My Favorite Thrift Stores & Vintage Shops in Chicago

Chicago has a lot of thrift stores, ranging from hole-in-the-walls to mom-and-pop spots and curated vintage shops.

Thrifting is one of my favorite things to do in Chicago as a local.

This guide includes my absolute favorite thrift stores and vintage shops to give you a good, varied selection. I’ve found some real gems at these places!

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My 10 Favorite Chicago Thrift Shops

The Village Discount Outlet

A massive thrift store with infinite racks and shelves that has multiple locations around Chicago. 

📍 Google Maps | Website | Neighborhood: multiple locations 

The Village Discount is a staple in the Chicago thrift store scene. There are multiple locations in different neighborhoods but the closest to downtown Chicago are Logan Square and Roscoe Village. Set aside at least a couple of hours if you plan on visiting the Village Discount. These thrift stores are huge. 

The Village Discount is bursting at the seams with items ranging from clothing to household goods and the most random, out-of-pocket items. The Logan Square location can feel a bit picked over compared to the Roscoe Village location, but they’re both good. 

The prices at the Village Discount remain relatively low, so you’re sure to find some decent bargains if you’re shopping on a budget in Chicago. I recommend visiting on Sundays when they have special deals.

The Salvation Army (Sheffield Neighbors Location)

A large thrift store in the Sheffield Neighbors area that has a little bit of everything.

📍 Google Maps | Neighborhood: Sheffield Neighbors 

The Salvation Army in Sheffield Neighbors is one of my favorite thrift stores in Chicago. The store is really big and the on-site parking is a plus. This Salvation Army feels a little less picked over than The Village Discount stores and it’s often less chaotic. 

There’s a wide variety of clothing for men, women, and children here. You can also find a decent selection of furniture and home goods. Don’t skip over the jewelry counter either, I’ve found some really cool pieces here.

The only downside to the Salvation Army in Sheffield Neighbors is that prices have risen in the last year or so. 

The Brown Elephant

A unique mix of a thrift store and antique store where proceeds go to a good cause.

📍 Google Maps | Website | Neighborhood: Andersonville, Lakeview, Oak Park

The Brown Elephant is a thrift store with three locations around Chicago: Andersonville, Lakeview, and Oak Park. I recommend visiting the location in Andersonville. What’s cool about the location of this Brown Elephant is that it’s housed in a former theater building. The space isn’t what you’d expect from the outside. 

You’ll find a mix of furniture, clothing, and vintage bits and bobs at The Brown Elephant. You can find some real gems in this thrift store, but it’s also neat to just wander around and window shop. 

You can feel good about shopping here, too. All proceeds of The Brown Elephant go towards supporting LGBTQ healthcare at Howard Brown Health. 

Lost Girls Vintage

A cute and trendy shop that sells a mix of vintage items and new merchandise. 

📍 Google Maps | Website | Neighborhood: Logan Square, West Town 

Lost Girls Vintage is the perfect place to visit with your girlfriends. The shop is super cute with well-curated vintage items. You’ll find a mix of vintage clothing and homewares, along with new merchandise like accessories and artwork, a lot of which is locally made. 

Lost Girls Vintage is a great place to buy gifts or something special to spruce up your home or wardrobe. There are two shops in Logan Square and West Town. The Logan Square location is a little larger. 

Unique

A regional Chicago thrift store with multiple locations and low prices.

📍 Google Maps | Neighborhood: Irving Park, Bridgeport, Elmwood Park 

Unique is another thrift store chain with a few locations around Chicago in Irving Park, Bridgeport, and Elmwood Park. This is an awesome thrift store to visit for low prices. I’ve found some real gems at the Irving Park and Bridgeport locations and you can get a pretty good bang for your buck. Unique is far less picked over than other thrift stores closer to downtown Chicago.

👉 Pro Tip: The Unique thrift stores are in farther out neighborhoods. Read my guides on driving in Chicago and getting around Chicago for helpful tips. 

Crossroads Trading

A buy-sell-trade thrift store that specializes in name brands. 

📍 Google Maps | Website | Neighborhood: Wicker Park, Lakeview

Crossroads is a good middle-of-the-road store between thrifting and shopping vintage. It’s a buy-sell-trade kind of store where you’ll find mainly name brands. This includes trendier brands like Zara and Urban Outfitters with some vintage pieces thrown in the mix. 

Prices are reasonable compared to retail. You can find a good mix of basic and unique clothing items, shoes, and accessories. 

Buffalo Exchange

Another buy-sell-trade thrift store that sells name brand clothing for men and women. 

📍 Google Maps | Website | Neighborhood: Wicker Park

Buffalo Exchange in Wicker Park is very similar to the abovementioned Crossroads Trading. In fact, it’s even across the street. So be sure to check out both! Buffalo Exchange also has a buy-sell-trade model and focuses on trendy name brand clothing for men and women. 

Their prices are reasonable and you can often find unique vintage pieces among the racks. 

TRASH

A small but well-curated store in Pilsen that’s great for vintage clothing.

📍 Google Maps | Website | Neighborhood: Pilsen 

TRASH is a small, but fun vintage clothing store in Pilsen. The main thing they sell here is vintage clothing, but you can find a variety of accessories, shoes, and even vintage records. 

I recommend checking out TRASH if you’re really into vintage clothing. The staff is friendly and the selection of clothing is solid. You’ll find everything from unique statement pieces to basics like vintage T-shirts. 

Vintage Frills

A small yet packed Logan Square vintage shop that sells clothing and homewares.

📍 Google Maps | Website | Neighborhood: Logan Square

Vintage Frills is a small vintage store in Logan Square that’s packed with uniquely curated items. They have a few different “rooms” all separated by color. 

You’ll find a great selection of vintage jackets, pants, dresses, and more, as well as homeware and random items like toys and baseball cards. Prices are reasonable and it’s a fun shop to look around, regardless if you buy anything. 

Round Two

A vintage store that specializes in men’s clothing and shoes in Wicker Park.

📍 Google Maps | Website | Neighborhood: Wicker Park

Round Two is a vintage shop in Wicker Park that primarily sells men’s clothing, shoes, and accessories. They have an awesome selection of vintage T-shirts and new and used shoes like Jordans, Yeezys, Nikes, and others. It’s a cool store to browse around whether you’re shopping for men’s clothing or not. Just note that prices are on the higher end. 

🛎️ Need a Place to Stay? Wicker Park is one of the best neighborhoods to stay in Chicago for people who like to thrift and shop vintage. There are a handful of thrift stores in the heart of the neighborhood. The Robey Hotel puts you in the middle of the action. 

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I hope you discovered some cool thrift shops to check out! The thrift scene in the Windy City can be truly awesome if you know where to look. Check out my Chicago packing list next!

🖨️ Get a free, printable version of our Chicago packing list here!