Thrive At Thrifting!

Thrifting may be a hobby, a necessity, or something new to you, but one thing is for sure, when you shop and donate with us, we make every donation count! Try out our tips to help make the best out of your next trip to the Thrift Store. Fab finds await. 😍

Shop frequently

The inventory in our stores is always changing as new items are added daily – that’s one of many reasons why our Thrift Stores are such great places to shop! If you have your heart set on a certain item, the best way to find it is to visit the stores frequently.

Check different size categories

Because Thrift Stores carry everything from vintage to fast fashion, sizing can be all over the map. To make sure you’re not missing out on any fab finds, try checking the sizes both above and below your typical section. You never know what you’ll find.

Go first thing in the morning

New items are often put out after close and before opening, so this helps ensure you are the first to get your hands on the best finds of the day.

Make a list

Shopping in our Thrift Stores is like a treasure hunt. It can take a bit of searching, but it’s bound to be gold! If you are on the hunt for the perfect pair of jeans, or a chunky knit sweater, the best way to keep track of what you need is by keeping a list of the essentials. This does not mean you shouldn’t check out the shoes, or accessories or books for something else that might catch your eye.

Try visiting a Thrift Store out of town

Because the items in our stores rely on the donations we receive from our generous community, selection can vary greatly in different areas. Make a day out of it and thrift through cities near (or far) from you! For a list of our locations, click here.

Sign up for our mailing list

To make sure you’re the first to know about our sale days and exclusive offers, be sure to subscribe to our emails by clicking here.

Take your time

Our Thrift Stores are packed with unique items that you can’t find anywhere else, so be sure to check out all sections from housewares to jewelry to electronics.

Most importantly, have fun with it!

Share your fab finds with us and tag us to be featured on our page!

Father’s Day Thrifty Gifty Ideas

Are you ready for Father’s Day? Get inspired with this Dad-approved thrifty gifty that is inexpensive and easy to pull together from our Creative Expert Tijana. Click here to check it out!

Be sure to spoil Dad in the best way this Father’s Day, with anything he could possibly need (or want) from your local Salvation Army Thrift Store: www.thriftstore.ca/locations

Outfit Thriftspiration: Spring Runway Trends

Contributed by: Mel (@stylemelthrifted), Guest Blogger

In fashion, everything comes back around again, and this year’s trends are no exception. Spring trends for 2021 are basically a highlights reel of decades past, so if you’re shopping for trends a great place to start is your local thrift store. I hit up 4 different Salvation Army Thrift Store locations in Calgary and scored a whole bunch of on-trend pieces. My favourite part of shopping for trends in the thrift store is not only the great deals I find but it also keeps on-trend fashion sustainable.

SEQUINS

Sequins are having a moment right now, which is great news for thrifters. There are loads of sequin items just waiting to be rescued from the thrifts – like this new with original tags flippable sequin blazer.

Sequin Blazer, found at the Horizon Heights Thrift Store.

TROPICAL CHAOS

A holdover from 2020, tropical prints and loud colours are huge this season. I came across so many options for bright florals, it was difficult to narrow down which items to choose! I went with this epic long cardigan to help me feel like I’m on the beach, even if I can’t leave my house.

Cardigan found at the Forest Lawn location.

PRINTED SHORTS

Sometimes, the items you come across at the thrifts need a glow-up. When I found these shorts at the Salvation Army, they weren’t shorts, but jeans. So, I grabbed my scissors and went to work. From strange skinnies to cute cut-offs, a simple upcycle was all I needed to create the look I was after.

Skinny jeans turned cut-off shorts found at the Chinook location.

PRAIRIE DRESS

Cottage core is still trending, and there are loads of vintage and vintage-inspired pieces at the thrifts that check all the boxes. As a bonus, this one has some ruffle details on the sleeves and hemline, thus picking up on the ruffle trend as well.

Dress found at the Douglas Square location.

PUFF SLEEVE

What better place to source this 80s inspired trend than thrift shops? If you’re looking for 80s inspired anything, the thrift store is THE place to find these items, but you might have to dig as they’re in high demand!

Puff sleeve sweater found at the Horizon Heights location.

PATCHWORK

Another cottage core inspo, Dolce and Gabbanna’s runway was practically patched together this season. This piece needed to be re-worked a bit as well, but after cropping and replacing the buttons, it’s good to go!

Patchwork jacket found at the Chinook location.

GREEN AND LILAC

Versace’s resort runway for 2021, in particular, featured this unexpected colour combination, and so did my local Salvation Army. This high fashion-inspired look didn’t come with a high fashion price tag though, instead, I paid $12!

Green cardigan found at the Douglas Square location.
Lilac sweater (new with tags!) found at the Forest Lawn location.

