Unique Thrift Store

I went to this store last Friday to get some ‘new’ work clothes and other things. I bought two coats and some shoes after inquiring about the return policy. I was told I had 7 days to return the items, provided they had their price tags still attached. I returned today to return a coat and some of the shoes (did not keep me warm even though it looked like it would; hurt to walk in even though they felt fine in the store) with the intent of getting store credit, just like they did at the suburban Saver stores and Goodwill stores. Was told that I could only exchange the items for something else that same day. I had a load of errands I had planned to do today and didn’t have time to find things to exchange the items for and was pretty disgruntled at this. I specifically asked about the return policy before I bought these items last week and the employee never said I could only exchange the returns for other items on the same day of return. Also, last week, after purchasing the coats and shoes right before closing for the night, I returned the next morning to shop for work clothes, and discovered that they didn’t have dressing rooms. This is another first for me and felt like a wasted trip. From now on, I’m going to Goodwill or some other thrift store. This place stinks.

some people complained about a hussler who works in this store, then the office got rid of the manager, you should git rid of who smoke weed at work, and ask people for money not the manager, am not gonna go to that store anymore. if there is still a manager watch that girl when she take a break .if you get close to here you will get high… everybody in the store knows what, s going on accept the new manager maybe… sista thank god you didn;t get robbed …

So, first, this location is in Uptown. Our neighborhood is rough around the edges, and we like it that way. This isn’t some up-​scale, hipster Mecca. So, if that’s the type of place you want to frequent, go back down the street to Lakeview/​Lincoln Park and stay out! Now, on the other hand, if you’re not afraid of how our neighborhood looks, you’ll find a friendly community store with a decent selection of items. It’s not trendy, but it’s ours.

If your a fashion type and you walk out this store empty handed you probably was broke or you did something wrong cause you will 100% guarantee find something in here and for a good price I LOVE and addicted to this store

Big selection, with cheap prices. This place has a little bit less items than a Salvation Army, but you may be lucky stopping in. 50% off for back to school on July 31^st!

The rudest place in Chicago. No matter how busy it gets, don’t expect any of the workers or managers to step up and ring you up… it won’t happen. And attitude? Wow. Your presence is just a hassle for them, apparently.

So much better! I wandered back in and the place looks amazing! They have updated the racks so the merchandise is racked in sizes, the place is clean and even though it was super busy everyone was in a great mood. They are no longer stapling price tags either!
The biggest difference? The staff is super friendly and seem very happy in their jobs. Smiles have replaced the surly. The store is no longer understaffed and I think that goes a long way for anyone’s attitude. No one wants to feel overwhelmed and unsupported.
Be aware it is Uptown so there’s that, but the store looks great!
Bravo Unique!

This Unique on Sheridan Dr. has a lot of neat things to be found! Thrifting and the fancy term «upcycle» has gone trendy, and I’m completely a novice, but I’ve really grown to appreciate the deals and one-​of-​a-​kind finds. Our visit on Saturday afternoon was a fun activity and a decent haul came out of it.
The store is brightly lit, clean and organized. We thoroughly walked through the different sections, and I spotted an interesting mix of unique, on-​trend and vintage item. In the unique category: a pueblo picture frame, decorative ceramic hand mirrors, and a plush dog backpack. On-​trend items from the women’s section: J. Crew plaid flannel shirt, GAP peplum top, Splendid henley, and men’s section: GAP microfiber suede blazer, and Domo t-​shirt. All were in excellent or like new condition and under $ 6. Buried in the home section: cast iron plate for $ 8 and Charlie Brown mug for $ 0.49. Among the vintage items: 90’s looking J. Crew sundress for $ 5 and oversized denim jackets.
There were some questionable customers in/​around the store, but that didn’t really bother me. Surprisingly not crowded and easy to look through everything — cool place to go treasure hunting if you have a free afternoon.

