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The Best Thrift Stores in Austin, TX!

Dress to Skirt & Top Refashion: Refashionista in Denver!
Back in Austin: Brown Spring Floral Dress Refashion

If you want to get to know what the people in a city are like, go thrifting.

Whenever I go out of town, I make it a priority to explore that area’s thrift shops. Not only do I score amazing finds, but I also get to learn about the people in that community from their castoffs. I feel a bit like a part thrifter/part anthropologist.

Austin, TX is one of my favorite cities to visit and thrift in. The people there are colorful, vibrant, fun & funky. They have mastered an effortlessly quirky street style that I seriously vibe with and want to emulate.

That’s why I’ve compiled this list of my favorite thrift stores in Austin. Whether you’re just visiting or are lucky enough to live there, I hope you find your next favorite thrift store here.

What do you think? Doesn’t Austin look like a thrifting wonderland (I assure you it is)?

Also, if you can think of any places you think I’ve left out, please let me know, as I plan to keep this post updated with the best of the best thrift stores Austin has to offer!

Remember this dress I refashioned in my latest Austin visit?
Or this zebra-print Austin refashion?

Cheers!

Dress to Skirt & Top Refashion: Refashionista in Denver!
Back in Austin: Brown Spring Floral Dress Refashion

24 thoughts on “The Best Thrift Stores in Austin, TX!”

  1. I definitely have to add Austin to the list of places to visit if I’m lucky enough to go to the states after the end times! (Hubby would love to do a civil war tour when we retire).

    I agree with the suggestion above. We started wearing plastic gloves when we thrift a little while ago and they get black. We thrift at ‘tip shops’ (as in rubbish tip) were clothes are rescued rather than being thrown, and often these are not washed first. We always used to wash our hands after but since covid we started using gloves and I will not go back.

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  2. Roseanne, I live in St Louis and there are a number of thift stores here. There are multiple locations of St Vincent DePaul (Vinny’s), Savers, Hidden Gems Resale, NCJW resale shop, Club House Shop for Independence Center and several more. Happy Thifting!

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  3. WOW, Jillian. They all look amazing! Why were you in Austin to begin with. That is a long way to go for it. I live 30 minutes from St. Louis, MO and have yet to find any thrift/resale/etc. type shops here except Goodwill. I am going to google thrift stores in St. Louis. Thanks for the idea. HOpe you are well..

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    • Thanks! It was actually a LOT of work putting this list together, so I’m glad you like it! My primary goal of this trip was to research thrift stores for this very article. Getting to visit one of my best friends while there was certainly a bonus though! 😉

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  4. I’m hoping to head out on the road later this year and Austin is one city I want to see…. again. I loved it last time and this gives me even more incentive to hang around next time. Thanks!

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    • I hope you get to make the trip! They’re being pretty careful about COVID, and music venues are starting to open up too!

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  5. So glad that you made it Austin Creative Reuse. I’m on the board and love that place. Wish we had had the chance to meet up and give you a personalized tour. Perhaps next time we could convince you to offer a workshop or two?

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    • As am I! This is an amazing idea/organization and I’d love to see something like this crop up where I live. I’d love a tour/to do a workshop or two! This visit was a quick one, but hopefully I’ll have more time in my next one to make it happen. I’ll definitely keep in touch.

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  6. Go girl! I’m in Austin, and I love the Blue Hanger. A few things about it:

    1. Take allergy meds before if you are allergic to animal hair (I’m allergic to cats). I’ve gotten hives from not doing this before going.
    2. Wear gloves. Sometimes there is broken glass or sharp pieces in the bins.
    3. Don’t expect to be in and out in a short time. Digging through the bins for treasures takes time.
    4. The staff will tell folks to get out of an aisle so they can take bins and put in new ones. Folks get kind of pushy when they are putting in new bins. Realize that it is a free-for-all once employees say the bins are good to look through. People can push/shove. I usually wait until the rush is through, but some like jumping right in.

    The Salvation Army on 8801 Research Blvd usually has 50% off clothing and housewares on Wednesdays. The Anderson Mill store closed due to Covid and used to have the best sales on Wednesdays. You might want to call the Research store to make sure they have the sale. Every other day two color tags are 50% off. The colors change depending on the day. You can also haggle with furniture prices. Just ask to speak to the manager.

    Thanks for sharing these, lovely lady. There are a few on here that I’ve heard of, but never been to in our 24yrs in Austin. I look forward to getting out and finding bargains again. I always feel like Indiana Jones of Thrifting 😀

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  7. Hi I love your posts etc. but I just wanted to say that unless I click on your link from an email I can not find your most recent projects. I used to use the drop down bar which had your posts month by month. Am I doing something wrong or do I just need to remember what your email was about and search under clothing category? Thank you

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    • Hey Georgiana! If you go to my home page, all my posts are in reverse chronological order (or the shoooould be!). At the bottom of those recent posts, you should have an option to go to page 2, page 3, page 4 etc. But let me know if something is broken on my site!

      If you want to browse the archives, that section is still there, but it’s moved down a little. On desktop it should be on the right sidebar if you keep scrolling, and if you’re on a mobile device it’ll be near the very bottom.

      I hope this helps!

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  8. Hi Jills, love-love your blog! I’m from SC as well and curious your fav thrift spots in SC, especially the upstate. Thank you for sharing your talents, you always inspire me & spark my creativity for new ideas to try!

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    • What nice things to say! Thank you so much! I’m glad you like my lil blog, and I definitely plan on making a road trip upstate to explore more thrift stores soon!

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