CANDY COLOURED LOUNGEWEAR

By far the most realistic spring 2021 trend is brightly coloured, oversized loungewear. We’re all spending more time at home these days, so we might as well be comfortable, but still stylish enough to run out to the grocery store or walk the dog without having to change out of our pj’s.

Hoodie and tie-dye sweatpants found at the Horizon Heights location.

Winter Thrift Haul – Coat Edition

Contributed by: Augustine Pilon (@lamyrtille), Salvation Army Thrift Store Creative Expert

The older I get, the more I realize how lucky I am to live in such a fabulous country with four distinct seasons. In my opinion, what makes winter charming is undoubtedly the snow and winter sports. Winter lovers will tell you without hesitation: when you are well dressed for the elements, winter can easily become your favorite season! In this blog, I’m showing you the winter outdoor clothing that I found at my local Salvation Army Thrift Store in Montreal. Say goodbye to the monotony of February and opt for bright colors, like me! I’ve said before and I’ll say it again: it’s possible to dress almost entirely in second-hand clothes, no matter what time of the year it is.

Find #1: Retro Burton Coat

First of all, I had a huge crush on this Burton coat with its vintage colors and matching headband. It was brand new when I found it – it still had the original store labels on it! I don’t know if its former owner found the colors too flashy and never had the courage to wear it, but I LOVE it! I wear it regularly for skiing, I find it breathes well, it’s not too heavy, the pockets are very practical and I like the fact that it fits like a hoodie. When I wear it, my friends also find it very easy to find me, hehe!

On the picture below, you can see that the headband has the same pattern as the elastic band inside the coat. Isn’t it great? After some research on the Internet, I discovered that the Burton company created this kit in the late 2000s as a tribute to their 80s coats. For the vintage enthusiast that I am, it’s just perfect!

Find #2: Head Jacket

We stay in the same color theme with this super retro sleeveless Head overcoat. If you’re a downhill skier, you probably know the company Head. While doing my daily tour of The Salvation Army Thrift Stores near me last November, I found this little cropped, super stylish jacket. It was really affordable, very original and in too good condition to be set aside. Its hood is very practical and I might wear it more on days when it’s not too cold outside because the jacket has no lining inside.

FIND #3: Columbia Coat with Built-in Puffer

I have warned you, this blog contains color! Here I am now in a turquoise, royal blue and fluorescent pink Columbia coat that most likely dates back to the 80s or 90s. You know what’s great about this coat is that it has an ultra-warm “puffer jacket” on the inside. So, you can wear it with the lining, or without it on warmer days.

You guessed it, here is the Columbia puffer jacket that was inside the previous turquoise coat. What I didn’t tell you was that it is not only beautiful, but also reversible! I don’t understand why companies stopped producing such cool coats. My dream is that they will start popularizing the reversible coat fashion again. I wear just the lining more often than the coat with its shell, since it’s warm enough as it is and I like the colors better. This coat can be worn in the city as well as outdoors!

Happy thrifting! 🙂

February Thrift Haul

Contributed by Dom-okoebu Osareme David (@__reme_), Salvation Army Thrift Store Creative Expert

Hey everyone, I hope you’re all doing well and staying safe. I wanted to share some of my recent finds as I went thrifting at my local Winnipeg Thrift Store recently and I got a couple of interesting items.

The first is this amazing pair of grey pants. I believe they’re a kind of uniform pants but you can hardly tell because when styled properly, they look more luxurious. They were quite long but that’s nothing a handy pair of scissors couldn’t deal with.

The second item is a turtleneck sweater I got at a really great price. It’s really thick and has a beautiful neutral tone, which is great for layering and could be styled with many different pieces. By pairing the turtleneck and pants together I created this grey, almost monotone, outfit which is very on-trend.

The next item is this awesome cardigan. I love it because of how different it is. It has so many different materials and textures. It gives me 90s vibes. I created an outfit with this vest and topped it off with my Jordan 4s to give it a 90s feel.

The next item on the list is this Coca Cola crown wall decor. I got this to hang up on the wall in my hallway.

For the last and final item, I got the Scorpion King VHS tape. This is one of the first movies I saw the Rock (Dwayne Johnson) in and I just wanted to feed my nostalgia and add it to my VHS collection.

That concludes my thrift haul this week. I hope you all enjoyed reading this blog post as much as I enjoyed finding these items. See you soon and happy thrifting!

Refresh, Recycle, Restyle: How to Repair Stained Clothing

Have some thrifted pieces that have gotten stained and could use a little TLC? Fix your favourite outfits with these quick and easy stain removal tips from our creative expert Tijana of A Plentiful Life. Make any of your worn Thrift Store treasures look like new! Click here to learn how.

Get the Grandmillennial Style by Thrifting

Contributed by: Erin Rochon of Erin Rochon Design, Salvation Army Thrift Store Creative Expert.

