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Salvation Army
Rating Details »
Category: Used, Vintage & Consignment [Edit]
Neighborhood: Uptown4315 N Broadway
(between Cullom Ave & Pensacola Ave)
Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 348-1401
- Nearest Transit:
-
Wilson (Red)
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
16 reviews for Salvation Army
Well, comparing SA, Brown Elephant and Village Discount in Roscoe Village, I can't say I'm an authority on thrift stores, but I'll say what I see and what I see is an attempt by Salvation Army to spruce up their stores a bit. I've been to several locations going back a few years and the one thing I noticed about this location was that the junkiness factor has been successfully replaced with a much more orderly store. The clothes layouts are the same, being organized by gender and color, but one noticable improvement is having the "department" signs (bric a brac, women's, etc.) In my last visit, the store was rather clean, well organized (clothes and the bric a brac, too,) the appearal wasn't trashy and the prices were what you'd expect. Overall, worth going to if you need something basic, not flashy and that does not require electricity.
I think every thrift has its unique offering, and this one is your basic, basic clothing, but they are on my list of go-to's.
A new favorite! There is approximately one scant little foot of space between aisles, so browsing in is a bit of a task...but the supply is overwhelming.
You probably won't want to dedicate the time to a store with such cramped quarters, but once you poke around a little bit, you will realize that this Salvation Army probably wins the award for most amazing, interesting finds per yard of rack-sifting. Just in two minute's time, I found a pink teddy bear printed sweater, a dolman-sleeved floral wrap top, an oversized sweater from Contempo Casuals (!!!) and a light blue and pink sailor button-down. Hard to take a breather there.
The glassware in the back is also arranged by color, making the selection appear very nice and appealing. I picked up a green and yellow vintage ashtray, red floral-printed vase and a glass printed with colorful tulips.
There are thrift stores for those who need to save a buck, and there are thrift stores for those looking for a sweet vintage find.
Unfortunately, Salvation Army is the former and I prefer the latter.
Now don't get me wrong - I appreciate a place that can provide clothing and home goods to those in need at a cheap price, but something about this place made me feel like I was stuck in an episode of Hoarders (which by the way, is an extremely addicting show).
The racks are double stacked so its nearly impossible to sort through the items on the bottom - especially the black pants and shirts. Although it is organized by color, the store was extremely overwhelming while being underwhelming.
When attempting to try clothing on in front of a mirror in the furniture section (they don't have dressing rooms) a worker told me to be sure to put the clothes away when I was done since they tend to get a lot of rats. Sometimes there are things you just don't want to hear.
Bottom line: if you have patience and are simply looking for cheap clothing, go here. If you are looking to jazz up your wardrobe with unique finds then you're best off going elsewhere.
I live close by, so I'll stop in every now and then or keep my eye on the display window to see what they've got. Normally, to be honest, I walk away empty handed. I did find a really nice kitchen table set, in great condition, about a year ago and got it for pretty cheap.
I really wish they'd straighten up/organize a bit more. It's crazy crowded between the aisles to the point where you can barely move around without knocking into someone of something.
Having shopped at second-hand and thrift stores for years now, I understand that it is always hit or miss. From one day to the next you may find something different at the same location. However, this Salvation Army location is very small and most of the items in there look like they've been hanging around for years. If you're heading to Uptown for some thrift shopping, skip this place and go to Unique Thrift instead - much better selection and even cheaper prices.
Although, with that being said, you may find just what you're looking for here - that's the beauty of shopping thrift I guess.
i love second-hand shops. i am a bit of a shop-therapy kind of girl without much money, so thrift stores SAVE me.
i have been to this location several times, and have never really had any luck. compared to other salvation army locations in chicago, i would say this is one of the worst in terms of selection, but you never know with thrift stores. maybe give it a try, but don't say i didn't warn you about the selection...
2.5 stars
This is the Salvation Army that usually has a pile of clothes dumped in the front entrance and/or people going through the drop-off bins in the back (and leaving clothes scattered on the ground).
But Salvation Army can't help this and yes, it is for a good cause so I'll get over it.
