Best Thrift Stores in Kansas City for Your Treasure Hunt
Thrifting is always an adventure. It's part-time travel, part treasure hunt, and there's always a chance for an amazing bargain. Whether you're shopping on a budget or have a passion for vintage, you will soon discover that Kansas City is a wonderland of thrift, second-hand, and consignment shops. There is an entire world of thrifting just waiting to be discovered. You'll love exploring all the thrift stores in Kansas City in search of your next hidden treasure.
If you are like us, you want to see more than just what the chain stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army have to offer. You want to explore the locally owned thrift collections, cozy vintage boutiques, and cool specialty second-hand stores that shine line hidden gems nestled deep within the community.
You're in luck because we have the scoop on the best thrift stores in Kansas City.
Hillcrest Thrift Outlet - Something for Everyone
The single best local place for thrifting is the Hillcrest Thrift Store and Hillcrest Thrift Outlet. Located across the parking lot from one another, experienced KC thrifters refer to this hub of second-hand shopping simply as "Hillcrest."
Going thrifting in Hillcrest, you will find a little bit of everything and something for everyone. You will find furniture and decor, dishware and home goods, clothing and shoes, arts and crafts supplies, and many surprising treasures. You might find an antique sewing machine that still works with the manual foot pedal, the perfect lamp for your living room, or a new aquarium for your fish.
Hillcrest Thrift is also a valuable part of the community. In addition to sales and events for thrifters, they are deeply involved in charitable projects such as scholarships, food pantry donations, and housing initiatives for families and young adults in need.
Blessings Abound - Home Goods and Clothes
Another great local thrifting location is Blessings Abound. Whether you're treasure-hunting or trying to furnish your apartment on a budget, you'll find everything you need in BA's spacious and well-organized environment. Items are arranged by category so it's easy to find what you need, whether you're shopping for furniture, home goods (like dishes and lamps), clothing, shoes, or antique decorative pieces to complete your vintage home decor.
Blessings Abound has a wonderful blend of useful and decorative items that will make any house or apartment feel like home. From finding collectible treasures to simply getting a few things you need at a good price, it's one of the best one-stop shops in town.
Like Hillcrest, Blessings Abound is also a charitable organization. They are a nonprofit accepting donations and serve as an "umbrella" for many different community outreach channels, including 33 different nonprofits that do charitable works around the city.
Nova Vintage - Vintage Furniture
If your passion is vintage treasure hunting, then you'll love Nova Vintage. This bright and cheerful little vintage furniture shop is stacked with beautiful furniture and charming home decor from bygone eras. Looking for the perfect dresser to match your vintage-chic living room or a rattan chair and charming plant potters to make your retro apartment balcony complete? You'll find it here.
Nova Vintage is a cute little brick storefront in Columbus Park where you can upgrade your home decor style by flashing back to the past. They are also extremely friendly and will help you find exactly the era, style, and color scheme to grace your home's vintage design.
Hint: If vintage clothing is your thing, check out Daisy Lee Vintage for a bonanza of retro styles that will make your closet burst.
KC Grow Co - Children's Clothes and Toys
If you're thrifting for children's clothing or toys, then you'll find a great selection at KC Grow Co, previously Children's Orchard. This cool little kid's stop is a consignment shop that carries sizes from premature to teens in clothing, shoes, and toys. Consignment is a great way to thrift for children's items because they grow so fast that swapping out last year's size for this year's size is constant. The consignment model lets you step up sizes at a fraction of the cost of new retail clothes.
KC Grow Co not only helps grownups keep up with kid's needs, but they also make it super easy to shop. There's personal shopping assistance every Monday night, and they'll respond to Facebook Live requests to tell you what's in stock. You can even call in and pay over the phone, then pick up your items or have them shipped to your house.
Big Muddy Gear Exchange - Outdoor Gear
Are you a fan of the great outdoors? Then you'll absolutely love the Big Muddy Gear Exchange. Good outdoor gear can come at a high price, but the mission of Big Muddy is to help outdoor enthusiasts get the gear they need without the sticker shock by helping us pass our old gear on to the next intrepid adventurer.
Finding the gear you want is an adventure in itself as you explore well-organized yet vast shelves and racks in the warehouse-like space. There are coats, backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, shoes, tools, helmets, fishing lures, whole kayaks, and so much more!
Even better, they have a repair shop built in. They'll repair your favorite gear or take damaged gear and fix it up before reselling it at a discount to the next explorer in need of a good coat or tent.
Dive Into Thrifting Adventure in KC
Whether you're a thrifting enthusiast or just love a good deal, you will find an incredible landscape of thrift stores and specialty second-hand shops across Kansas City to explore. The thrift stores in Kansas City are truly amazing.
But first, establish your home base with a great Kansas City apartment at The Ridge at Chestnut Apartments. We welcome all treasure hunters and outdoor adventurers. Contact us to explore availability or ask about our favorite places to thrift.