Grandmillennial style has been a big design trend throughout 2020 and continues to be on the rise. It is a throwback to more of a classic, nostalgic, traditional style adding a modern twist. Moving away from the current minimalist to a maximalism aesthetic. A few of the elements found in this style are needle point pillows, fine china, florals, wicker, embroidered linens, classic wallpaper, ruffles, pleated lampshades, antiques, vintage collections and textiles with lots of pattern and bold colour.

An inexpensive way to try this design style is to hit your local thrift store for lots of vintage finds. Here are a few items I found at my local Salvation Army Thrift Store that work with this design aesthetic.

Thrifting for Grandmillenial elements is a fabulous way to try out this nostalgic trend. Make sure to hit your local thrift store. Happy thrifting!

Thrifty Gifty: Upcycled Wool Sweater Gift Card Holder

Contributed by: Denise of Thrifty by Design and Salvation Army Thrift Store Creative Expert

Christmas is coming! This year, with COVID-19 and keeping our bubble to a minimum while practicing social distancing, we’re all rethinking our festive get-togethers and gift-giving. In our family, since most of us are older, we either give money or gift cards. Gift cards can seem impersonal, so here’s a simple and fun way to add some personalized craftiness to your gift giving. All you need is a thrifted wool item from your local Salvation Army Thrift Store.

Supplies:

– thrifted wool sweater or scarf

– needle and thread (my preference is embroidery needles and thread)

– cookie cutters (optional)

– felt

– scissors

– DIY pattern

Step 1

Drop by your local Salvation Army Thrift Store for a wool sweater or scarf. You can also hunt for cookie cutters – these are awesome to use as patterns for the embellishment of the gift card holder. Wash and felt the wool.

Note: this DIY is perfect if you have scrap wool from previous projects.

Step 2

Create your own gift card holder pattern. I used one of my cards for reference then drew patterns in the shape of a mitten, stocking and then a plain rectangle shape. Cut out your patterns.

Step 3

Trace the pattern onto your felted wool. Trace and cut out the front and back piece. You’ll also need a piece for the hanger.

Step 4

For the embellishment you can stitch a design or add some felt appliqué. This is where cookie cutters come in. I used my Xmas cookie cutters for the tree shape. For felt appliqué, cut out your felt pieces then pin them to the front of your gift card holder.

Step 5

Stitch the pieces to the front of your gift card holder. Or stitch a design directly onto the front of your gift card holder.

Step 6

Once you’ve completed the design for the front of your gift card holder now you can stitch together the front and back. I hand-stitched my gift card holder. Feel free to use your sewing machine if you prefer. I then added the hanger.

Now all you need to do is fill your cutie patootie DIY gift holder with your present. If you plan ahead you can make tons of DIY holders out of your one thrifted wool sweater – talk about upcycling! Have a green and Merry Christmas!

Counting Down to Christmas with an Upcycled Advent Calendar

Contributed by: Denise of Thrifty by Design and Salvation Army Thrift Store Creative Expert

Today officially starts the month-long countdown to Christmas with December just around the corner.

The yummiest way to count the days until Santa’s arrival is an advent calendar, and what better way to start off a Green Christmas than with an upcycling DIY that allows you to choose your favourite gifts and treats to put inside?!

This super simple crafted advent calendar repurposes a secondhand muffin tin to create a festive and fun addition to your holiday décor.

Supplies:

• thrifted muffin tin
• sheet of self-adhesive film
• cardboard
• tissue paper
• Mod Podge
• sponge brush
• Sharpies
• stencil
• treats
• X-acto knife
• scissors
• cord

< STEP 1: Source your thrifted tin

Source a thrifted muffin tin from your local Salvation Army Thrift Store. You may need to purchase two if you can only find tins made for baking a dozen muffins.

STEP 2: Time to decorate! >

You can either leave the muffin tin as is or decorate it by painting it, decoupaging the surface or using self-adhesive film. I used a silver glitter self-adhesive film. I covered the surface of the tin then used an X-Acto knife to remove the adhesive from the muffin holes.

< STEP 3: Fill each space with your gift of choice

Fill each of the muffin spaces with small gifts or sweets.

STEP 4: Cover them up! >

To cover the muffin spaces I used cardboard. I added a coat of Mod Podge then placed festive tissue paper on top. Rub the tissue paper into the glue then add a coat of Mod Podge. Once dry then trace a circle shape on the cardboard and cut it out. The circle should be slightly bigger than the diameter of the muffin hole.

< STEP 5: Glue them down

Once your cardboard circles are dry then you can glue them to your muffin tin covering the treats.

STEP 6: Number the days >

Add the numbers for the days leading up to Christmas. You can use stickers, hand drawn numbers or a stencil and Sharpies.

Hang your advent calendar. I was lucky my muffin tin had holes along the top for hanging. I used some scrap fabric from a felted wool sweater.

And that’s it! I have the 13th to the 24th good to go. Now for the 1st to 12th! And so many yummy chocolates to dive into!