Salvation Army

Sadly, this location is now CLOSED! It was very hit or miss (as far as items and pricing was concerned), but it was also very near my house. It was not very well organized and some of the staff were a bit surly or clueless, but there were always things to dig through (frequently revealing a hence undiscovered diamond amongst the dreck). I found many cool things there over the years and I am now sad that it’s gone! Hopefully the space won’t turn into some foo-​foo boutique or even worse — overpriced, ersatz condos!

By far my favorite Salvation Army! It’s been a standby since my college days in Rogers Park. I’ve founds great stuff, especially homewares. They just have tons of stuff to dig through… and I rarely leave emptyhanded. Great for cheap house finds, interesting crap and totally useless bullshit that you shouldn’t pay full price for :)
Parking lot just south of the store. Credit cards for $ 10 and over.

It’s true that the smell is pretty bad – it smells like they have a mold problem, which is one reason why I try not to linger in there. Their clothing selection is also not the greatest. The whole place seems like it needs a thorough cleaning from top to bottom. The staff is friendly, though, and I occasionally see the great deal – A Pottery Barnesque sofa (of course, sold), a silver serving tray, an interesting CD, so I do poke my head in sometimes.