Best Thrift Store That Was Never Meant to Be | a Thrift Store 2011 | Eclectic Monkey Emporium | (formally Good Thrift) | Shopping & Services | Phoenix
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Best Thrift Store That Was Never Meant to Be a Thrift Store

Eclectic Monkey Emporium (formally Good Thrift)

Located on Main Street in Mesa, this thrift store not only offers funky cool finds, it does good for the local community. The store was never meant for the public. It was created as a place for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault to shop, free of charge. But with so many donations and knocks on the door from residents wanting to shop, Eclectic Monkey swung open its doors to all. Be sure to head all the way to the back to visit the man cave, filled with bike and car parts and hip menswear. The ladies have their own space, too, filled with vintage dresses, round couches, and a chandelier.

Best Places to Find Yard Sales

Sun City and Sun City West

Why? Because old people have cool stuff, dude. Do your research on www.craigslist.com and www.yardsalesearch.com and make your way out to Sun City and Sun City West for the treasure hunt of a lifetime. The Sun Cities are home to retirees from across the nation, and when they're ready to part with their wares, the finds can range from World War II memorabilia to handcrafted furniture to other collectibles. Not to be crass, but keep an eye out for estate sales — that usually means there's an open house and everything is up for grabs.

Best Used Clothing for Kids

Hissyfits

This place for pint-size shopping is packed but organized —by boys and girls and, then, by size. There is also room, somehow, for toys and gear. The store décor is cute and makes the shopping experience fun. The prices are a steal and, yes, the place is jam-packed. But if you are a picker and like to dig for a deal, this is your place.

Best Alternative to Last Chance

Dillard's Clearance Center

It took a while, but we finally grew tired of the frantic, often bitter crowds and the harried help at Last Chance, and have renewed our former fondness for Dillard's Clearance Center, which is now located at Metrocenter on the east side. Neatly arranged racks of clothing, some of it very current and season-appropriate, are the order of the day here. Weekly unadvertised sales that knock up to 75 percent off of the already reduced prices make us feel like members of a special club, and we dig the impressive shoe department, arranged by size and style (rather than just tossed onto racks in piles, like at other clearance stores). Deeper discounts can be had from special racks of dresses and skirts priced as low as $4.99, and the menswear department always has a huge selection of name-brand and designer suits starting at ridiculously low prices. We're going back!

Best Teen Girls Clothing Store Where Grown-Up Gals Can Shop

Urban Angels

If you want a trendy piece but don't want to have to venture into an indoor mall, visit the teen-style store Urban Angels at Tempe Marketplace. It carries a little bit of everything, including T-shirts, dresses, jammies, and accessories of all kinds. Find a small piece to add a trend to your wardrobe or go all out with a show-stopping dress. Why leave all the good stuff for kids?

Best Costume Jewelry

The M. Jeweler

Once your eyeballs adjust, you'll realize this bounteous cavern contains more than just wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling rhinestone and crystal bibs, in every color that's ever graced a quinceañera or prom. Faux pearls, from believable to cocktail-onion size, share space with handbags drenched in satin roses, statement necklaces, and every kind of hat embellished with every kind of stud. Among the pathologically sparkly bangles, belts, cuffs, tiaras, navel jewelry, and hair ornaments, you'll even find a few baubles targeting goths and hipsters. Prices are clearly displayed, but "Ask assistance for details," as the sign obliquely suggests, to discover secret sale items. Arrrrr!

Best Eyeglasses on a Budget

Lesco

This is the place to go for straightforward, sort of old-school glasses on the cheap. How does $29 sound? They don't do your vision test, so you'll have to head to your optometrist for that, but bring in your prescription and they'll hook you up with a non-fussy pair of spectacles for a song. We've even seen a funky (in a good way) pair or two come out of Lesco.

Best High-End Jewelry at Low-End Prices

C & G Jewelers

We got roped into helping a total stranger pick out an engagement ring for his wife-to-be — not the sort of thing we would normally find ourselves doing, but that's the kind of thing that happens at family-owned and -operated C & G Jewelers. The warm, pleasant atmosphere just sort of fosters this kind of down-home friendliness from staff and customers alike. Not that people go to C & G looking for a nice place to meet others. Smart shoppers and fans of gold and diamonds head there in search of treasures — and always find them, naturally. New and vintage watches, one-of-a-kind cocktail rings and earrings, and tennis bracelets galore — that's what discerning jewelry shoppers want, and always get, from C & G. The friendly atmosphere is just a shiny bonus.

Best Design-It- Yourself T-Shirts

Brand X

Brand X offers a 1-2-3 process to get your T-shirt made. Step one: Pick your shirt. Step two: Pick your words and images. Step three: They make it for you. All that is left to do is show off your funky style to your friends. Get what you want while not having to lift as much as a finger. Well, okay, you need to turn the pages of the store's catalog to pick what you want, but really, can't you do that much?

Best Place to Blow a Paycheck on Toys

Red Hot Robot

Red Hot Robot's website has an entire page devoted to robots. We don't really have to say much more about them than that, but we will. The store's selection of metal mechanoids is second to none (in the known universe, that is), and Red Hot Robot also carries an artful array of vinyl toys in non-robot shapes. Do you need to get creative with a Munny vinyl toy? Maybe you're looking for some Japanese cell phone straps. If it's the sort of object your inner child desires, you'll find it here. Just don't expect to pay with your lunch money. Red Hot Robot sells designer toys, meaning that (for the most part) you're going to have to pay adult prices. Thank your robot overlords for your striped, plastic credit rectangles, human.

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