Cleveland Thrift Store Lives Up To Its Name

Truly Unique: Second-hand shopping is always in style at Oberlin. (photo by Areca Treon)

"How about this one?" My roommate grinned, flaunting a bright blue nurse coat in front of the mirror. It was probably the eighth coat she'd pulled out of the long racks of Unique Thrift and put on just for fun. Our goal was to find her a winter coat. However, at this rate it took quite some time

The town of Oberlin, as quaint as it is, leaves the avid thrift store shopper wanting something more, something bigger, perhaps, with more choices at lower prices. Luckily, Unique Thrift stores in Cleveland are only 25 minutes away. Every Cleveland resident we asked knew directions to at least one Cleveland Unique outlet. We got directions and an enthusiastic personal endorsement from our diner waitress.

An odd hybrid of hometown funkiness and national chain familiarity, Unique Thrift has 12 locations in Midwest cities, including four in Cleveland. The building we visited had nearly warehouse-sized proportions and was better organized than most Filene's Basements, with professional overhead signs above each department of the store.

As we walked in, a welcoming board displayed the day's "half-price colors," and three out of the four tag colors are always 50 percent off. Today, it was orange, green and pink. Another wall was devoted to announcing that, "All items are half price on Mondays!" Prices were slightly high, but given the opportunity for discounts, a smart shopper could definitely find bargains. An old pair of Doc Martens and a down vest in good condition were each five dollars at full cost.

Like any thrift store experience, there was a bit of luck involved. This was especially true at Unique because there were no changing rooms. Most items had minor signs of wear, such as a missing button. The bigger challenge was finding items that fit into any category of style. With a little bit of focus and determination, however, treasures abound. Anyone could find something to complement his or her wardrobe nicely.

The staff members were colorful, eccentric characters, as were the customers. Often, it was hard to distinguish who was who. Both populations seemed to consist of elderly women and punks. In either case, the staff members were amusing, friendly, for the most part helpful and an indispensable part of the experience.

Clothing is not the only reason for traveling to Unique Thrift. After we finally found a winning coat, (at half price no less!), we headed over to the kitchenware "department." Cheap kitchenware and unpredictable appliances graced the back shelves. Many of the cups and mugs had corporate insignias on them, but the age of the wares gave them a certain retro coolness. We were torn between getting bright yellow McDonald's mugs or black cups with silver embossed owls on them. We decided the owls were unbeatable.

Unique Thrift may be big business trying to capitalize on markets where previously only the Salvation Army and Goodwill had been, but in the tradition of big business it does bring great deals, convienence and good selection, without losing any of the thrift store charm.

Loaded with cooking pots, a winter coat and other items, we headed back to Oberlin completely satisfied.

Unique Thrift's most popular Cleveland outlet is on Fulton Road, but other locations can be found on their website, www.uniquethriftstore.com.