I have been a fan of thrift stores forever. As a person who tries to be careful with her money as well as someone who enjoys the exotic, the unusual or just a bargain, I am hooked on thrifting. Luckily I live in a community where we enjoy some wonderful thrift stores. In fact whether you begin at Five Corners and work your way up Johnston Road or start at Central Plaza and make your way down Johnston Road you will come across five great thrift stores that are worthy of note.
Let's start at Central Plaza! This is the home of WorldServe Thrift, a favourite of mine for great prices and an awesome array of furniture. This store whose actual address is 1524 Foster Street has an amazingly upbeat manager. The store is large and has a good selection of everything. There is even the opportunity to bid on their most valuable wares. The staff are mainly volunteers and the net proceeds go to support their mission-driven outreach in a number of countries world wide.
Next is the newest thrift store in the town of White Rock, The Wilder Thrift Store at 1391 Johnston Road. This shop has just opened up and it has huge potential. The manager is a young energetic woman who is friendly and always has time to greet everyone even though she is so busy. There is a marvelous selection of goods and although there is not a great deal of room for furniture, the clothing selection is terrific and there are always treasures to be found. Almost all donations are welcome and the store is open seven days a week at this point.
Next is The Salvation Army at 1327 Johnston Street. You can't go wrong here. I have picked up some lovely items here for a very nice price. This is a large store which can only accept donated items at the back door and the staff are busy but helpful if asked. There is always a large array of goods here but my favourite purchases from the Sally Anne, as we like to call it include some wonderful art and collectibles. Also they are open late!
Then just around the corner at 15163 Prospect Avenue is Superfluity Thrift Store which is run by the Peace Arch Hospital Auxiliary Society. Though not large, there are treasures to be found here and a lovely staff of volunteers who are happy to help. They have a nice ladies clothing boutique upstairs--- the building looks deceptively small and there are vintage finds here. The staff are friendly and they seem to have a lot of volunteers on board.
And last and certainly not least but definitely smallest is The Living Room Store at 1233 Johnston Road. Though tiny they have tidy and thoughtful displays and carry most everything that would fit in a very small thrift store. This store supports the work and mission of Life Church White Rock here and internationally. The staff are kind and helpful and I can always spot a little something here.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention my favourite Surrey thrift store, Peace Arch Thrift Store which supports a cause dear to my heart: hospice and palliative care in South Surrey and White Rock. It is a lovely upscale thrift shop with great jewelry, books and clothing. It is located in Surrey at 15562 24th Avenue so it is not close enough to be part of our White Rock Thrift Tour but it definitely should not be missed. Our daughter volunteers here at times and the staff are fun, friendly and good listeners!
Anyway I recommend this little tour of the White Rock thrift stores. There is ample free parking and some great spots for coffee and cold drinks along the way. Your body will be better for the exercise and chances are your wallet though lighter, will still have money left in it.