The clothing in this particular store is pretty well organized. If you are looking for a red shirt, you go to the section of red shirts all hung in a row. The housewares section in the back is a disaster. I took a peak in the back employee-only room and saw piles and piles of stuff that had to be sorted--yikes!
I didn't really find any stuff worth buying (a cheap, cotton dress from the '80s with stains for $2??!!) but I will keep this SA in mind when in need of particular clothing items/costumes.
I spent an hour and a half looking through the cassette tapes one afternoon and scored some GOLD! I got tapes from Dag Nasty, Big Star, Down By Law, and Big Drill Car. All for $0.40 each!
it's odd, it's so close to Wrigleyville and its horrible yuppie atmosphere yet it retains everything that makes Salvation Army stores great; prices, selection, and people.
Well if you can brave the heat (summertime) this is worth a stop if you are in the area...it's basically in the Jewel parking lot at Broadway/Monstrose/Sheridan. Parking in that lot is free.
The clothes are surprisingly well sorted. Though there is some total junk, there are some definite good finds to be had. And...very cheaply priced. (Just got a Banana Republic shirt for work for $1.50!).
Housewares is hit or miss...not a lot of furniture. But A LOT of clothes. Customer service is could be expected at a Salvation Army. Adequate, but certainly not over the top. Ironically, two of the workers were bitching about a girl that was going to get fired for being rude to customers....as I waited in line with no one in front of me ;)
Worth a stop if you are out and about :)
This place is awesome! Never mind that it's really crowded and a little bit disorganized, I hit the jackpot when I shopped there. I'm definitely going back.
For the most part though, the clothes are well-sorted (while they're on the rack - people don't seem keen on putting them back if they've been tried on and decided against) and the aisles themselves are organized by color. I was a huge fan of their selection - I got a few awesome tshirts and tops, and a great faux-fur trimmed faux-suede coat. No animals harmed - yey! I didn't brave the shoes or housewares, but usually just shop thrifty for some cute uber-cheap clothing. This place didn't disappoint.
Very good selection and the staff was awesome. I am moving up to the area and will definitely frequent this place.
When a particular clothing "thrift" store on Belmont failed to have the goods I set out for, this Salvation Army location had exactly what I needed...at a FRACTION of the price!
I visit this location about once a year and between my most recent visit and the one prior, they took Thrift-Store Chaos to a whole new level.
The clothes are organized as they always have been (by color), but household items and boardgames are now stacked atop the clothing racks (which now take up most of the store). So when you're looking for that old sport coat, don't forget to consider the George Foreman grill just above it. When you're looking for a pristine version of Simon, you might want to peruse the denim short-shorts just below that. Larger items like stereo equipment, plates and luggage are in their own sections so you'll have an easy time picking through those piles.
So I guess my point is that you'll always find what you're looking for at a really good price. You just have to be willing to spend time looking for it.
I'm hesitant to even give this great of a rating, lest my favorite neighborhood thrift store be overrun with competing shoppers, but I'm moving soon so what the heck!
I love this Goodwill because I got a Christian Dior houndstooth skirt in my size for $2 here. If you're the type of shopper that likes to dig for "Treasures" then this is your spot!
I've gotten tons of namebrand and even designer clothes on several different occassions from this location- I've just had to look for two hours. I think that's worth it for BCBG, Jcrew, Gap and Dior but that's just me!
This must be where the rich donate their "crap"...
This place is amazing! They have lots of name-brand clothes for great prices, and they also get a lot of stuff from Target (I think Target donates damaged/returned/didn't sell even on clearance items). The Target stuff is new, although sometimes it's a little dinged up so it pays to inspect it first. I found several pairs of nice shoes, too. The furniture selection isn't great, and it's generally all in a pile in the back. The housewares section is really disorganised, but worth sorting through. And don't forget to look UP--a lot of the Target stuff is stored above the racks of clothes. They also had lots and lots of bags of miscellaneous yarn. If I sucked less at knitting, I would have bought some.
pretty much my number two stop to the unique that's just a little north. i used to shun this place, but it's been getting better lately... little more organization, storing clothes by color, packing more into the store. prices are what keeps me coming back here. consistantly half the prices of unique up the road for t-shirts and dress shirts. i've found a few gems here over time, but i never get my hope up too high.
