Baras Foundation

Yes Baras is no more.
It’s kind of sad! But this place was here for a long time, helped people who couldn’t afford anything fancy, and hired people who needed a break. It certainly was pretty grungy, but it was a thrift shop, and they took a lot of junk and helped recycle it. They also helped children in need… Do you remember that big container of stuffed animals? Now where am I gonna find cheap toys for my dog? :(

This place is no longer there its closed

Good prices on their furniture.

NOW PERMANENTLY CLOSED.
New place is at 1455 University Ave. in Hillcrest.
Great when it was here — always my family’s no. 1 place for donations of stuff we don’t need anymore. Went today to take some of my stuff and alas, no Baras. You will be missed, oh dear thrift shop.

I needed to buy a corded landline phone and thought a thrift store would be a perfect place to get one for cheap. Well I did find one, an office style phone that fit the bill, but after looking at the sticker price I was appalled. They wanted 20 bucks for it! For a regular used corded phone. I could have bought a brand new cordless phone for that much. Totally overpriced and the shop smelled god awful. Like the inside of a shoe after being worn by someone who hasn’t washed their feet in a month.
I couldn’t find any hidden treasures there like you do at other thrift stores. Most of the stuff looked like they belonged in the garbage bin. It was kinda depressing. Eventually I couldn’t stand the smell and had to get out of there. I don’t know how the employees can tolerate the smell all day. I suggest you avoid this place. It’ll make you feel like you need to take a shower afterwards.

Big store with lots of treasures to sort through. And the prices are cheap cheap cheap! Sure, it may smell a little funky in here, but I’m not planning on moving in.
Tons of books, furniture, and unique bric-​à-​brac, love it!

I like this place! you really have to dig and is hit or miss but the book selection is good and they often have good furniture, It is my go to

Can’t go wrong here. Spend so me time to find what you like and buy it. Don’t forget to return the favor and donate to a good cause.

When I lived in Clairemont, I used to walk from my apartment to this thrift store and have a ball. I purchased a dresser, tons of books, exercise equipment, movies, and clothes. The staff are super-​friendly. I still visit this thrift store even though I live 20 + minutes away.

I’ll admit, if it weren’t for the fact that I personally thrift almost exclusively for toys, I might give this store an additional star, because it did look like they had a lot of promising clothing. But the truth of the matter is, it smelled funny when I walked in and all the toys that weren’t behind glass were in poor condition if not broken. Sad, sad toy area. I kind of got excited when I saw that all of their plushies were super cheap, but then when I went poking through them, anything that initially looked promising had rips or stains. One even had a gummy mystery substance on it. GROSS. No thank you.

I am a long time thrifter and this store happened to be one that I frequented since I used to do my shopping in Clairemont. The stock is hit and miss but I’ve found some real good finds here. I have a solid wood (heavy!) coffee 1930’s coffee table from here that impresses all my furniture snob friends. I think it was $ 15. I bought a few vintage dresses and household items here too. On the negative side, it is smelly and not sure what the foundation funds.

Teeming, yes. My wife and I invested the time that it takes to find hidden gems – but there were none to be found. I understand that this place is not a vintage shop. However, Baras (never heard of the Foundation before – unless Baras started a foundation to support himself) could just as easily go to a landfill and set up shop.
Sketchy – not sure how s/​he affords the rent. On the plus side, there were some cool shops on either side of the Baras store.

Walking into a thrift store in an aging strip mall with potholes in the parking lot, I didn’t have tremendous expectations … and that was a good thing because it was kind of a bust. Everything was consistently old, stained, dusty, and lacking that cool factor you sometimes find in thrift shopping. No, you won’t find a treasure here. But if you want an old non-​brand work jacket with worn, stained cuffs and a tattered collar, or maybe some shabby pants that might have been found behind the dumpster in National City, then this is your place. Its too bad they don’t have nicer stuff, the store itself is very well organized, staffed with good people, and in general has lots of potential to be a great shop. If you have anything nice, donate it to them and help them out!

I have no idea why, but this thrift store smells worse than all of the other thrift stores I’ve visited. It smells awful!
When you look around, it looks really cluttered and dirty. The shoe section contains a lot of un-​paired, single shoes that are probably contributing to the rank smell here.
The clothing selection sucks. The evening gowns are from the 1980s (puffy sleeves, anyone?), and even I, the thrift store shopper extraordinaire, couldn’t find any clothes worth buying here. Usually, I have a hard time NOT finding something at a thrift store. I manage to find cute, stylish things at every other thrift store I’ve been to, but I found NOTHING here.
I felt really dirty after browsing here. I’d probably donate to this place, though… I’d donate a bottle of Febreze!

I donate almost exclusively to the Baras Foundation location in Hillcrest. And when I need something specific (vintage glasses for Mother’s Day, in which to serve a fruit parfait), I can usually find it here.
Unfortunately, last time I dropped off a load of donated items, I just HAD to browse the store. And came home with two bookcases (one 3 shelf and one four shelf). For $ 40!!! Totally a steal, in perfect condition. Not only that, but another shopper offered to help me get them home!
FWIW, I donate here because it is non-​religious and because I believe that all items donated are in fact sold within their store. Unlike other places in San Diego.

So, I didn’t really have a problem with this place. It was what it was a second hand shop. When i went everything was pretty organized compared to other places i have been. Spent about an hour or so there hoping i would find something … anything. i did fide some furniture but unfortunately no more could possibly fit in my place. but I didn’t but thats okay b/​c you cant always win right. Thrift Stores really are hit or miss ya know.

I am a big fan of thrift shops. I have yet to walk in one that I do not like, that is until I stepped foot in this place. It smells really bad, which is true of most thrift stores but this place is just, well, gross. The odor is a combination of foul B. O and farts. It is filthy!
There is clothing, toys, shoes, and household goods lying about on the floor in piles. It’s quite possible that I contracted an STD just from setting foot in there. I probably have gonorrhea of the eye or something.
After sifting through rack upon rack I found a pretty cool 70’s dress with big flowers and a stain on the front. Some sewing would have to be done and stain fighting to make it perfect but I saw its potential. I brought it up to the cash register to ask how much it was. The owner, or manager, or someone, comes over and says $ 5.99, seriously, 5.99 for a dress I can guarantee no one other then me saw the slightest bit of potential in.
This place is gross and over priced.

When you first enter the store you think, wow, this place is full of crap. And for the most part, it is. However, if you’re patient and willing to dig you will find some amazing things. I got a pair of mint condition vintage bandolino shoes for $ 1.99 and a cache silk strapless dress for $ 3.50. They had snakeskin belts for a dollar! But again, the place is hit or miss like most thrift stores, but the gems that you stumble across are definitely worth the trip.

This is what Thrift Store shopping should be.
There is plenty of crap, but the gems are real gems, and it seems like that is something that has disappeared from most of the real thrifts (maybe those pieces are going to more upscale used clothing places now).
From kitchen needs to clothes to furniture … Baras has a TON of stuff and lots of it is cool.
Check it out.

This place is teeming with cheap treasures! Some of my favorite finds have been:
An awesome retro-​fab wool coat
A series of three, adorably kitchy, framed prints
Half the kitchen-​ware I needed for my «first place»
A ton of really wacky, off the wall type dresses that I will never wear in public, but were REALLY CHEAP
Books galore
Basically, if the words cheap, vintage, useless, or crap send your heart a-​flutter, Baras is the place for you!