Buffalo Thrifting: The Thrill of Hunt

There are ample opportunities to get your thrift on in and around Buffalo.

Thrift stores of several sizes, benefitting an array of causes, can be found throughout the Buffalo metro. They offer a wealth of places to buy secondhand clothing, housewares, toys, furniture, and electronics.

Here’s a round-up of thrift store intel: locations, hours, insider deals, and their related causes. Buffalo’s thrifting scene is teeming with vintage, unique, and curious finds that reward the persistent shopper. Cheers to you, thrifter, may the prices be low and the bragging rights high!

Savers

Savers operates two locations outside of Buffalo’s city limits. Their Tonawanda location is tucked into a plaza along Eggert Road near Sheridan Drive in what was once a grocery store and is the larger of the two Savers. In Hamburg, find Savers in a plaza that’s located at the corner of Milestrip Road and McKinley Parkway near the McKinley Mall.

Both Savers stores are open daily and proceeds from purchases benefit Epilepsy Foundation of Northeastern New York. Expect to find clean stores that are neatly organized. One hallmark of Savers are their walls of small themed, bagged items that range from holiday decorations, rubber stamps, sewing notions, and thousands of other possibilities.

Frequent Savers shoppers may take advantage of in-store deals by subscribing to their Super Savers Club to receive updates: text OFFERS to 53955. Another perk of their club is earning points: one dollar is one point and at 100 points club members receive a reward for a 20 percent discount on a purchase of up to $100. In addition, anyone 55 and older gets 30 percent off purchases on Tuesdays.

2309 Eggert Road, Tonawanda, NY 14150 (716) 833-2391

Goodwill

Goodwill of Western New York operates a whopping ten stores in the 716 that are open daily. There are two in Buffalo (William St., and Delaware Ave. in North Buffalo), with other locations in Tonawanda (Eggert Rd.), West Seneca (Seneca St.), Amherst (Niagara Falls Blvd., and Maple Rd.), Hamburg (McKinley Pkwy., and South Park Ave.), Derby (Erie Rd./Route 5), Williamsville (Maple Rd.), and Orchard Park (Southwestern Blvd.).

The charity benefiting from sales is their own program, Goodskills, which helps individuals with job training. They’re known for neatly organizing clothing by size and color, useful when shopping for a special occasion or one’s favorite color. Some items, mainly collectibles, jewelry, tools, and higher-end items (like framed artwork), are sold online at ShopGoodwill.

In-store, expect an abundance of clothing, housewares, and items for sporty pursuits. They do feature weekly specials, when tags of different colors are discounted that particular week, with 50 percent off that color on the weekend – spicing up thrift shopping and one that helps move end-of-season items like sweaters, and winter jackets.

Delaware Place Plaza, 2625 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14216 (716) 447-0566

AMVETS

AMVETS has three huge locations in greater Buffalo: the Elmwood Ave. store, near Hertel Ave., Ridge Rd. in West Seneca, and on Walden Ave. in Depew, near Dick Rd. Expect sprawling spaces filled with great finds in every department.

AMVETS is known in local thrifting lore for memorable finds of pristine western shirts, rare vinyl, intriguing, framed artwork by unknown artists – and more. 100 percent of all proceeds from sales (in person and online) are used for AMVETS programs for Veterans. AMVETS also operates an eBay store.

1833 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14207 (716) 873-7900

Society of Saint Vincent De Paul

Society of Saint Vincent De Paul has a surprisingly large store tucked into the block of Main Street in mid-town Buffalo between Riley and Northampton Streets. Look for the double doors to the left of a modest window display of wares for sale. The organization is affiliated with the Catholic Church, and its mission is to be of service to the poor of the community.

The store is open Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and is always stocked with great clothing and shoes (including overstock from local businesses, including mattress stores), housewares, and a rotating array of other new, donated items.

The wonderful benefit of shopping at Saint Vincent De Paul, or Vincent’s Discount Store as the lobby sign says, is that proceeds go to the onsite cafeteria that feeds its neighbors.

1298 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14209 (716) 882-3360

The Serendipity Shoppe

The Serendipity Shoppe is a hidden gem of the local thrifting scene. Well, maybe not now. Located in the basement of First Presbyterian Church on Symphony Circle across from Kleinhans Music Hall, it’s teeming with great finds, operating four days a week: Wednesdays through Saturdays.

On a recent visit to the shop everyone was greeted with a cheerful “Everything is half off!” while descending the steps. The shop manager and founder, Michael Warner, was making room for new items, and refers to The Serendipity Shoppe as “A treasure chest.”

The shop has antique furniture, glassware, crystal and silver accent pieces, and framed artwork (along the back wall). If you’re on a thrift quest for housewares of any period, this is your place. There is no clothing for sale due to space limitations. The store sales go directly to benefit people in the community who are living with HIV/AIDS.

One Symphony Circle, Buffalo, New York 14201 (716) 248-0232

Southtowns LADD Thrift Shop

This compact thrift store on Seneca Street near Indian Church Road in South Buffalo holds a good selection of clothing, toys, books, and jewelry. Sometimes the contents of LADD Thrift Shop spill out onto the sidewalk alongside the front doors.

LADD stands for Lutheran Association for Developmentally Disabled; sales at the store are donated to local group homes operated by the organization. The volunteers who man the shop are friendly and helpful, ready to help locate anything a thrifter may be searching for. The shop hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

2280 Seneca Street, Buffalo, NY 14210 (716) 825-7774

Hearts for the Homeless Thrift Shop

Hearts for the Homeless is a clean and tidy thrift shop located in Buffalo’s Riverside neighborhood at the corner of Tonawanda St. and Riverside Ave. in a difficult-to-miss blue and red building. Hearts for the Homeless runs Hearts Harvest Pantry and Cafe, and a mobile food pantry that visits other locations in Riverside.

The shop is open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and is stocked with donated clothing, shoes, toys, housewares, and jewelry. All books at Hearts for the Homeless are free. Brand new health and beauty overstock items are also for sale.

890 Tonawanda Street, Buffalo, NY 14207 (716) 876-7346