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The Best Thrift Store in Seattle: GO INSIDE the Goodwill on South Lane

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Remember when thrift stores were just a hodge-podge of junk, and you’d spend hours having to sift through the chaos? There was no rhyme or reason to how things were laid out; if you were a size 10 shoe (like me), good luck finding the section labeled “Big ‘Ole Feet.”

And it was nearly impossible to say to yourself, “SELF, I’m going to the Goodwill to look for a pair of khaki pants.”

Umm…..yeah right.

Thankfully, times have changed!

This Goodwill in Seattle on South Lane is proof.

 

Best Thrift Store in Seattle - Thrift Diving

 

The Seattle Goodwill on South Lane (located at 1400 South Lane Street, Seattle, WA 98144) defied all I’ve ever known about what a thrift store was: a conglomerate of peoples’ cast-offs strewn about for the serious thrift divers to discover a diamond in the rough.

Best Thrift Store in Seattle - Outside the thrift store. - Thrift Diving

Oh, no, people….This Goodwill had their act together.

HOLY. CRAP.

This Seattle Goodwill ROCKED!

Have you ever seen a thrift store that sorted all of its sweaters by COLOR???

Related: 10 Things You MUST Know Before Hitting the Thrift Stores

 

Best thrift store in Seattle - They color code their sweaters. - Thrift Diving

 

Best thrift store in Seattle - They color code their sweaters to easily find things. - Thrift Diving

Seriously, how easy is that??

If you knew you were looking for a pink sweater, you’d know exactly where to look. (I don’t think Macy’s is even that organized!) Maybe you won’t find the style you like, but you’ve substantially cut time wasted by having to sort through racks of stuff you don’t want. The only downside is that by being so direct and focused on what you need, you might overlook some unexpected treasures you’ve skipped over.

But STILL, you guys….this sort of organization makes thrift shopping easy.

 

Best thrift store in Seattle - They color code their sweaters to easily find what you're looking for. - Thrift Diving

I was super impressed!

The prices were a little higher than what I was used to, but they had sections of designer labels, which I’m sure cost more. For example, I found a pair of black MICHAEL by Michael Kors pants and they were about $17.00 after taxes. Do you think that’s expensive for MICHAEL by Michael Kors dress slacks? My thrift stores, Value Villiage and Unique Thrift, they would have been about $9.00.

Here are a couple other cute things I tried on!

Best thrift store in Seattle - Green jacket. - Thrift Diving

 

I regret not buying those cropped yellow pants…

 

Best thrift store in Seattle - Cropped yellow pants. - Thrift Diving

 

And I just had this conversation with some of my Facebook Followers recently: Would you buy underwear from a thrift store? 

From my thrift store, which is all used and gross? Um….no.

From this Goodwill, when clearly they all have tags on them? Sure I would–if they fit. Never thought I would say that….

How about you? Would you buy these bras and underwear? 

 

Best thrift store in Seattle - underwear and night gowns. - Thrift Diving

 

And don’t get me started on the book section…….for real?? I felt like I was in BORDERS, for a fraction of the cost.

The book section was huge, and the prices for the books were very reasonable–just a few dollars. Maybe it’s so big because everyone is getting rid of their paper copies and going digital? (Who the heck knows. I still love me good paper pages to flip through!)

I had never seen a thrift store book section so expansive and well organized–just like Borders

 

Best thrift store in Seattle - Rows and rows of books. - Thrift Diving

 

I mean……if I ever want to learn to speak Croatian, I’m sure I could find a book on it right here in this section. šŸ˜‰

 

Seattle Goodwill South Lane - Thrift Diving

 

Really, the entire place was very big. You’d need hours to walk around here.

 

Seattle Goodwill South Lane - Expansive at the front entrance! - Thrift Diving

 

Take the furniture section…

I’ve never seen such a huge furniture section at a thrift store. My big thrift store here in Maryland has a great selection.

But this Goodwill…..it takes the cake.

The best thrift store in Seattle - South Lane - The largest thrift store furniture section I've ever seen! - Thrift Diving

 

 

Just look at some of the awesome stuff I saw there.

 

The best thrift store in Seattle - South Lane - Dresser - Thrift Diving

The best thrift store in Seattle - South Lane - Mid century modern dresser. - Thrift Diving

I love French Provincial furniture. If you’re a child of the 80’s, you’ll recognize this style.

(Remember the French Provincial desk makeover I did? I also did this French Provincial dresser makeover for my mother-in-law).

 

The best thrift store in Seattle - South Lane - French Provincial Dresser. - Thrift Diving

 

The best thrift store in Seattle - South Lane - Vintage Dresser. - Thrift Diving

 

The best thrift store in Seattle - South Lane - Wooden cabinet. - Thrift Diving

 

The best thrift store in Seattle - South Lane - Furniture aisle. - Thrift Diving

 

IMG_5094

 

How adorable is this piece? Very country-ish. Imagine with some beautiful paint. And it already had the wire door fronts.

Related: What’s the Best Paint for Furniture?

