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Salvation Army Family Store
Category: Shopping Thrift Stores Thrift Stores [Edit]
6715 Dempster St(between Birch Ave & Lehigh Ave)
Morton Grove, IL 60053
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
6 reviews for Salvation Army Family Store
6 reviews in English
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Review from Dan d.
7/16/2010 1 photo
This place is like going to a vintage clothing store without the ridiculous prices. Remember, however, you get what you pay for, so many of the items they have displayed are not perfect and/or may be outdated. Although, you may find a diamond in the rough like I did.
I came here a few days ago hoping to find a white vest or pants when I found a suede fedora just hanging in the aisle. It looked brand new and fit perfectly. Its an 'Adam Premier' fedora made by The Miller Bro Hat Company. I'm assuming that its rare b/c I did a search online, and the only thing I can find on them are some auction sites selling this brand of hats for at least $40. I got it for under $4!!! -
Review from Weiss V.
Chicago, IL
1/27/2012
Salvation Army Family Thrift Stores are dirty, cluttered, and somewhat disgusting places - especially if you like your thrift clean, classy, and tidy. Collectively, the clientele are particularly rude - using shopping carts as weapons of thrift destruction - blocking the way and ramming them into you while you are browsing.
This used to be Frank's Nursery and Crafts and one of my good high school friends worked there - a bit of nostalgia. They have more shoes here than at any other location, but most are beat up, outdated, or downright ugly - it is hit or miss. There is a very nice display case of neatly organized jewelry and a few antiques and collectibles. The people who work here are weird. Just this week I encountered loud singing and bellowing noises coming from the back where the sorting is done. One of the workers the size of Paul Bunyan was singing along to the blaring radio and an argument ensued about the lyrics until somebody else told him to shut up. An unsavory guy trying on a coat backed into me - but at least he apologized through his toothless grin. The store itself is rather dingy with uneven and disgusting old linoleum, but at least some effort is put into displaying the merchandise.
Read more about my thrifting adventures at: http://consumergrouch..... -
Review from Kathy R.
Niles, IL
8/18/2008
This outpost just opened July 31st. It is a gigantic store - the space formerly occupied by the Frank's Nursery & Crafts. It's entirely filled with men's, women's, kids clothing, housewares, small appliances, toys, books. You can spend a lot of time here, walking aisle after aisle, and not explore everything.
There's tremendous selection, and I concentrated on women's clothes, toys and books during my visit. There's an attempt to organize clothes by color although patterns are all lumped together willy-nilly. Not organized by size, so you'll find XS next XXL. Some in good condition, others not so much. I ended up with an Ann Taylor Loft shirt, a Talbot's sweater and a long-sleeved knit shirt. (avg. price = $2 each). Note: they staple price tags to the front of the garment. So even if something looks presentable, if it's a thin knit or delicate fabric, the staple will leave holes no matter how carefully you remove it.
With the toys and books sections, selection spills out onto the floor from the shelves. As with clothes, if you want something good, a little (or a lot) of digging is necessary. (Yay for finding David Sedaris' Holidays on Ice for 50 cents). My advice is go when you have time to spend searching; you'll more likely score something that way. There was a wedding dress for $50 hanging by the checkout that day, so you never know what awaits.
I brought in a box of used kids clothes that day. It was chaotically busy and no one could direct me, so I ended up leaving it by the counter at one of the registers. But if you want a receipt for tax purposes, there's probably a designated place to bring your donations - I just don't know where. -
Review from Marissa B.
Chicago, IL
4/21/2009
Finding the flashy blue feather boa with gold tinsel was a coup. Realizing that the cashier didn't ring me up for it because he "thought it was part of my outfit" was... well, downright flattering. I mean, I'm not sure where this guy thinks I work that I'm wearing a feather boa at noon on a Tuesday, but it sure sounds like it'd be fun there.
But I digress. This is a pretty huge Salvation Army, I've found everything from a BCBG blazer (new with tags) to my Marilyn Monroe Halloween costume. It'll take you an hour to properly dig through a few aisles of clothing, they've got a LOT out. They do staple the price tags to the sleeves/necks of garments, so thin fabrics do end up damaged (feathers, on the other hand, do not). I wish they would staple it to the sewn-on label/tag (hint hint). There are no fitting rooms, but there are a few full-length mirrors near the cash registers, so wear a skirt and a tank top & you can try on whatever you want over/under your street clothes. This also makes you very popular with other customers.
The housewares section leaves something to be desired and they've got too much miscellaneous crap piled up on the shelves above the clothes. (Memo to mgt: Less is more - people are more likely to actually look through stuff and buy it when it's somewhat organized.) This is still a pretty damn good spot to spend my lunch hour.
After being honest and paying for my boa the guy asked me if I wanted a bag. Tsk, tsk, silly man. Clearly I looked so damn good in it he thought it was mine already. Like I'd take it off now. -
Review from Cee H.
Morton Grove, IL
5/9/2011
I've visited this particular location three times already and although I don't come away with a huge purchase (like I did at the one in Skokie), I do like this one a tad better. It's not as cluttered, probably because it's more spacious, there's a full length mirror and a nice little jewelry display area and as far as I can tell, the type of clothing brands they receive are similar.
However, the shoe selection is rather lacking. I would also love to see at least a small fitting room area or at least another mirror. Everyone's always fighting for the one lone mirror at the front of the store and it gets kind of awkward when a bunch of people are trying to squeeze clothing over what they're already wearing.
The place is also not as clean as I would like it to be. Yes, I know it's a thrift store, but I think Goodwill does a better job at cleanliness. It's rather dusty and I always feel like I need to hold my breath when flipping through clothing or poking around the shoes.
This one and the one in Skokie are very bare bones in that there are no frills whatsoever. I've been to one in New Orleans and it was much better, cleanliness wise AND they had a decent fitting room area. I wished they would do a little better job of it here, but I can deal with it as long as their prices stay as low as they are. -
Review from Penny L.
Cook County, IL
12/27/2008
I agree with first reviewer, Kathy. Found a pair of Polo jeans and Theory dress jeans. Each less than $3. Both like new. There's no dressing room. Just a mirror in the open. Nearest washroom is found in Starbuck's about a yard away.
