Thrifting is one of the easiest ways to get clothes for a cheap price. At thrift stores, you can find anything – designer bags, clothes, or just regular clothes for a good deal! Yet, it can be hard to decide on where to go: which stores have the best clothes and deals?
Because of this, I decided to go to thrift stores in the surrounding areas and rate them on a scale out of five. With my parents, we created a rating system. Each thrift store would be judged in five categories, and the average rating would be its score. The thrift stores are judged on cleanliness (whether or not the store is neat, with clothes put away and such), organization of clothes, balance of women and mens clothing, price, and overall size of the store.
Salvation Army- 8065 Southwind Dr, Miamisburg, OH
This was honestly one of my favorites that I went to. It was made out of an old roller skating rink, and it still had the wood floors and weird bathrooms. It was so much fun to look around in, and had a very good selection of appliances and other items. I found an untouched Mamma Mia DVD, in perfect condition, for only $3 there!
Cleanliness- It was very clean, no clothes on the floor or in weird places- 5/5
Organization- very organized, signs that well distinguished men’s and women’s and clear signs for sections, as well as different clothing types- 5/5
Balance of men’s and women’s- It was a pretty good balance and there were definitely more mens clothing than there usually is at a thrift store – 4/5
Price- the price was pretty good, nothing too expensive- 4.5/5
Size- since it was made out of the old skating rink, it was huge and had lots of space. The clothing racks didn’t seem too close together and it was easy to get through the isles- 5/5
Overall rating- 4.5/5
It was a really nice thrift store, so if you are ever in the area, I would definitely recommend checking it out!
Valley Thrift- 4301 Dixie Hwy, Fairfield, OH
I actually did like this one. I have to say though, any Valley Thrift is not my favorite, as their prices are on the more expensive side. At this one, for example, I tried on a kind of itchy Ann Taylor skirt that was $17! While that’s not a lot, it’s definitely too much (for me ) at a thrift store. However, this was a good place, and had a great selection of women’s clothing.
Cleanliness- very good in clothes section, there was not much on the floor or anything- 5/5
Organization- clear signs of organization and it was easy to find what you needed- 5/5
Balance of men and women’s- there was a lot more women’s clothing in compared to men, and even then the men’s section was not very good-3.5/5
Price- more expensive than other thrift stores, higher quality brands- 2.5/5
Size- huge, very spacious, easy to get through the isles without brushing into other clothes or people-5/5
Overall rating- 4.2/5
Goodwill- 4605 Dixie Hwy, Fairfield, OH
This was a nice thrift store. The clothing selection was pretty good, and the place was spacious, so overall I would definitely recommend checking it out!
Cleanliness- very clean, nothing on the floor or in random areas, everything was nicely laid out-5/5
Organization- organized very well, could tell what each thing was, had great signs and labels- 5/5
Balance of men and women’s- It was not balanced at all, with a majority of the clothes being women’s, and there was little to none men’s clothing- 2.5
Price- very good pricing, nothing too expensive, much better than valley- 4.5/5
Size- it was good, not huge but not too small- 5/5
Overall rating- 4.4/5
St Vincent de Paul- 815 Main St, Milford, OH
I really enjoyed this one. It wasn’t too big or too small, and I found some really good finds here, as did my mom. It had a good selection for womens, so if you are looking for some cute clothes, check out this one! It actually had two different stores- one for appliances and one for clothes. Both were huge and easy to make your way through, so I would definitely check out both stores.
Cleanliness- it was clean, nothing too much on the floor-4/5
Organization- organized, but the clothes were very packed in, so it was hard to see everything -3.5/5
Balance of men and women’s- very good balance, more mens than there usually is-5/5
Price- it was good, not too expensive, affordable for nice clothes- 5/5
Size- it was pretty big, had one store for clothes and one for appliances- 5/5
Overall rating-4.5/5
St Vincent de Paul- 1065 Reading Rd, Mason, OH
This is one that I frequent most often, and while it is not the best, it has a special place in my heart. It has a pretty good selection, but I go there a lot, so it feels very picked through to me. However, if you have never been, I would definitely check it out! It is a very good thrift store for your first trip.
Cleanliness- it’s pretty clean in the clothes section, but the appliances section is very messy- 4/5
Organization- I would say the organization is good if you have been there a lot, but there are no clear signs to each section of clothes-3/5
Balance of men and women’s- there is a lot more womens clothing than mens, and not a lot of range in the mens section-3/5
Price- the price is always good, and I can always find things for cheap here- 5/5
Size- its pretty big and spacious, enough room to move around in -4.5/5
Overall rating- 3.9/5
Valley Thrift Store- 9840 Reading Rd, Cincinnati, OH
This one is actually really close to Lakota West! It’s a pretty nice place and one that I frequent often. Again, however, the prices are on the higher side. I do like this place though, and have found some really good finds here!
Cleanliness- it’s pretty clean in the clothes section, but (like St. Vincent de Paul) the appliances section is very messy- 4/5
Organization- the organization is very good. It is easy to tell the different sections, and the clothes are not too packed in- 4.5/5
Balance of men and women’s- there is a lot more womens clothing than mens, and the mens mostly consists of work shirts-3/5
Price- the price is on the higher side, even for fast fashion brands- 3/5
Size- its pretty big and spacious and it never feels too packed -4.5/5
Overall rating- 3.9/5
St Vincent de Paul- 9864 Reading Rd, Cincinnati, OH
This one is actually right next to the previous Valley Thrift, so if you don’t find anything there, you can head to this one. I’ll be honest, I haven’t been to this one in a while, because it’s a really small thrift store. But, I would recommend checking it out if you end up going to the Valley thrift.
Cleanliness- it’s as clean as it can be. It is very small, so it is hard to be super clean- 3.5/5
Organization- the organization is the best it can be, but there are a lot of clothes jam packed into a small space- 4/5
Balance of men and women’s- there is a lot more womens clothing than mens-3/5
Price- the price is pretty cheap, as it is for most St Vincent De Paul’s- 3/5
Size- its really small and can feel packed easily- 2.5/5
Overall rating- 3.2/ 5
I hope these ratings helped with your thrifting! Honestly, I would check out as many as you can, because you never know what you will find. Happy thrifting!