UGH. I hate that Unilocal requires at least one star rating to be able to write a review. This location deserves none. I’ve lived in this neighborhood 5 years. Even worked at a Unique years ago. Being in service to the public one way or another all my life, a person has to reeeeeaaaaaly set me off to push me to this point. At 10:30 — 10:45 this morning, April 8, 2015 I attempted to pay for 2 items at the ONLY cashier open. After standing there with cash in hand long enough to hear all about how she (NO name tag) told the employee standing behind her writing in a binder «sho dint want no MF chicken fuh lunch & sho woulda been nice if somebody axe her what did she want…» it took me a moment to realize the rudeness that this conversation was taking place with her back to me, resulting in me standing there waiting while.“and I can get loud gurl ya kno I can you kno me right” laugh laugh, on it goes. Finally I say to her «Can you please ring up my items so I can pay & leave» to which she whips her ‘chip out onto her shoulder’ attitude & starts to mouth at me!!! The other employee tells her to stop otherwise who knows??? Snaps the items into the bag, bangs the change on the counter. And this is not the first incident since new owners took over.
This store & it’s former employees (before the change over to whoever owns it now) was a nicer place to shop even with ghetto music playing, unorganization, dirty floors & all. I don’t suppose they will miss one regular customer BUT I do know I will never set foot in there again. Of course when I called the phone # on the receipt, it goes to VM & the mailbox is full. After Google search, there is no other location answering phones & no general customer service # to call.
Disgusting Customer Service

There are plenty of good deals to be had – but none of them are worth the long lines at the cashier. Today was half-​price Monday. There were six registers, but only two were in use. Each had 8 people in line waiting. I just put what I selected back on the shelf and left the store. There is no excuse for that even if it is a thrift store.

This location is probably the shaddiest one in the north side of Chicago, so please be aware of your personal safety.
Please don’t get confused and end up entering to the Salvation Army thrift store on the south of Jewel-​Osco. Every Unique thrift store usually has a private parking for customers, but there’s street parking available in the neighborhood streets.
I highly suggest thrift Unilocalers to go «early» on Mondays for their half-​off sales. This store is busily patronized by thrift shoppers, so the merchandize is pretty much picked-​over by the late morning/​early afternoon.
Customers are slightly aggressive in here and will push carts toward you. Well, you know all kinds of people come to thrift store, so just understand and accept it. After all, it is what it is.
If you have an alternative choice of Unique, please forgo this location and head to other Unique locations on the north side. I personally suggest the West Rogers Park location (Westerm/​Howard) for more extensive inventory, even though the WRP one isn’t as spacious. There is a much larger parking lot there in comparison to the Uptown location because it’s a shared lot with other retailers in the same plaza.

I love the remodel. Looks bright and clean. Now if they could just teach common courtesy to the employees.
They are eager to walk in front of you when you are shopping. Not once, not twice but at least 3 times. One was not even paying attention. She was trying to shelve books while on her cell phone with a personal call. There were a number of carts with items to be shelved. No one attending them.
There was employee, we will call her Ms Thang, who had to come down the aisle I was looking. I moved over so she could get thru. Then she kept moving forward making it more difficult for me. She saw that I wanted to get by and she would not move. Come on now Ms. Thang, what happened to courtesy to the customers. Helloooooo you are only here because we spend money shopping here.
Then when I try to get by, the cart could barely fit. It touched her and she said EXCUUUUUUSE ME! I am standing here.
As if I could miss her. Oops!

Reader’s note: I originally posted this at a different location (I got them confused). It has now been corrected…
I’m a seasoned thrifter, but this place is not for the faint of heart. Every time I go here I’m sexually harassed (verbally) on that block, there is often a psychotic vagrant wondering the store, and the last time I went even saw a grown man rubbing his groin against the necklace case while audibly grunting and leering at a woman across the store (this lasted the entire 15 minutes I was in the store). The good news is that they accept credit card, don’t have a credit card minimum, have high merchandise turnover (I find it to be pretty organized actually), and are super cheap. The bad news is that it’s dirty, hot (no AC), frequently smelly, and unlike most thrift stores I often leave here empty handed.
I’ve scored some great things here, don’t get me wrong (this is one of the few places that wouldn’t know a real gem if they had it), but not as often as I do at other thrift stores. I patron this place frequently only because it’s within walking distance to the nearby Salvation Army.
UPDATE: They gave this place a makeover! It’s way less cramped, more organized, and slightly less smelly. Everything else about my previous review remains though.

