Nifty thrifty! A guide to thrifting and secondhand stores in Waterloo region

There’s a certain magic that exists in second hand stores, where every corner explored holds the potential for discovery. From unique fashion finds to quirky home decor, shopping second hand can be a fun and affordable way to expand your trove of items. 

It can also be an effective way to reduce your environmental impact. Thrifting items such as clothes and furniture allows them to have an extended life cycle, ultimately reducing the volume of items being sent to landfills each year. 

The Waterloo region has many secondhand stores that you can explore to find what you need. Whether you’re looking for a cozy new fall sweater to match the weather’s turning tides, or for an addition to your jewelry or furniture collection, look no further. In this review, we’ll cover five thrift/secondhand stores in Waterloo region in terms of selection, price and quality. Read on to find out where you might make your next great find! 

Goodwill 

• Hours: Mon-Sat 9 a.m. – 9 p.m., Sun 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Address: 428 King St. N., Waterloo, ON N2J 2Z6
• Directions from campus: Take the 201 bus towards Conestoga until the King / Weber stop. From there, it’s approximately a two minute walk. 
• Price ranges: $6-10 for clothing, jewelry, bags, $1-10 for kitchenware, $5-30 for sports equipment, furniture, and luggage
• Selection of items: Mainly clothes and kitchenware, furniture, games/puzzles, and sports equipment.

The Goodwill on King Street had a large and impressive collection of clothing. There was definitely a higher selection of women’s clothing, with a big emphasis on tops and sweaters, though there were some options for men’s pants and T-shirts. Due to the large nature of the store, you will need to spend more time looking for the things that appeal to you. 

There was no used book section and their games and toys section was quite limited, but what was available was quite affordable compared to the rest of the store. 

There was also a notable array of affordable kitchenware. I saw items such as cutlery, bowls, pots, pans, toasters and sandwich presses. If you’re looking to find some decently priced tools for your endeavors in the kitchen, Goodwill is a fantastic place to look. 

My find of the trip were these two beautiful fall sweaters.

Worth a Second Look 

• Hours: Tues-Fri 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sat 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., closed Sun and Mon
• Address: 37 Market Ln, Kitchener, ON N2H 1A1
• Directions from campus: Take the ION towards Fairview until Kitchener Market station. From there, it’s approximately a five minute walk. 
• Price ranges:  $1-$5 for books, $1-$30 for antiques and jewelry, $30-$200 for furniture
• Selection of items: Antique items, furniture, books, jewelry, glassware, fabrics

Worth a Second Look is a second-hand store focused on providing used furniture and assorted houseware items. They also provide pick-up and delivery services to increase the ease of access to their used goods. 

Their quaint store consists of two levels, with the first level containing a huge selection of antiques, speakers, fabrics, and home decor. The first floor also had quite an impressive variety of affordable books for sale, ranging from the classics to history books to photography collections.  

The second floor housed the majority of the furniture for sale, varying from lamps, rugs, couches, dressers, dining tables, bookshelves, and artwork, which all run more expensive than the items on the first floor, but still affordable compared to full priced furniture items. Worth a Second Look is a great place to find affordable furniture if you’re looking to refurbish your place. 

My find of the trip was this cool antique radio.

Retail Therapy KW Thrift and Consign

• Hours: Wed-Fri 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., Sat-Sun 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., closed Mon and Tues
• Address: 150 Victoria St. S., Kitchener, ON N2G 2B5
• Directions from campus: Take the ION towards Fairview until Central station. From there, it’s approximately an eight minute walk. 
• Price ranges: $5-15 for clothing, $1-5 for games, books, CD’s, $15-130 for the high end section, $40-250 for furniture and artwork
• Selection of items: A little bit of everything!

Retail Therapy KW Thrift is a non-profit thrift store, where all proceeds go towards the Domestic Violence Victim’s Alliance, an organization that helps survivors of intimate partner violence. According to a volunteer that I talked to, the organization reserves Mondays and Tuesdays for survivors of domestic violence to get what they need for free. . 

It’s a cozy store that roughly has an equal selection of men’s and women’s clothing. There’s also a sizable children’s clothes section at the back of the store, as well as a book and record section. Scattered around are all kinds of items for sale, such as games, puzzles, luggage, home decor, shoes and sports equipment. You can also find a high end consignment section, which runs more expensive than the rest of the store, where you can get artwork, fancy glassware, and higher quality clothes. Outside of the store, there’s a separate art and furniture room that you need to be led to by a store associate, where you can find furniture and a large assortment of artwork. 

Since the store is a bit on the smaller end, the selection is more limited, but don’t let that deter you from dropping by and supporting its great cause. 

My find of the trip was a pair gorpcore Timberland shoes.

You can find them at their instagram @retailtherapykw

Talize 

• Hours: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily
• Address: 1144 Courtland Ave. E., Kitchener, ON N2C 2H5
• Directions from campus: Take the ION towards Fairview until Block Line station. From there, it’s approximately a five minute walk. 
• Selection of items: Truly a little bit of everything!
• Price ranges: $4-10 for t-shirts and pants, $10-25 for sweaters and dresses, $3-25 for books, toys, jewelry, and kitchenware, 

Out of all the stores covered, Talize probably had the largest variety and availability of all types of items such as clothes, books, games, jewelry and bags. They have an especially large selection of graphic t-shirts, women’s blouses, pants, outdoor wear and athletic wear. Their furniture and sports equipment section was a bit limited however, with only a couple pieces for each section. 

Similar to the bigger thrift stores in this review, you will have to spend extra time sifting through items to find what you want. 

Talize also has a 10 per cent student discount off all regularly priced items, upon presenting your student ID card during check out. Additionally, if you donate clothes at their donation center, you also have the option of receiving a $5 off coupon for future purchases. 

My find of the trip was this tan cotton frock. 

White Tiger Vintage

• Hours: Mon and Wed-Fri 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Sat 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sun 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., closed Tues
• Address: 248 King St. E., Kitchener, ON N2G 2L1
• Directions from campus: Take the ION towards Fairview until Kitchener Market station. From there, it’s approximately a five minute walk. 
• Selection of items: Clothing (mens and womens), shoes, belts, and jewelry. 
• Price ranges: $20-130 for clothing and shoes, $20-40 for jewelry

White Tiger Vintage is a quaint vintage store in downtown Kitchener that boasts an impressive collection of all things vintage. There is a large selection of women’s skirts and dresses. While there is a larger women’s clothing selection, there are still some men’s shirts, pants, jackets and graphic t-shirts available. There are also shoes for both men and women that are placed all around the store for sale. White Tiger Vintage also has lots of sweaters and cardigans for both men and women of varying colors, fabrics and designs that are perfect for the incoming fall weather. 

Since they are a vintage store, their prices run higher than the other stores covered in this review, but their selection is a bit more curated as well. They also have a sale section as well as a sale bin at the front of the store that is filled with items that are between 30 to 40 per cent off.  

My find of the trip was a gorgeous black leather jacket.

You can find them at their Instagram @whitetigervintage.