Second Stories - The Quest to Find the Best: The Top 5 Thrift Stores in Niagara

By Jody Vizza

As a longtime sustainable shopper and reseller of second hand and vintage items, I’ve visited plenty of thrift stores over the years. My Instagram followers will often ask “What’s your favourite thrift shop in the Niagara Region?” and I never have a clear answer, because it all depends on what you’re looking for and what’s important to you in a thrift store. I recently decided to take the question to task and in my quest to find the best thrift stores, I first asked my followers what kinds of things were important to them, then I created a list of the 31 Niagara based stores and visited every one of them over a six week period, armed with the goal to evaluate each one based on the following criteria:

VALUE - Does the thrift store offer merchandise at fair prices? A good thrift shop will find a balance between affordability and profitability. Is the pricing consistently fair? Does the shop offer special discounts, sales or something pleasantly unique?

MISSION & PURPOSE - Is the store a not-for-profit charitable organization or a for profit company? Do they support the local or global community or shareholder’s pockets? Do they offer food and clothing bank services, education, supportive counselling and outreach?

MERCHANDISE - Is there a wide selection of quality items to choose from? Are there new, used and vintage items for sale? Clothing for men, women and children, accessories, footwear, decor, furniture, electronics, housewares, books, linens, jewellery, hardware? Are the products clean and organized?

ACCESSIBILITY & ATMOSPHERE - Is the location convenient and do they have ample parking? Are there public restrooms and change rooms? Is the parking and store accessible? Is it well designed, clean and organized? Are the staff members helpful?

In my quest to find the best thrift stores in Niagara, here are my top five:

1. Port Thrift Shop

12 Charlotte Street, Port Colborne Monday - Saturday 9:30am to 5pm

Port Thrift Shop is part of the Mennonite Central Committee, an international charity that supports urgent needs around the world and the needs of their local Niagara not-for-profit partners and school breakfast programs. Port Thrift recently updated their floor plan and their store is very clean and organized. Great selection of quality merchandise (the only item they do not accept is furniture) that is consistently priced fairly. 10% discount coupon for donated goods, weekly coloured tag sales and some items are marked down to 50 cents (regardless of original price). Library/books room, vintage clothing rack and a silent auction, change rooms and a public restroom. Very kind and helpful volunteers.

2. Grimsby Benevolent Fund

40 Elm Street, Grimsby Monday - Saturday 10am to 4:30pm. Thursdays 10am to 8pm.

The Grimsby Benevolent Fund is locally operated and supports the Grimsby community with vital social services programs including a food bank, housing program, clothing and necessities. A large and busy store with a wide variety of new, used and vintage items including a large furniture section. They also have a section of the store where they sell new and used brand name clothing, shoes and handbags. Jewellery counter and a locked cabinet area where they display more expensive items for sale. Good value as well as regular coloured ticket sales, 50% off days, fill a bag days, etc. A public change room and restroom are available and parking is plentiful.

3. West Lincoln Community Care

2660 Industrial Park Road, Smithville

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 10am to 4pm. Thursday 10am to 7pm.

West Niagara Community Care is a community based notfor-profit, charitable organization that offers food, clothing, emergency assistance and a variety of programs to residents of West Lincoln. Store is very clean with a good turnover of merchandise, a good selection of furniture and home goods that are all very clean and nicely displayed. Prices are consistently very fair and they feature different sales every week (ie: 50% off all clothing, $2 racks, games at checkout for further discounts). Small silent auction, public restroom, change room and lots of parking.

4. Value Village 21 Seaway Drive, Welland Monday - Saturday 10am to 9pm. Sunday 10am to 7pm.

Value Village is a for-profit public company owned by U.S. parent company Savers Value Village. This is a large, organized and clean store with excellent selection and quick turnaround of merchandise. 30% seniors discount (60 years) on Tuesdays, 20% off coupon when donating items and a Savers points club. Self serve checkout kiosks. Store credit refunds available. Pricing practices are questionable, however sometimes negotiable. Restroom available. No change room.

5. Newark Neighbours Thrift Shop

1534 Regional Road 55, Niagara-on-the-Lake Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 10am to 4pm. Thursdays 10am to 7pm.

Newark Food Bank and Thrift store is a not-for-profit that serves hundreds of families across the Niagara-on-the-Lake area. A small, very clean store that sells clothing, footwear, jewellery, accessories, household items, small appliances at very fair and negotiable prices. A great selection of second hand and vintage items with a quick turnaround of merchandise. No furniture except for the odd chair or table. Weekly discounts on selected merchandise (for example, buy one piece of clothing and get one free). Most items are not priced, and the volunteer at the checkout decides what to charge. No public change room or restroom available.

This quest to find the best thrift stores in Niagara was a daunting task, but well worth the effort. I learned a lot and I’m looking forward to sharing more information and tips along with the entire list of thrift stores via my instagram.

Jody Vizza is an ex-marketer who lives in Fenwick Ontario and now rescues and restores useful second hand and vintage items along with original art to relove.

Visit @secondstoriesniagara on Instagram.

By Martine Mackenzie

Affordable indulgences – those two words are a true oxymoron – unless you are shopping at Wild Daisies Consignment in Ridgeway, Ontario.

Wild Daisies Consignment, affectionately known as ‘The Daisy,’ is owner Christine Trombley-Davis’ passion. “My lifelong dream was to own a clothing store,” says Chrissy, “especially a high-end consignment and vintage clothing and accessories store.”

Chrissy took the helm at The Daisy as the Covid-19 pandemic was winding down in the summer of 2021. “I’ll be celebrating my 3rd anniversary this June.”

With over 850 consignors and a waiting list, Chrissy has the luxury of curating the best possible products to bring to her clientele, which is made up of not only summer residents and tourists but also locals. The Daisy has a loyal following. “Think of it as shopping over 850 closets where you only get the best. I have high standards.”

The boutique is beautifully appointed and filled with vintage and modern clothing, shoes, handbags, and accessories. “We cover a lot of bases here – we can accommodate 16-year-old girls in 00 sizing all the way to clients who wear a 4X. We price all of our pieces accordingly to get our product in and out quickly.”

Consignment pieces are on 90-day contracts with price drops occurring every 30 days. After the 90-day period any pieces that haven’t sold are returned to the consigner or donated to charity.

Photos courtesy of Wild Daisies Consignment.

Because the pieces at The Daisy are so unique, the indecisive shopper could be easily disappointed. Humming and hawing over a blouse might result in it disappearing within minutes if you put it back on the rack.

Chrissy carries a wide range of labels in The Daisy from Joe Fresh and George, to Gucci, Armani, and beyond. “The Ridgeway community tends to be upper-class casual dressy,” Chrissy goes on to say, “and we service people from the United States to Toronto. I also carry European brands but primarily, The Daisy sells boutique items.”

There is no rhyme or reason to which pieces move more than others in the shoppe. “It’s hard to nail down and forecast what’s going to trend because there’s a market for everyone.”

Chrissy and her staff do a great job of advising clients looking for that something special to wear. “The general rule of fashion, is that you should have three tops to go with one bottom, which is your basic piece. So many different looks can be achieved with just a few pieces. And when we shop, we really do tend to have moods over style,” Chrissy adds. “A woman can be feeling bohemian one day and then be looking for a long formal dress the next day.”

Regardless of what one’s fashion quest may be, it’s fair to say that Wild Daisies Consignment has the best selection of consignment and vintage pieces in the Niagara Region.