could find all the clothes from the wardrobe closet of the TV show, “Northern Exposure”). Also gone were the true bottom feeder outlets such as St. Vincent de Paul’s “As-is” where hipsters, antique dealers and new-Americans would line up with elbows sharpened a half hour before the doors opened to get a first chance at striking it rich on items given one last chance before going to the dump. (Go to where the “As-is” once was and you’ll find a row after row of attached townhouses painted in varying degrees of soulless beige.)

Now that the heyday of thrift in Portland is a mere memory, you’ll have to rely on a few of the old standbys such as “Red, White and Blue” on Mcloughlin and the modest Value Village empire. If you’re looking for a reliable thrift adventure, your best bet is Goodwill. No one does thrift more corporately than this decades-old organization that puts thousands of people to work while making bank on your unwanted items. In the Pacific Northwest in particular, where the Executive Director makes an eye-popping salary (that recently was publicly and rightfully questioned by the IRS), Goodwill is almost as ubiquitous as Starbucks. The mothership store on SE 6th St. certainly racks the most merchandise, but you’ll also find a hearty selection of fine wares at Goodwill’s smaller outposts, including the confusingly upscale sounding “Goodwill on Tenth” in the heart of downtown.

If you are really brave and want to relive the good old days of thrift in Portland, venture a little south of the city to check out the Goodwill bins, where you can by clothes by the pound and LPs for pennies a pop. Just make sure if you go to the bins that you bring some gloves and a strong immune system because this place is a bit of trash heap. To be really seeing green though, start your thrift store adventures by cleaning out your closets and basement of that extra stuff you haven’t touched in years, donate it to a non-profit thrift store for a receipt that will save a few dollars on your tax bill and enjoy that feeling of true good will.

Goodwill
1943 S.E. 6th Street
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 238-6100

Red, White and Blue
19239 Mcloughlin Blvd
Gladstone, OR 97027
(503) 655-3444

Value Village
4420 N.E. Hancock Street
Portland, OR 97213
(503) 493-2411