Will
you stumble upon a treasure? That's a bit of a crap shoot. Some thrift-store
aficionados suggest shopping during spring-cleaning season before things wind
up in summer garage sales. Calling around usually proves fruitless, especially
if you're into weird stuff. You're going to have to get your own hands dirty. A
lot of these places don't know what they have or don't consider it as important
as you do. One man's junk is another man's treasure, after all. Here are a few
places we've found with consistently bodacious yields.

Volunteers
of America (89 Canal Street)

Tucked
away in an alley is one of the most diverse and well-stocked thrift stores in
the area. Always great eclectic and practical finds --- like matching statues
of Jesus and Mary or a plethora of hardly worn Hanes Beefy-Ts. Clothes are
organized and things on shelves are stacked neatly. A large furniture section
in back includes a fine selection of moderately priced antiques.

Volunteers
of America (1185 East Main Street)

Great
place for luggage (including old school steamer trunks), smaller furniture like
end tables and coffee tables, and appliances. This location backs up to the
Vietnam Vets New Image Thrift Shop, making this a two-birds-with-one-stone
stop.

Hadassah
(345 Meigs Street)

Very,
very clean store. If it weren't so packed with stuff, you'd swear it was a
boutique. Book section has a selection of antique books, and everything is
clean, odor free, and in good condition. Not too much "as is" merchandise.

Vietnam
Veteran's (1119 East Main Street)

This
place is huge, with tons of knicks and knacks. Need a men's dress shirt? Look
no further. Wide selection of suits and men's clothes in general as opposed to
other places, where the scales are tipped in favor of female fashion. Large
furniture selection. Friendly, helpful staff.

Goodwill
Fashions, Etc. (Stone Ridge Plaza)

A
good one for Kennedy busts, portraits of horses, neckties, old silverware,
flannel shirts of an indeterminate plaid, new dead-stock toys, and goods like
Tickle Me Elmo and pink fuzzy slippers.

Volunteers
of America (571 Stone Road)

Some
really cool and inexpensive antique furniture from the 1950s. Big,
well-stocked, and well-organized. Wide selection of good jeans, not just the
stone-washed crap nobody wants.