Give Your Wallet a Break at Chicago’s Best Thrift Stores

These hot secondhand and vintage shops are ready to liven up your wardrobe.

It ’s never the wrong time to refresh your wardrobe . Sure , there are the standard resale shops likeRagstock , Buffalo Exchange , andGoodwill , but Chicago has quite a little of sincerely special spots — from minor , one - of - a - kind local shops to interesting large chain — that deserve your attending . Whether you ’re reckon for the sodding crop top for hang out by the lake , a marshmallow - puffy jacket to fight back against the wind , or a brace of ultra - wide - leg , mid - aughts dungaree for everyday wear , Chicago has plenty of thrift , time of origin , and resale shops for all budgets and style . Here are the top spots to help resurrect a decade or find a good deal on something otherwise out of reach .

Kokorokoko

Wicker ParkLet ’s get this out of the way at the jump — Kokorokoko is definitely more of a vintage store than a thrift store , but if you ’re looking for nostalgic ’ 90s and Y2 K ‘ scene , there ’s really no upright smudge in the city to find them . From Hypercolor windcheater to vintage sports jerseys to low - upgrade , flared jeans , Kokorokoko will have that limited something . It ’s open every twenty-four hours of the workweek .

Crossroads Trading Company

Multiple LocationsThis national string with three Chicagoland location is a local go - to for a reason . Although crossroad does n’t specialise in a sure era or specific way , it makes up for it in sheer plate , miscellany , and choice . Find everything from trendy sneakers , flowy sundresses , bomber jacket , and much more from a collection that ’s always seasonally appropriate at a fairish price .

Shangri-La

Roscoe VillageShangri - La isthebest piazza in Chicago to grab loud , outlandish , wondrous bit of ‘ LXX fashion . Locals know , however , that beneath the frilly poet shirt and dangerously wide lapel , there are some really , really special items here . Find vintage , gamey - timber Pendleton wool shirts , rare Starter sport gear , caftan , and gorgeous deadstock dresses — and for much cheaper than you ’ll get ‘ em on Depop or eBay . If you know , you know .

Elliott Consignment

Multiple LocationsIf you have an upcoming capital Es kind of case prognosticate for something slightly fancier than jeans and a thyroxine - shirt , make Elliott Consignment your first stop . Both location brim with evergreen , swish , designer fashion that have never ( and will never ) go out of expressive style . That ’s not to say that the survival is one - line or frumpish : Jaw - discharge dresses from room decorator likeRalph LaurenandBalenciagaare often in gillyflower . Swing through before your next rooftop prevention outing with protagonist , and watch out their head explode .

Brown Elephant

Multiple LocationsSome may cognize Brown Elephant as the best bit to provide an empty , overpriced Lakeview studio apartment apartment , and they are right . It is also , however , a wonderful place to piece up a comme il faut attire shirt , pair of jean , or jacket . Like Crossroads , the vibe here is very much dive - in - and - see - what - you - can - find oneself , though the pieces are carefully choose and seasonally appropriate . good of all , store proceeds and donation help defend Howard Brown Health ’s mission of funding LGBTQIA+ healthcare for the city ’s un- and under - insured . Brown Elephant also offers free STI / HIV screening .

Village Discount Outlet

Multiple LocationsAs traditional as a thrift computer memory can get , Village Discount Outlet ’s packed aisles burst with t - shirts , coating , jeans , wearing apparel , tops , necktie , swimwear , lid , belts , and spate of diamond in the rough . In plus to clothes , shopper can excavate things like retro video secret plan console and controller , melodic instruments , VHS tapes , and kitchenware . With a little metre spend sorting through , you ’ll leave with something you love — high kudos for a parsimoniousness computer storage .

Out of the Closet

BoystownEstablished in 1990 to help raise investment company and cognisance for AIDS Healthcare Foundation , Out of the Closet back up its community - focused bonafides with a wonderful survival of seasonally - appropriate clothing . Better yet , 96 cents of every clam made still goes to HIV bar and treatment services , so you ’re make a difference even while you ’re upgrade your wardrobe .

Kokorokoko