This one for my thrifters, my treasure hunters, my trash-to-treasure refurbishers. These are the spots in my regular rotation locally when I want to thrift here and outside of Orlando where I've found success.

Thrifting is for everyone. Thrifting, often overlooked, is a powerful way to reduce our environmental footprint. By giving pre-loved items a second life, we diminish the demand for new production, thereby curbing the energy and resources required for manufacturing. Thrifting reduces the volume of items sent to landfills, mitigating the harmful effects of textile waste. Additionally, it fosters a culture of reuse and recycling, promoting a more sustainable approach to consumption.

It’s true, thrifting isn't what it once was, and places have hiked up their prices to deal with resellers, but undoubtedly just out of greed. Despite that, give me an iced latte and a map of second-hand stores, and that's all I need for a good weekend, whether a goodie to repurpose or not.

Clothes Mentor - Ocoee + Altamonte springs

Clothes Mentor is a thrift and resale chain. It reminds me of a much nicer and bigger Plato’s Closet that focuses more on women and not teens both in the styles they carry but also sizing. Pricing is more in line with a Plato’s closet as well, these aren’t exactly “thrift” prices, but resale prices. That being said you can still find good deals and most of the clothing and shoes are in good condition. 

These images are from the Ocoee location - 8929 West Colonial Drive

Revolve Reclaimed Clothing Exchange

Sanford is rich in thrift, but I think my favorite spot is Revolve Reclaimed Clothing Exchange. It’s SO clean and organized in here. Most of the items are used, but they do also get new wholesale items. You can also sell your clothing here as well.

One added bonus, if you’re a mom shopping for yourself, half of the store is Sproutfitters, with kids clothing and other items.

Address: 200 N Entrance Rd, Sanford, FL 32771

The Hidden Attic - Apopka

RECENTLY CLOSED

This tiny shop hidden behind 436 reminds me of the classic smaller mom-and-pop thrift stores before everything got so expensive and overpriced. There are different rooms with varying items, including clothes, homewares, electronics, and baby items. Most items were well-priced, and it was an easy shop to navigate!

Address: 380 Semoran Commerce Pl Suite 209B Apopka, FL 32703

OMG! Thrift - Casselberry

Years ago, this space was once an antique/furniture shop that I loved to frequent, but I’m happy that OMG Thrift has taken over the space. One of the best things about OMG! Thrift is its dedication to color coordination. It is pleasing to the eye, but it makes shopping more manageable if you have a particular color scheme you are hunting for or avoiding. OMG! gets why thrift shops are beneficial to our communities by keeping 20 million pounds of used goods from landfills each year. Unlike many thrift shops, they have a loyalty program that adds to what you are already saving. Many people complain about the pricing here, which is understandable for some items, but you can still find good deals if you search.

Bonus: Donut King is less than a mile away. Just sayin.

Parking: Parking lot

Address: 1442 FL-436 Suite 1028, Casselberry, FL 32707

BOOMERANGS THRIFT & GIFT - altamonte springs

Located in Altamonte Springs, Boomerangs is owned and operated by the Animal Rescue Fund Inc. If you shop here, you are helping to fund smaller local animal rescue organizations. It’s not a huge shop, but it is pretty well organized with a mix of merchandise.

Address: 1140 East Altamonte Dr. #1037 Altamonte Springs, FL. 32701

Parking: Parking lot

Teen Challenge Super Thrift - sanford

This thrift store has ended up in my rotation not for clothes but for furniture. I’m always keeping an eye on items that could be refurbished. They tend to have mostly larger pieces of furniture like couches, tables, cabinets, and the like, but by visiting regularly, you might find the perfect piece to bring back to life.

Bonus: It’s right next door to a Goodwill, so you automatically have two spots in one to hit up.

Address: 4540 FL-46, Sanford, FL 32771

Parking: Parking lot

Bonus: You can hit up Quigley Coffee before or after.

Community Thrift - South Orange

I’ve never walked in and not seen a line wrapped around part of the store. Don’t let that dissuade you; there are treasures to be found here. I’ve found some decent clothes here, but I love looking through their houseware section. While prices at all thrift stores have gone up, you can still find items that will likely be less than at an antique mall, like an entire collection of pastel Fiestaware or sweet retro strawberry jars. Always look on the top of all the racks; they put together bags of sets or bundle similar items. Community Thrift is CASH ONLY.

Parking: Parking Lot

Address: 5456 Hansel Ave, Edgewood, FL 32809

Bonus: It’s close to EchoBase Collectibles.

CITY THRIFT - Orlando

Off Edgewater Drive, once known as Community Thrift, this location closed down and reopened under new owners and a new name. I’ve found it cleaner and more organized, and now they accept cards, not just cash. However, every time I go, I see resellers looking things up on their phones where they should, so this time, it gets a lot of traffic and can get picked over often.

Parking: Parking Lot

Address: 6015 Edgewater Dr, Orlando, FL 32810

Treasure Mart - Eustis

You could call it an antique mall, but I’d call it an indoor thrift market. It goes on forever, and you have to strategize a plan of attack to make sure you see everything. The perimeter has rooms where some vendors have their items in a more private setting, and then there is aisle after aisle in the center. It’s an experience, but I doubt you’ll leave empty-handed. Some items are priced so low you can’t help but get at least one thing. For example, I purchased a very stylish gold, modern magazine stand for only $10. There may not be many reasons to go to Eustis, and this place is definitely on the dirtier, dustier side, but if you are ever hanging out in Mt. Dora, this is a destination I would give a whirl. 

Bonus: This isn’t very far from the Wildwood Antique Mall, so you can hit up both spots if you make the trek out here.

Parking: Parking lot

Address: 308 W Ardice Ave, Eustis, FL 32726

Goodwill

Undoubtedly, Goodwill is the OG of thrift shops and the place I spent the most dollars growing up. Some have coined it "Greedwill" because prices have increased, so it's a little harder to find great deals, but not impossible. I have a few locations in regular rotation, including Winter Park and Casselberry, but the Goodwill on Orange Blossom Trail is my favorite. Over the past few years, it's gotten so much better, and they even restructured the space, so now there is a dedicated cash wrap with multiple cashiers. That may not sound like a big deal, but trust me, it's a wonderful improvement if you frequent this location.

Parking: Parking lot

Address of this location: 7531 S Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL 32809

Boys and Girls Club of Winter Park

This thrift store in Winter Park was delightfully clean and easy to search. Their Facebook page regularly posts when they are having sales if you are holding out for the lowest prices possible. They also had some nice and well-maintained furniture for those looking for bigger items. This spot is known for having Disney merchandise, but on my visits, I haven’t seen much beyond a table of smaller-sized Mickey ears, so temper your expectations.

Address: 2054 FL-436 #140, Winter Park, FL 32792

Hope Chest - oviedo

The Hope Chest has a mission to prevent and reduce unhousing. They also run a food pantry. I’ve noticed the clothing selection skews heavily into women’s clothing, but they also have furniture, homewares, books, and more. It’s a bit cramped in here and often busy on the weekends.

Address: 1802 W Broadway St, Oviedo, FL 32765

Other thrift Stores

• Out of the Closet - Orlando

• Russell Home Thrift - Orlando

• Sun Thrift Antique Shop - Orlando

• Amy's Walk-In Closet Consignment Shop - Maitland

• La Mejor Figura - Altamonte Springs

Certainly not every thrift shop, but these are the ones that I either frequent or enjoyed myself enough to go again. All photos are property of Lemonhearted Creative