Unique Thrift Store

Between this location and the one in Ohio City on Lorain, Clevelanders have a thrifting mecca on their hands. Unique has been THE thrift store in Cleveland for as long as I can remember. Always worth a walk through for a look see, you can pretty much find something you can't live without every time you visit. But if you can wait to find what you need - come in for one of the half price days instead. Each week, usually Monday or Tuesday, there is a half price day. You can fill your bag for next to nothing. Huge selection of clothing and accessories, and usually a nice range of books and housewares. I've found these items to be hit or miss, but you'll be really excited when you find something you want. I've also occasionally found vinyl records, of the most vintage type, at Unique stores. Unique is funky - you will see all walks of life here, and you will probably walk out with a bag full of bargains. Come back often as merchandise is always, and I do mean always, changing. more

There's a huge selection at Unique Thrift and I find something I like every time I go. Shopping for men's clothing is easy because some things are hard to do wrong (button-down shirts, khaki pants, and jeans). Any thrift store can sell these well; the fact that Unique Thrift sells them for at most $2-$4 is incredible. They sell other varied things from electronics to strollers to exercise equipment to weights; none of this usually interests me. What is remarkable is their supply of books. At 3 paperbacks / $1, this is my best and favorite bookstore, even though they have only about three shelves' worth of material every time I visit. Somebody else seems to have caught on to this, and lately Half Price Mondays have seen sadly half-empty bookshelves. This is disappointing, but I have faith in my cheap books and I stand by them. Among the romance, thriller, and other predictable trash, there is a thin veneer of fine literature. For a while every week when I visited I got a new Shakespeare for 17 cents; this was simply incredible. Go for the books. Stay for the clothes. (But be warned that it's a thrift store. There's something heartbreaking about watching a woman shop for underwear for her son here.) more