I love shopping at Goodwill! Shopping at second hand stores like Goodwill is more sustainable than shopping fast fashion and less expensive than shopping at brand name stores. Lucky for me, my parent’s house is a great location for Goodwill retail stores in the Richmond area. There are five storefronts within 20 minutes of the house and another eight within or just barely over 30 minutes away, including one outlet store that sells by the pound. I’ve only been to the closer five retail stores and the outlet store, but I’d love to check out the rest.
On my trips to these various Goodwill stores, I usually look through the same categories of items, but the specific items I’m looking for within those categories may change from time to time. Here are the main categories that I look through, along with the specific items I’ve been searching for recently and some of my favorite past finds.
Clothing
Of course I have to include clothing in this list because every Goodwill store always has a giant collection of clothing items to search through. Which items I specifically look for at any given time depends on the season and what sort of stock the store has at the time. Recently, I’ve been looking mostly through the racks of dresses and t-shirts because it’s summertime. One item I don’t normally look at is shoes, unless a pair really stands out. Also, I find that sweaters can be iffy. Often sweaters will have been washed and dried in machines when they shouldn’t because of the material.
Kitchenware
Plates, bowls, cups, and sometimes utensils are great items to look for at Goodwill. You might end up with some mix-matched items, but as long as they look good together, matching sets aren’t necessary. I always make sure any kitchenware item is clean (or can be easily cleaned), there isn’t any rust on metal items, and there are little to no chips or marks. In the past, I’ve found plates and large mugs that can work as cups or bowls. Next time I go into one of the stores, I’m gonna look for more pots and pans for cooking that I can bring to my apartment at school.
Glassware
Glassware is super versatile. It can include kitchenware items like a large glass bowl that I found at the Goodwill in Williamsburg that I’ve used for cooking, but it also includes vases and decor. I really love mason jars, or any similar glass jar, because they work as drinking glasses, pots for succulents, containers for school supplies, and food storage containers. On one of my recent trips, I saw a large glass drink dispenser for $12, if I remember correctly, that I decided not to purchase, but in hindsight I wish I did because it would have be great for get-togethers in the future (once it’s safe to have them of course).
Baskets
Baskets are another versatile item. They can be decorative or functional. Small baskets are great for organizing, and large baskets can hold items like blankets. Eventually, I’d like to buy a flower basket, one that is large but shallow, if not flat, for laying flowers down on top of, and I really want to find a sturdy picnic basket to use for social distancing picnics with friends.
Wall Decor
Lastly, Goodwill is a great place to find wall decor, including paintings, posters, and tapestries, which you could also create yourself using any sort of cloth material. In the past, I’ve found a light up letter E that’s in my apartment at school and a wooden poster that depicts Big Ben and says London that’s hanging in my room at home. At some point, I really would like to find a large, decorative mirror, preferably full length, to use in my apartment now and in the future.
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