Once a month my thrifting buddy and I go on a treasure hunt - it's become a ritual. With iced coffee in hand we circle the city, hitting our favorite second hand stores. These are our favorites, and the stores we keep on our monthly thrift itinerary.
If you're on the hunt for unique, vintage, or quirky finds, Flashbacks Recycled Fashions is the place for you...and my top pick!
Flashbacks Recycled Fashions opened in 1986 to serve the Gainesville Community. This locally owned thrift and consignment store focuses on buying and selling unique retro pieces. Beyond clothing, Flashbacks also offers housewares, furniture, retro and vintage decor.
STORE HOURS:
Monday-Sunday 12pm-6pm
STORE HOURS:
Monday-Saturday 10am-7pm
Sunday 12-6pm
Sandy's began as an almost 500 square foot resale shop in 1982 located in Downtown Gainesville, Florida.
To collect items and curate her shop, Sandy Thompson would personally go to estate sales, yard sales, and meet with locals for consignment. Flash forward to over 30 years of growth and experience later, Sandy's is now located in a 15,000 square foot building northwest of Downtown with a team of nearly 40 employees. It is Gainesville's largest resale store serving Women and Men with nearly half of the store dedicated to home decor.
Sandy's buys on location and pays cash on the spot. Their inventory on the sales floor is updated every hour, so there is always something new to see. Plus, there is a sale going on almost every day of the year with a popular annual events (including the Pack-A-Bag Sale, Small Business Saturday Event, and Dollar Dash)!
The Sandy's team is passionate about resale and providing an affordable shopping alternative to Gainesville residents and surrounding communities.
Right next door to Flashbacks Recycled Fashions is the Haven Attic Resale Store. Sales generated at the Attic Resale Stores directly financially support Haven patients and families as well as many other people in the community served by their programs and services. The Attic Resale Stores depend on the generous support from donors, volunteers and shoppers.
STORE HOURS:
Monday-Friday 10am-5pm
Saturday 10am-4pm
Almost 25 years ago Weecycle began its existence very humbly as a 600 square foot consignment shop in Gainesville’s Northwood area. In 2002, Tara and Jonathan Richardson became the proud parents of their second child and then shortly followed by the purchase of this already well known business . Weecycle was already the premiere destination for gently used children's products. But, what these proud new owners had not expected was the great demand in Gainesville for new baby products. They listened to the complaints of parents about how the city of Gainesville was the perfect place to raise a family, but it lacked even a single specialty baby store.
So, in 2005 Tara and Jonathan expanded Weecycle to now include The Babies’ Room, providing Gainesville it’s first baby and mother specialty store. The goal then and now is to give parents a place to find everything they need for their expanding family under one roof. With over 7000 square feet of showroom, Weecycle & The Babies' Room offers a wide selection of Baby Furniture, Travel Gear, Gifts Items, Clothing, Toys and Accessories. If you are expecting your first baby, purchasing a baby shower gift, or shopping for the children in your life, The Babies' Room & Weecycle is here to help.
STORE HOURS:
Tuesday-Friday 10am-6pm
Saturday 10am-5pm
Just across the street from Weecycle is my favorite Goodwill in the city. Goodwill Industries of North Florida is a local, not-for-profit organization that removes barriers to employment through training, education, and career opportunities for the communities we serve. Turning your donated items into career opportunities and contributing to a better community. That's the power of Goodwill.
STORE HOURS:
Monday-Saturday 10am-7pm
Sunday 10am-6pm
The Salvation Army Family Stores receives donations of gently used clothing, furniture, household items and other material that can be sold at low cost to the public. Proceeds are then used to fund programs and services of The Salvation Army locally in Gainesville and Alachua County, including utility assistance, food and after school tutoring for young people.
STORE HOURS:
Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm
The Repurpose Project is a non-profit community based effort to divert useful resources from the landfill, redirect these items to the public for art and education, inspire creativity, and help us all rethink what we throw away. In short, they are a junk shop that specializes in material not accepted by traditional thrift stores.
They are working hard to reinvent re-use and build a robust re-use economy that will help our planet and protect our future! Our first initiative was the re-use store, but the organization has grown tremendously to include other programs and initiatives all focused on bringing awareness to the importance of respecting and reusing the resources we take from the earth. They are working hard to innovate re-use infrastructures locally and hope that others will be inspired by their project and replicate or build upon these models.
STORE HOURS:
Tuesday-Saturday 10am-6pm
Sunday 12pm-5pm