The Salvation Army

Found many gems today, Will definitely come back soon.
Found a Ralph Lauren, Nike and Adidas shoes! Amazing.

This is one of my favourite thrift stores in the Greater Vancouver area because I almost always walk out of the store with a fantastic find. It’s located right across from the New Westminster skytrain station so whenever I have a bit of time on my hands I can pop of the train and stop by.
What’s great about the store is that it is well stocked, and it’s housed in a newer building that lacks the musty thrift store smell that’s so common. A high ceiling and tall windows let alot of light into the store so I don’t feel like I’m digging in an attic. The staff is friendly and even the security guard likes to help out the shoppers.
Check out the book section too; I’ve found some great vintage photography magazines and books there that I’ve used for collage projects.

What I do like about the thrift store is the selection of books and some unique kitchen wares. Sometimes you can find a shirt or skirt that’s a good deal but for me that rarely happens. What I do like about the location is the building. I like the old style brick look. They do need more window displays though. Very drab and boring in that respect.

This Salvation Army is as large as any Value Village, and just as well stocked. Its so close to the New Westminster skytrain station, and the merchandise can alleviate all kinds of boredom. They have books, records, weird clothes and frames, athletic gear, etc. Not a lot of high end finds however, as pawn shops and antique stores dominate this city. The staff are older and usually very friendly when you need assistance in finding a specific items. They dont claim to be «color specialists» though.
However, as said before this restored building looks a bit too plain as these owners really have not done much with it. It seems the trend in the area (the Keg that used to be a CPR station follows suite), but regardless, its the merchandise and that makes the store, not the door.

The New West Sally Ann moved into its current space in a renovated heritage building earlier this year. The building was the formerly the BC Electric streetcar/​tram barn, and they’ve done a beautiful job restoring it.
However, although this Salvation Army Thrift Store is really big and has lots of windows, they’ve really done nothing in terms of merchandising or window displays. I’m making a point of that because some of the other locations have always done great displays with much less frontage space. It seems strange they wouldn’t use all those windows to show off a little more of the wild and wonderful merchandise.
Inside it’s pretty typical Sally Ann stuff. Smelly clothes, but groovy housewares, and lots of books and records. There’s also some cool furniture and even some electronics. This location is also a electronics recycling depot, so those TVs might just be some of the recycling. Whatevs, it all goes to a good cause.
I’d like to go into more detail on finds, but man that thrift store smell drives me out in a hurry.