Sunday, January 9, 2011

Review - Arroyo Grande Thrift Stores

Once I finish the Grover Beach thrift stores, I continue into Arroyo Grande.

From southbound Grand, turn right on Elm. Turn into the parking lot and go left behind the Domino's to Another Time Around. I think this shop is run by a church group, but I am not sure. They have a little room off to the right of the main entrance for "boutique" items. Don't forget to check out the drawers under the window counter display for hidden items. This shop is good for decorative items and books. I have purchased books here, as well as some craft items. I find that there is not a lot of turnover in this shop, I see the same items there for many months and not many fresh items.

Turn left from the parking lot onto Elm and get in the right lane. Turn right on Grande and immediately get into the left turn lane. Turn left on Briscoe and go up the hill. On the right, just after an auto body shop, is a tiny thrift store run by the Episcopaleans called St. Barnabas Thrift Shop. I like the selection of books here, and I often find some good deals on kitchen and decorative items. Like other thrift stores you might luck out and find a nice collectible item for a good price. They have bag sales periodically, and often have books on sale. Again, I find that there is not a lot of turnover in this shop, I see the same items there for many months and not many fresh items.

Get back on Briscoe and head down the hill. Be careful when leaving this shop because there is a lot of traffic coming down the hill. It is difficult to turn left onto Grande, but if you get impatient you might want to turn right and then make a U-turn to end up going southbound on Grande again. Stay in the left lane and keep your eyes open for a little driveway at the light (between the floor coverings place and the print shop). If you miss this turn you can turn in the next and backtrack. The shop is Treasure Hunters and you can find some real deals here if you are willing to search. The items are in sort of a rough order and sometimes you have to dig for what you want. There is a large selection of books and miscellaneous "guy" stuff. I usually buy kitchen items here, but have lucked out recently with some collectibles that were quite reasonably priced. There are many items that are not marked, and some items look like they have not been cleaned between the garage sale and the shop.

If you are still in the mood for shopping for books and audiobooks, when you leave the lot, turn left on Grande and get in the right lane. Turn right on Halcyon and turn into the lot for A-Z Books. I have never been in this shop before, mainly because I run out of money and motivation by the end of my thrifting day, but one day I will stop by here and update this review. While you are parked here you can cross the street and visit The Sound of Books, an audio bookstore. If you have anything that needs to be notarized, she does this too!! You can buy used audio books, or new audio books, and sometimes she has sales. When you leave the parking lot you can get back on Halcyon and head east to get back to 101. Sometimes I head up to Branch Street to see a movie in the Arroyo Grande Regal Theater or stop by the public library for some audio books.

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