Whether you’re on a budget or on the lookout for rare items, the Las Vegas Valley’s thrift stores never fail to deliver the goods. Here are a few you should visit, and what you’ll find there.
Goodwill
The Goodwill name is synonymous with thrifting, so it’s more than fitting that the community outreach nonprofit should have more than a half-dozen retail stores spread throughout the valley. There’s no beating the Boulevard mall location for sheer size, but its Stephanie Street location (at the corner of Stephanie and American Pacific Drive) is one of the better-stocked and best-organized Goodwills we’ve seen, with a monster selection of audiovisual equipment. If you’re looking for a turntable, speakers or a receiver, check here first. 1390 American Pacific Drive #160, 702-214-2097.
Castaways Resale Store
Castaways is a thrift store with the feel of a consignment boutique; everything is artfully presented, and the space is broad and airy. If you’ve never shopped at a thrift store until now, Castaways is an excellent first stop. Currently, its best-stocked items seem to be apparel and ornate wooden dressers, though they have a bit of everything. 241 N. Stephanie Street, 702-425-9146.
Opportunity Village Thrift Store
This no-nonsense thrift isn’t as showy as Castaways nor as neatly arranged as the Henderson Goodwill, but it is packed to the rafters with deals — the best ones are on furniture and gently used crutches, walkers and wheelchairs — and they have color-coded tag sales every day of the week, which makes its already good deals outstanding. 390 S. Decatur Blvd., 702-383-1082.
Savers
With six locations in Las Vegas and Henderson, Savers is probably your go-to for Halloween costume accessories; the stores pretty much transform themselves into costume supply houses every October. But Savers' department store-like format makes for good year-round shopping, especially if you’re in the market for a decent suit jacket, nicely broken-in pair of jeans or a Keurig coffeemaker. (Don’t pay full price for a Keurig if you don’t have to.) All the locations are similar, though the Decatur/Sahara location is enormous, and its merchandise selection seems to turn over more often than the others. 2620 S. Decatur Blvd., 702-220-7350.
Charleston Outlet
This is the big leagues: A jam-packed thrift that carries a terrific selection of most everything, from apparel to appliances to specialty items like dress patterns. (Seriously: There’s an entire shelf of Simplicity dress patterns from who-knows-when.) We’ve had good luck finding bicycles and vintage cameras here, though the close quarters and packed shelves might make you anxious. Put it this way: If you’re one of those folks who makes a living selling second-hand stuff for twice or three times what you paid for it on eBay, you already know about this place. 1548 E. Charleston Blvd., 702-388-1446.