The best thrift store in Seattle - South Lane - Chicken wire shelf. - Thrift Diving

 

Pricey at $150, but catch it on a 50% off day…..and it’s a good deal!

 And I like that each piece had dates on the sticker, so you can see when the piece became available. Looks like this piece had only been out 2-3 days. Bet it didn’t last.

 

The best thrift store in Seattle - South Lane - Chicken wire shelf price tag. - Thrift Diving

 

And I don’t think my favorite thrift store has a CD collection. And if it did, it’s not like this one.

(Then again, who listened to CDs anymore? With Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube, CDs have become a relic of the past).

 

The best thrift store in Seattle - South Lane - CD collection. - Thrift Diving

 

The staff was very friendly, too!

This young employee, Jamal, was so cute when I told him I blog about thrift stores, DIY, home improvement (have you seen my DIY Project Gallery?)….and when I asked him if I could take a picture, he gleefully joked with his coworker, “I’m going to be famous!!”

Uh– not quite, buddy, but yeah, you’ll get a ‘lil recognition… šŸ˜‰

The best thrift store in Seattle - South Lane - Employee. - Thrift Diving

 

As for shoes…..they had tons of shoes organized by size.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find much in my size (it’s so hard to find 10’s).

The best thrift store in Seattle - South Lane - Shoe section. - Thrift Diving

 

I did find some cute Guess shoes but didn’t buy them because my airplane carry-on was already packed to the brim.

 

The best thrift store in Seattle - South Lane - Sandals. - Thrift Diving

 

To sum up my trip to the Seattle Goodwill on South Lane, it was awesome!

Seriously, if you live in or near Seattle, or are passing through (like I did), this is a thrift store you have to put on your “To Do.” You won’t be disappointed.

Again, the prices were a little higher than I’m used to, but I’d be willing to pay the extra $$ just as a “THANK YOU” for the excellent selection and organization of their inventory. Wouldn’t you agree? Plus, every purchase you make supports good in the community. WIN WIN.

Overall, this was such a fun trip!

Want More Thrift Store Tips?

You might want to check out these other awesome posts for thrift store shopping tips!

10 Things You MUST Know Before Hitting the Thrift Store

 

10 things you MUST know before hitting the thrift store: thrift tips - Thrift Diving

 

What To Do When You Can’t Find Anything Good at the Thrift Store

What To Do When You Can't Find Anything Good at the Thrift Store - Thrift Diving

 

I hope that you guys have enjoyed this little GO INSIDE feature on the Seattle Goodwill on South Lane! šŸ™‚

What’s your favorite thrift store and are they as organized and good at this thrift store in Seattle?

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29 Comments

  1. Shanna McGladrey says:

    The best time to go is Monday. That is dollar day. I remember when I got basically $500 worth of stuff for $20. But don’t let this be the only one on your radar. I often go to the one in Burien and Ballard. Both those stores frequently have designer brands. And to be able to get a pair of lucky jeans for $10…..gotta love it.

    1. Bellevue/Redmond has luxury brands. Both my Burberry scarves were from there as well as the 4 or 5 Burberry button ups and polos. These were $400-700 pieces for $10-25?! Even if you find ones that arenā€™t your size, you can make a killing selling them on eBay!? My spare time, I hit up Goodwills like a side hustle. Just sold a black and a white (2 shirts) both Burberry polos, size L, as a bundle, for $175. Paid $12.99 each. Guess whoever did the tags that day didnā€™t realize theyā€™re luxury so they just had the regular blue, green, pink, red tags on them. They should here been labeled w/ the black tags, the designer tag
      Color, so they donā€™t go on sale but guess it was my lucky day. Scored a pair of Armani pants/jeans, felt like new, just without tags, for $24.99. They were properly marked as black tags but still, likely $199-249 at Nordstromā€™s or Bloomys. Happy Thriftā€™n

  2. Susie Rodriguez says:

    I am planning on going to Seattle soon, can you please tell me about what brands can I find over there? I like coach, guess, north face, VS

    1. Yes, definitely all of the above. You have to realize it obviously depends on whoā€™s donating and when they do. Itā€™s impossible to say for sure, but I recommend going to locations where the median income is higher, more spendable funds = more money to spend on lifeā€™s luxuries..
      I recommend checking out the Goodwill location on Westlake Ave in downtown Seattle. Itā€™s very small but packed with designer clothing. Downtown Seattle has one of the nations most expensive rent/properties so one needs to earn much coin to buy/rent there, meaning theyll have the coin to spend the on brands youā€™ll likely wanna buy. Donā€™t let the size discourage you. Next is Bellevue/Redmond, then the Ballard location, ths biggest one of all is on Lane Ave right by T-Mobile stadium & Century Link Field. Heard this location is the biggest in the world? Itā€™s big, oh yeah duh the author wrote about this location. Then thereā€™s one by here thatā€™s a bit more rugged. They say to wear gloves and bring a change of clothing bcuz youā€™re sort of dumpster diving, but not really. I guess this where all the clothing that doesnā€™t get bought at the various stores here gets sent. They leave them in large bins or dumpster like containers and you can buy clothing by the pound versus individual pricing. Itā€™s interesting, havenā€™t had s chance to go myself yet but Iā€™d check it out. Thereā€™s actually a thrift store on Capital Hill, next go downtown thatā€™s not a Goodwill store, but lots of reviews saying itā€™s much better, they actually have better pricing, more reasonable thrift store like pricing and awesome selection too. The stores 2 floors of stuff. Havenā€™t gone yet either but itā€™s on my list.
      Good luck & have fun here.
      If youā€™re going with any men, suggest checking out Aurora Ave N, between 145th and 85th, lots of beautiful sight seeing here. Costly attractions, but still great window shopping, theyā€™re very welcome! šŸ˜€

