I often find some great household items in this shop, sometimes it has an odd odor though. They have a great selection of constantly changing items. There is a little parking lot in the back, and you can also park on the side street and walk to the three shops in this neighborhood.
This shop has nice inexpensive books, lots of old textbooks and religious books. They also have a great selection of household items. They get lots of new donations and so their inventory changes frequently. 
This shop does not have a lot of turn-around so the same items sit on the shelves month to month. I check it out a couple of times a year.
This shop is affiliated with the Achievement House, although it is much smaller than the other thrift shops of theirs I have visited. They had a bag sale and a sale on books today, I was able to find 6 books to purchase. As with all of the Achievement House shops, you must be patient with the workers, and the money goes to a great cause. This shop is nestled back in a strip mall shopping center just north of Santa Rosa, on the east side of the street.
The Atascadero Goodwill shop is just like all the other Goodwills in the area. This shop has a silent auction case, which you should always check out just in case there are any deals to be had. There are only modern books here, with a few older ones thrown in randomly. I noticed that there were quite a few hardbacks, not so many paperbacks. They offer some new merchandise that had probably been remaindered from some local store, as well as a nice selection of household goods. The Goodwills in the area run daily specials, today's was 10% for educators and students. Too bad there was nothing I was interested in, I could have used the discount!!
This shop is in a new building, after their nice old one burned several years ago. Their old one had so much merchandise, years worth, and I was lucky to have visited before it burned. They have been building up their merchandise since the building burned, and now have a nice collection of items for sale. Once you get past the Christian music being broadcast to the store there are some nice items to be had. They also offer a weekly raffle for those who bring their own bags!! Today I found a couple books, and one interesting vintage collectible bird card book from the 1930s!!
This is a great shop that is in an old mercantile building from the late 1800s. There are three floors, and it is a mall-style shop. I enjoy this style of shop because it offers lots of different types of items, and this shop does not disappoint. However, there were a lot of empty stalls, and there are a ton of "new" items for sale now. There is a second shop down the street, perhaps they should consolidate the booths again and get rid of the new items. That said, I did buy one thing here, and it was from a new booth!! The folks were friendly here, and I will definitely return again. 
This is another mall-style antique shop, and it is also in an old 3-story mercantile building from the late 1800s. It is nice to have two shops so close to each other, so you don't have to walk too far between shops!! Most of the items in here are old items, but they have had the same stuff here forever!! This can be good, but it might keep the locals from regularly shopping here, they will assume that they have already seen everything. I will definitely return here, hoping that there will be something I can't live without!!
This shop is a couple blocks south of the other two mall-style shops, and must be related to Remember When. The shop is smaller, only one story, and has lots of jewelry and stuff in glass cases. There is a lot of ethnic art and jewelry booths. There isn't a lot of the sort of stuff I shop for, but most people will find something they like. One negative is that there is a strong odor of mildew when you enter the building. When I am in town I will return to this shop.
I try to always stop at this thrift shop on my way through town. It used to be next to the Cayucos library, but now that the library has moved I fear that their customer base might suffer. Of course, the library might also suffer from lack of patrons due to the move away from the thrift store. There is a pretty good selection of books here, and also some home-crafted items for sale. There is not a lot of turnover in the shop, and I see the same things each time I shop here. I will still check the shop out when I pass through town.
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.
My first stop is the Family Thrift Shop. Once I turn left onto 7th from Grand I turn right into the first parking lot (there is a restaurant on the corner). This shop is a bit hit-and-miss. I have found some craft supplies here, as well as some household pieces (particularly kitchen items). They have an area up some steps that has electronic items, and there is also a little area to the right of the main door that is for "boutique" items. This shop also has quite a bit more sporting goods items than others in the area. I find the items here overpriced, and sometimes when I get the item home there was some hidden damage.
After I finish at the Family Thrift Shop, I leave their parking lot on 7th and get back on Grand. Stay in the left lane and then turn left on 9th. Turn right into the parking lot. From this parking lot you can visit two shops. The first one I go to is on the east corner of Grand and 9th. Green Bargain is a great shop, with a large variety of antique and collectible items as well as "garage sale" items. I have purchased decorative items, books, and kitchen items here. I was able to find a vintage candy dish just like my Grandmother's and I filled it with Christmas candy for my brother and his family last year. Some items seem a bit over-priced, but if you need a particular item that might not matter. The items are arranged in a logical manner and the people at the desk know where specific items are if you ask.
The other shop, St. Patrick's School, is across Grand. It is run by a church school and has a nice variety of items. I am always greeted by a friendly person behind the counter. I always check out the books here, they are quite reasonably priced and there is a wide selection available. I have purchased a handbag here, as well as some kitchen items. My favorite purchase here was a pewter tankard for $1.25 that I could use at the Renaissance Festival for my mead!!
When I leave the parking lot I often head up the hill to visit the Grover Beach Volunteer Library, a cute library in an historic building. I accidentally found it on one of my thrifting trips and they sometimes have books for sale. It is up 9th and just past Ramona on the right. When I am finished here I head back down 9th and turn left on Grand. Get in the right lane if you want to stop at Nan's Used Books just past 13th on the right. They have a ton of books, but most are not priced really well. This is the place to go if you are looking for a used book at half price and can't find it anywhere else. She also has some vintage books and I like looking through the crafting books. There is a large selection of audio books if you are interested in purchasing these rather than checking them out from your local library. I believe that you can sell or trade books here as well. I find this shop roughly-organized and I found it a bit overwhelming, and I think the only thing I ever bought here was a knitting book. Several times I have detected a cigarette smell and, worse due to the contagious nature, mildew smell. I have also observed and experienced some rude behavior on the part of the gal behind the counter. However, this shop has its regulars, so this must not bother many people.
Get back on Grand and stay in the right lane. Just past 16th turn right into the big parking lot. Head back into the strip mall and look for the Goodwill Store. This is a typical Goodwill store, but they often have an auction case set up. I recently made a bid on a vintage fly-rod, but was outbid. The one negative about this auction was that they wouldn't open the case for me to inspect the item I was bidding on. It is a silent auction format and there didn't seem to be a lot of people participating. I live out of the area so it was hard for me to follow-up on my bid since I had to do it in person. I have purchased books here, as well as kitchen items. Occasionally they miss a great vintage item and have it priced really low, so keep your eyes open. There are often items that are not marked, and the counter people do not know how to wrap fragile items.
