The Low-Down on Eugene-Springfield Area Thrift Stores
By Kate Downing
Like most working class people I operate on a limited budget. College debt and living expenses take up most of my earnings. Sure, I’d like to be on more stable footing, economically speaking (wouldn’t we all?), but I get by okay and I rather enjoy living a simple, non-consumer lifestyle. Not that I don’t enjoy a good bargain. I most definitely do. So when I need something new I don’t head for the mall, I pop into one—and frequently more than one—of Eugene’s local thrift stores.
Thrift store shopping is a sensory experience. Walk into any (hopefully) well-maintained second-hand store and your eyes and fingers will find a myriad of colors and textures that just aren’t available anywhere else. Don’t get me wrong, thrift store shopping can be arduous. Some stores cram their racks so full you need a crow bar to pry one blouse from the next; others organize by color instead of size so three-fourths of the clothes you sort through are nowhere near your size. But if you’re truly committed to the experience, you can walk away with some major deals.
So, where do I take my $15 dollars spending money on payday? I’ve been known to hit more than one thrift store, but I’ll start with my favorite—the Seneca St. Vincent De Paul’s out West 11th way by Fred Meyer’s. First off, it’s one of the cleanest thrift stores in town. None of that slightly crawly feeling when you walk in that some stores radiate. Second, it’s women’s clothing section is well stocked. I’ve found more steals at this store than any other in town. Another benefit of the local St. Vinnie’s—unit pricing—on most of their clothes, at least. The Saint’s ‘Star Attractions’ will run you a little more, but are generally still reasonably priced.
And don’t get me started on their book section! All paperbacks .99 cents, all hardbacks $1.99! A lot of times you can find what you’re looking fore here, especially in the classics section, but the best deals seem to come when you suspend your belief of what you ‘need’ until you’ve found it. In other words, keeping an open mind about what’s on your reading list can lead you in some really interesting directions and down some previously unexplored paths. The record section’s not to shabby either. There’s a lot of “Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass” to sift through, but you’ll likely find some gems.
A few other quick points about the Seneca St. Vincent De Paul’s—their men’s clothing section, although not the worst in town, could use some improvement. They’ve got a lot of cool and bizarre knick knacks and other dust-collectors, but their “art” is generally way over-priced and has a tendency to run more toward inspirational office cubicle posters, anyway. I’ll rant about the furniture section later.
There are other good St. Vincent De Paul’s stores in the Eugene-Springfield area. The Fifth Street Market area “Books and Boutique” St. Vinnie’s can be entertaining, if somewhat crowded and stale feeling. Their book section is not as big as Seneca’s, but just as various. Clothing, shoes and bric-a-brac at this location all seem a little less shiny, but that may have something to do with the lack of elbow room. They have some really interesting “vintage” items here for the more eccentric shopper…but buyer beware, sometimes vintage can mean “kind of smells like mothballs,” “is made of polyester,” or “trimmed with matted faux fur.” I do, however, recommend their recycled glass ornaments as interesting holiday gifts. I bought one for my mom last year and she was thrilled with it. These are available at most St. Vinnie’s.
Out off River Road is the Division Ave. St. Vincent’s Super Store. Really big, lots of books and clothes and furniture and dishes and everything you could ever possibly want, or not want, or used to have and threw away. I’ve talked to a lot of fellow bargain hunters and everyone seems to have a different opinion on this one. The book section is big, but doesn’t seem to be as substantial as some of the others. The clothing section’s big, but I can’t seem to find much I like…perhaps this store is simply not my lucky stalking grounds, because other people love it. You’ll have to try it for yourself. Let me know what you find; I’m thinking of conducting a thrift store satisfaction survey. I’m joking, maybe.
So anyway, that leaves Vinnie’s out on Roosevelt at Four Corners, the one on West 11th at Garfield, and the new one in Springfield that used to be on main street and has now moved to Olympic St. The first two cater more towards Appliances, but the Roosevelt location has a sometimes decent clothes, books and sundry items section, and the 11th and Garfield location has tons of furniture. The last one *sigh* I’ve yet to patronize. Next payday I’ll pay her a visit.
Which brings us to the Goodwill stores. Sadly, the Goodwills in this area don’t measure up to the St. Vinnie’s. They tend to be less well-kept, higher priced and have a poorer selection. They certainly come nowhere near the St. Vinnie’s when it comes to books! Eugene-Springfield area Goodwill stores do have some benefits, though. Again, ‘unit pricing’ makes an appearance. In my naïveté I thought all Goodwill stores offered the boon of ‘unit pricing.’ Upon traveling outside of our hometown I learned the shocking truth (and I’ve a fairly wide range of knowledge to make this statement, seriously, my car should have a bumper-sticker that says “I break for thrift stores”). Most Goodwill stores, most all thrift stores individually price their merchandise, rather arbitrarily sometimes, too. Oh the horror. We here in the sleepy hamlets of Eugene and Springfield should thank our lucky stars for this blessing.
Since the disappearance of the Goodwill on Coburg Road—which was huge, echoingly barn-like, and filled with cool junk—probably the best store in town is the one right next door to my favorite St. Vinnie’s on Seneca. It’s almost all wall-to-wall clothes. The book section is almost non-existent, but they do have an occasional LP that might be worth buying. And if you’re anachronistic enough to still buy VHS tapes (as I am), they’ve got a few good ones.
There’s a new Goodwill out at the Delta Oaks Shopping Center. It’s a fancy, flashy one, but overall the selection’s not that different than any of the other stores. The clothing racks are way too stuffed to look at the clothes, and a lot of stuff seemed to be landing on the floor. They also put the registers so close to the racks that the check-out lines end up snaking their way down the aisles of knit tops and blouses, effectively blocking the path of would-be shoppers. It’s also quite a drive from the city center to Delta Oaks sprawl land, and a near-impossible bike-ride. The expenditure of fossil fuel might actually out-weigh the socially responsible aspect of shopping second-hand.
There are Goodwill stores all over Eugene-Springfield. All of them are worth peeking in for a look about, at least once. You never know what treasure you might dig up, or when you might need one of those wooden snack trays carved to look like a jalapeño pepper. And remember, whenever you get misty-eyed and nostaligic for a copy of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing Christmas songs, you can probably find it at Goodwill on LP.
But. And it’s a big BUT. All the thrift stores in Eugene-Springfield seemed to have been infected with a serious contagion. Has anyone else noticed it? Why is ALL the furniture so damned over-priced? I think this infirmity originates with the popular public television drama Antiques Roadshow. It all started in Great Britain. Oh, the English knew what they were doing, alright. It was all a conspiracy to get rid of their junk furniture that they didn’t want anymore. Now they send it over to the U.S. and sell it at St. Vincent De Paul thrift stores. St. Vinnie’s claims the items are “antiques,” but if they’re so special why did the British get rid of them in the first place? Anyway, the Brits have been foisting this stuff off on us and it’s driven all the used furniture prices up it town. Used to be, you could walk into a thrift store and come away with a decent piece of furniture for under $20. The desk that I sit at now, writing this article, was purchased for $5 and refurbished by yours truly with a little sand paper and spray paint for another $5. Now you’re lucky if there’s anything in the store priced under $50. Most stuff seems to be in the $100-$300 range. Crazy. Our thrift stores are suffering from this furniture sickness. They’ve become an antique armoire playground for the bourgeoisie.
Even with this complaint, I’ve got to say that Eugene-Springfield has some of the best darn thrift stores around. So, next payday instead of heading for the mall plan a thrifty excursion to some of our local second-hand retailers. It’s sure a heck of a lot more fun and challenging, and it’s socially responsible, too. Happy bargain hunting.