Great customer service and clean… But I never find anything. Not a fan of this place.

A rookie thrifter, I after reading reviews on Unilocal about Unique decided to give it a whirl I went to the location on Sheridan Rd. and I was not impressed. Although the mural on the wall of the building was beautiful and I think, perhaps, a signature of the area that it was located in (diverse), but once inside it took my outing from a level of optomism to annoyance. My reasons are
1. A store associate was content on following me around (it was obvious). I understand the need for security, but give me a break! Maybe I was only annoyed because I know I was there because I wasn’t planning on taking anything.
2. No dressing room.
3. Parking was not easy, however, I guess it should be understood because it was the city.
There were some decent items in the store, but I didn’t buy anything. Not a fun experience… just my opinion.

I went here yesterday with my boyfriend to shop for men’s clothes and unlike other thrift stores we’ve been to, I found this one to be relatively easy to navigate, because the men’s clothes were organized by style (long sleeves, short sleeves, coats, etc) and then by size! For once, sizes were clearly organized and the store’s tags made them easy to read without damaging the cloth! The brands were low level, mostly from Sears, Target, Kohls, and Walmart with some Joseph A. Bank and Hugo Boss. The prices were a little higher than what I was hoping for, given that what we found wasn’t a discounted color, but hey, you can’t have everything.
The ties were on clipped hangers, so while this created a crease, it at least didn’t make any holes. Another plus is that the shopping carts were actually narrow for once, and people could actually pass them in the aisles.
They had a lot of scarves, winter hats and some gloves, but unfortunately nothing I wanted. The women’s section is huge and overall the store feels like it’s the size of a warehouse. I wasn’t fond of the customer service, because the cashier just threw the clothes into the plastic bag. It’s a thrift store, so I wasn’t expecting her to fold them, but she could at least not act like they’re trash. However, because of how well organized the store is, we’ll be going back.
Mondays: half off everything (I think)
Thursdays: half off certain tag colors (I think)
Update: The women’s section isn’t organized by size. :-(It’s barely organized by clothing type/​color in some areas. I guess they prefer to neglect it. Oh well.

I love going to this Unique early on Mondays (half price days). It can get very crowded, and there are only two mirrors and no changing rooms in the whole store, but there are some great things to be found. It’s not the cleanest and once my friend had some sort of allergic reaction to the store, but I do think the clothes are clean and, for the most part, in good condition.
I definitely think the best sections here are long-​sleeve blouses and the sweater sections, but I’ve found some great things (a leather Obey jacket for $ 10, a Tart tee for $ 2) and I try to stop by every time that I’m in the area. I never leave without a few things… and I never spend more than $ 20. I’ve never had the best luck with housewares, dresses, skirts, pants or shoes in this store, but the great selection of tops is definitely worth the trip.
The clothes are sorted by type and then by color (rather than size), and I actually really like that! Although it can be disappointing to see clothes I really like, only to realize that they’re far too large for me, I do like most of my clothes to be a little oversized, and I hate to think I’m missing out on things I might love because I’m not looking in the XL section.

I used to hit this one when I was in Chicago on Thursday late noon after 2 pm, and got some really great things here. This was a good store for me.
****But I was such regular here that I saw more than one ladies’ purse that was stolen, and the lady walking around crying looking for it. Watch your things here for sure!!!

Great prices and good selection for the middle of nowhere, rundown area. Staff speaks English only half the time. Issues ringing up the prices properly keeps me from giving it 5 stars.

Just went here once, on a Sunday (yesterday, which was back in the summer!). I was in the area. I live closer to the Western store.
I found a cute skirt for $ 3.99. It was not worth my time to go back for ½ price Monday to save $ 2. Love my black, pink polka dot skirt, swirly skirt.
Unique on Howard had great sundresses and skirts all summer. I am positive there is a woman my size who donates often, haha.
Unique has great vintage-​y earrings and BOOKS. The Western Ave. store has books so cheap, it is ridiculous. Half-​price Mondays for the earrings — can’t be a better deal.