Review - Cayucos Thrift Stores and Antique Shops

I enjoy heading up to Cayucos to check out their antique shops and thrift store. There is an antique shop on the left as you drive into town from the South that is hardly ever open. I did shop there once and got a great item so I always look to see if it is open when I am in town. Sometimes the library has books for sale, but I don't know if they will still do this in their new location at the grade school.

Remember When Antiques

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.

Rich Man - Poor Man Antiques Mall

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!!

Remember When Too! Antiques

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.

Cayucos Seniors Gift 'N Thrift

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.

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.

Review - Grover Beach Thrift Stores

When I want a good day of thrifting I hit 101 and head south for Grover Beach. I take the 4th Street exit and turn right on El Camino Real, then left on Grand.

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.

Get back on Grand and stay in the right lane. When you cross Oak Park Blvd. you will be in Arroyo Grande. See the Review on Arroyo Grande thrift shops for the rest of my review!!