Thrift shops can bring big deals that really help families on a tight budget. But, usually, you don’t find everything on your list at a single thrift shop, which is one of the things that makes the thrift stores in Greer to Taylors, SC corridor of Wade Hampton Boulevard such a day trip for thrifting. You can visit 6 unique thrift shops across this little 8-mile stretch of Wade Hampton Boulevard.
And that’s just what my daughter and I set out to do one Saturday morning. We spent several hours and totally checked every box on her clothing AND shoe wish list. Plus I found several cute items for myself, 3 dress shirts for my husband in a usually hard-to-find size, some shorts and t-shirts for my sons, and bonus: the cutest spring teapot ever.
Thrift Store vs. Consignment
Usually, all of the items in a thrift store are donated to the store, and the profit the stores make benefits a specific cause. This is different than a consignment shop where you’ll still find great deals, but it’s the store and the consigner earning the profits. There’s nothing wrong with a great consignment shop, but in this story we’re focusing on the thrift stores, who they benefit, and what they offer.
At the shops in this article, in addition to good deals that help your family budget, you’ll also be helping fund job programs, fight homelessness, helping children with cancer, animals, and victims of domestic violence.
Thrifting Tips
Before we get to the shops, here are a few things to keep in mind.
- Every store has a slightly different way of pricing. Some store price per item, others have blanket prices for different types of items, some work with a color-coded tag system. Pay attention so you know how much you’ll be paying at the register.
- Take note of the day’s discounts, often posted on sandwich board-style signs by the door. You may find a specific colored tag is half-off that day, or being sold for just 50 cents. These extra savings really add up and are good to keep in mind.
- Going to all 6 of these shops may take you hours. Bring snacks. Consider breaking up your shopping with a coffee at Junto Coffee at the Taylors Mill, or maybe lunch in Downtown Greer at Cartwright Food Hall. Both of these are close to these thrift shops. If you want something right on the route along Wade Hampton there’s everything from Starbucks and Panera to Chick-fil-A.
Miracle Hill Thrift Shop
2419 E Wade Hampton Blvd, Greer
Open: 10 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday
Beginning in Greer near Lyman, is the Miracle Hill Thrift Shop. This is a larger thrift shop with clothing for men, women, and children, plus furniture, housewares, books, and sometimes even big-ticket items like kayaks!
Prices here are marked on the rack so all pants are one price, etc, unless otherwise marked. Don’t forget to check their clearance section where all items are $1.
Clothes and items are well organized by size, but you’ll have to do some digging if you’re looking for housewares, books, etc.
This thrift shop does offer dressing rooms to try on your items before you buy!
Miracle Hill Thrift Shops benefit Miracle Hill Ministries helping homelessness.
Miracle Hill Ministries
Miracle Hill Thrift Shop Facebook
Carolina Thrift
109 Middleton Way, Greer
Open 10 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday, 10 am to 4 pm Saturday
Benefitting animals in need, the Carolina Thrift shop offers a cozy and well-organized shop with a homey feel. They have great prices on clothing ($2 per piece), jewelry, and accessories. They have a free coffee bar for shoppers, a media room with many books, DVDs, and vinyl records for sale.
This shop is where I found my cute spring teapot among the pretty spring displays at the front of the shop. This is a great place to shop AND browse.
Think you’ll be a frequent shopper? Don’t forget to pick up a rewards punch card at the register.
Goodwill
1333 W Wade Hampton Blvd, Greer, SC
Open: 9 am to 9 pm Monday-Saturday, 10 am to 7 pm on Sundays
The Goodwill Thrift Shop in Greer is another larger thrift shop. It benefits Goodwill programs which provide career services and help for job seekers.
You’ll find clothing, media, housewares, and more at Goodwill. Clothing is organized by small, medium, large, etc. So you’ll spend time here looking for numbered sizes in each section. Don’t forget to take note of the color tags that are on sale. We scored a nice dress shirt for my husband for 50 cents with the sale tags.
Goodwill Industries of the Upstate
Salvation Army Family Store
5152 Wade Hampton Blvd, Taylors, SC
Open: 9 am to 5:30 pm weekdays and 9 am to 5 pm on Saturdays
The Salvation Army Family Store in Taylors is a little more compact than other similar thrift shops, but it has a wide variety of clothing, shoes, and household items at great prices.
This is another shop where you’ll need to spend a little time looking at the sizes on each item within sections to find what works for you. But, it’s worth it! My daughter’s new favorite pair of boots came from this Salvation Army Family Store, and we paid just $5 for them.
Carol’s Hope
3245 Wade Hampton Blvd, Taylors
Open: 10 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday
Carol’s Hope Thrift stores benefit families dealing with childhood cancer. They help with these families’ financial and emotional needs.
They have 4 shops total, another in Spartanburg, Easley, and Boiling Springs. Follow the Carol’s Hope Facebook page for discount days, and stories about the local children they are helping.
At the Taylors store you’ll find lots of clothing, priced via tag color. Check the signs on the end of the racks to help you figure out how much each item is. You might pay just $1 for a cute top, or closer to $8 or $9 depending on the item. I found a couple of very cute spring dresses for myself here and paid $13 total.
There’s also a large space with furniture and housewares that we enjoyed browsing.
Safe Harbor Resale Shop
2830 Wade Hampton Boulevard, Greenville
Open: 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Saturday
I think this is my new favorite thrift shop. It’s huge and extremely well organized. The displays of housewares and shoes and color-coordinated and look like an interior designer put them together. Someone puts a lot of time into the organization of this place and it makes it feel like you’re shopping in a high-end boutique, with thrift store prices, of course. It’s a fun place just to go browse.
This shop has one of the larger children’s sections with lots of clothing at great prices. We got several pairs of pants and tops for my baby nephew at about $2 per piece and everything was in great condition.
There’s also a large selection of clothing for men and women, and my daughter found several items that will work for her here. Being in that in-between tween size, finding so much for her was quite an accomplishment and we really appreciated the large selection and organized layout. You’ll find fitting rooms at the front of the store.
Don’t miss the beautiful jewelry up by the register. You’ll find unique and gorgeous earrings for just a couple of dollars a pair.
Of course, the Safe Harbor Resale Shop benefits Safe Harbor, serving victims of domestic violence in Greenville.
Safe Harbor Resale Shop Facebook
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