  3. That’s my home town there.. Well almost but it’s my favorite GW.. The one in Bellevue WA is good too.. And if your a College student body size, the one at the U district is the bomb!! I agree their prices are a little bit higher but I got an email this week that all the Seattle area GW are 40% off all tages (except yellow) for Black Friday.. I might have to get my butt out of bed and down there!

    1. You’re so lucky to live close by to there! I didn’t find the prices to be too expensive. I mean, I bought some black pants there for $17, which is about 2.5x more expensive than my thrift store back in here in MD. I still wear them! šŸ™‚ But with the 40% off, that’s a sweet deal!! šŸ™‚

      Thanks for commenting, Erin! šŸ™‚

  4. Yes! I’m at that Goodwill at least once a week if not 3 or 4. Lots of stuff comes through and I don’t even look at the clothes! šŸ™‚ Value Village in Ballard (Seattle) is also good if you are in town again. Sometimes better prices, but the best VV clothes selection in town.

    1. Rebecca, you sound like me! The “bad” thing is that I drive past one of my favorite thrift stores every day, so the urge to go each day is STRONG. My garage is so full, though, that I have to stop myself. LOL And I LOVE Value Village! That’s where I go here. We have several of them. Is yours like a warehouse-sized building? That’s like mine! Thanks for stopping by my blog!!

      1. This is my sole opinion, I donā€™t discourage buying at Value Village, but I donā€™t suggest donating to them. Hereā€™s why.. Value Village is a for profit owned business, meaning the money they make, from all the donations they get free from the store locals in their area, they keep all the profit for themselves and their investors. Pretty cool business model right? Get things donated to them, sell them, and pocket the money. They once claimed that they donated it to charity but it was discovered this was a lie, they got sued, went to court paid fines for it. They now donā€™t make that claim, instead they continue to do what theyā€™ve always done, pocket the money. Whereas, Goodwill uses that money to better the lives of all that go to them to seek training, for better employment and whatnot. Itā€™s just me, Iā€™d rather know that the things I donate will go to better the lives of ones who need it, makes it a better world. I think thatā€™s one thing we all can agree on, a better world.
        *Key music* ā€œHeal the Worldā€ by Michael Jackson. šŸ•“
        Have a great Day everyone

  5. OMG! Thank you!! We are driving to Seattle today and I read your Blog in the car… My husband isn’t too excited but we are sooooo going to stop there because of your post!

  6. Matthew Bingham says:

    Hey Serena,

    Yes, Goodwill is the best thrift store by far in the state of Washington. Organization is completely what keeps me going back there. I shop 4 days a week at 4 different ones.

    They all do have one day for 1/2 off items-black friday. Although each store has different items that are 1/2 off. Not everything is 1/2 off. First year I went there on black friday 4 years ago they had cd’s. records. vhs movies/tapes, cassette tapes, 8 track tapes, books, and all electronics 1/2 off!

    So I walked out with 350+ cassette tapes…for only 5 cents each! Sold the whole lot on ebay for $500! Nice little $480 profit!
    Last black friday-all clothing was half off…and not just any certain “colored tag”. ALL clothing was 1/2 off. Got a few gunnesax vintage dresses…for $10 each! And I had to grab all the wedding dresses that were normally 25-$75 each. Got 6 of those. Total score!

    1. OMG, you sold them on eBay for $500?!!! That’s incredible! I guess there are a few last souls holding on to their cassette players, huh?! šŸ™‚ Yeah, I’ve never seen a thrift store organize by color, so that was freakin’ amazing! I wish I could visit again, but I’m in Maryland. At least I know where to go next time when I’m over in Seattle! šŸ™‚ Thanks for commenting, Matthew!

  7. I will definitely have to check this one out, I’ve been going regularly to a suburban Seattle one, and this one looks massive in comparison! I found this article via a Google search for “Best Seattle Goodwill” and really enjoyed it, great post!

    1. YAY, Daman, glad you found my blog! Yeah, I was really impressed with this thrift store. They had their stuff together! Feel free to stop back (or subscribe to my blog!) so we can keep in touch, since it seems you love thrift stores too šŸ™‚

    1. Sure thing! I hope they find something good at that thrift store! šŸ™‚ Thanks for commenting!

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