Circle Thrift

please watch yourself ! unhelpful hipsters with a uppity attitudes. I wanted to put my one pan on the counter top and was yelled at by some hipster in cut off jeans. This is the second time that someone has been rude and that kept me from coming back for a minute but that will be the last time i will enter that store.

ehhh better for furniture than clothing but they would be better if they delivered all over Philadelphia instead of just South Philly.

Dropped off a couple bags of clothes to donate at Circle Thrift — friendly staff, took it gladly and gave a receipt. Will drop off items again!

Since moved to Philly I’ve been looking for thrift stores and this has been one I always go back to. It small but you just have to really look there’s almost always something cool there. Don’t get me starting on their book selection LOVE

I’m getting to that age where it’s no longer acceptable to have Ikea furniture. And my Ikea furniture is getting to that age where it’s falling apart. Now you understand why I’m on the hunt for a new dresser.
I was so excited to check out this circle thrift location because the other Unilocal reviews mention that they have great, cheap furniture here. I didn’t find that to be the case whatsoever. In total, they had 2 dresser, 2 tables, and a couple chairs. Not much of a selection at all! And nothing was very appealing, either, though what they had was very cheap. I left quickly, and was extremely disappointed.

Oh, Circle Thrift.
Let me start by saying that one day I saw some bro donating what looked to be hundreds of (formerly) white t-​shirts, by then long turned gray. C’mon, man, if you don’t even want to wear your own undergarments, why would anyone else?
That’s the kind of place Circle Thrift is. It’s like thrift store-​reject pieces: frumpy old blouses (not cute vintage kind, either), pilled-​up dresses, yellowing t-​shirts, skirts with huge questionable stains on them (did someone bleed out on this or is it coffee?), etc. I’ve been coming here for 3 years and in that time I’ve found a couple blouses that were decent and some t-​shirts that say things like, «Telluride 16^th Annual Sanitation Department BBQ» so that I could practice sewing or so I could exercise in them, and that’s about it.
They do have an okay selection of housewares – I appreciate being able to get 6 forks for $ 1 (why does silverware always go missing like that?!) or a weird mug or a bunch of nice-​looking glasses to put candles in without having to buy something totally new. Also, you can occasionally find a gem of a book here.
I love thrifting, and sadly, Philly just doesn’t really have any truly good places. Step up your game, Philadelphia, before I have to leave you for the midwest or something!

NOTE: I came to Circle Thrift exclusively to look for furniture, so I can’t speak to the clothing selection at all.
Came here on the recommendation of a friend when looking to furnish a new apartment, and couldn’t be happier I did. Walked in and immediately found three large pieces of furniture that were in good condition, exactly what I was looking for, and absolute steals price-​wise. Better both in quality & cost than anything I’d seen on Craigslist. Really, really great stuff.
Here’s the big kicker for me, though: they deliver. There’s a delivery fee ($ 20 plus $ 10 for every additional piece), but for me that’s more than worth it in exchange for not having to schlep heavy stuff across the city and move it into a second-​floor apartment on my own. The movers were friendly and accommodating, didn’t complain at all about having to fenagle a big couch up a tiny staircase, and were great about giving me a call and letting me know when they were coming. Came during the (fairly narrow) time window they gave me, and were in and out within twenty minutes. Zero complaints.
I probably got lucky in terms of finding everything I wanted in one go, but I would say that anyone looking for furniture on a budget MUST stop here first. Three big pieces of good-​quality furniture + delivery for less than $ 200? Heck yes I’d recommend it.

When I think of this Circle Thrift, I imagine that this is what a thrift store run by squatters would look like. It’s in a gross basement, everything looks dirty, most of the items I pulled off the racks were stained or too worn to buy, and everyone there looked homeless. Sorry… it’s just downright drab. I feel bad, because the Frankford Ave. branch is just so, so much better. In comparison, that branch seems super posh.
Did I find anything? Yes. I found 3 Escada shirts and some designer shoes. Did I buy said finds? No. All of the shirts had stains and one had a rip to boot. The shoes were meh, even if they were by Irregular Choice. So, I refrained.
I’m not saying that I won’t be back, because apparently there are finds to be had. But… I’m just not feeling it.

dingy dresses,
smelly sweaters,
&
torn turtlenecks.
BUT…
dainty dressers,
comfy couches,
&
trendy tables.
the awesome selection of furniture makes up for the lack of quality clothing.

There are two Circle Thrift locations (that I’m aware of), one on Broad and one Frankford. They’re a bit different, so I’ll separate them:
Frankford — Unlike PAT where I always find something, Circle Thrift on Frankford is hit or miss for me. However, when I do get a hit, I get it big. For me personally, if it’s a bad day I find nothing, but if it’s a good day I find tons of great clothes and shoes. My mind is always blown at the prices, which are cheap even by thrift store standards. My favorite finds are a red-​and-​white striped dress that has become my go-​to for work and a big, super-​soft t-​shirt that says Jesus Loves Strippers (ok, technically my roommate found this, but she found it for me so I’m counting it).
Broad — I’ve only been to this location twice, but I’ve found great things both times. For some reason, more than any other thrift store I’ve been to, I find I need to be very careful about torn and stained clothing here. But wait! Don’t head for the hills yet! I have a story for you. Feeling rushed, I bought a dress I really liked that reminded me of home (hippie-​dippy Ojai, CA) without looking it over. Upon closer inspection, it was ripped down both sides and had several wine stains. I sewed up the sides by hand (a major de-​stresser for me) and Lestoil took the wine stains right out. It’s now one of my all-​time favorite dresses, and I wouldn’t have bought it if I had seen its imperfections ahead of time, so really things worked out for the best. Moral of the story: sometimes a great find is worth the extra effort.

I wasn’t crazy about this CT location. The quality of the items was definitely nowhere near the Frankford ave location, and I don’t really like that it’s in a basement– kinda made me feel like I was in a cave. This place definitely had a «dirtier» vibe.
That being said, my friends and I did find a couple of so-​so items, but only after digging for a very long time. Bottom line, this is worth a stop, but don’t go out of your way for it.

It was just OK. The staff were super friendly, though! Maybe we just happened to come on an off day but I didnt really find anything substantial. I think I have done better at Sophisticated Seconds on their $ 2 rack. I am a bit of a thrift store snob so maybe I was expecting a little more here in the city. I have been accustomed to the gigantic Goodwill and Arc stores in LA and Denver. I’ve been spoiled. Overall, I have not been impressed with the thrift stores in Philly. Most are picked over like road side carcasses.

This place is just okay. There is really not much here and you have to hunt through low quality merchandise to find anything worthwhile. They also do not have a lot of clothes, and I am sure that is something people primarily shop for at these places, On the plus side, they have a decent selection of furniture and they will deliver to your house.

Very hit or miss here. I have yet to find a great thrift store in Philly.

Unfortunately, I’ve never found anything in this basement thrift store. I realize that when you’re thrifting, sometimes you have to dig. Well, I’ve dug… and dug… and dug. Haven’t found one thing yet. I’ve pretty much given up. Maybe one day, I’ll try again, but the last few times it was just so sparse.

The most hit or miss thrift store you will ever enter in your life. Once in awhile you’ll see broken dishware or old shoes that are unmistakably straight out of the trash (or should be headed straight in.) It can be pretty funny.
HOWEVER
when Circle Thrift is on, it is ON. I won’t divulge my best of finds here, but know that they exist. Grab yourself a coffee and DIG!
Furthermore, I commend them on their free bin. I’ve gotten quite a few useful milk crates and odds and ends from there.
Finally, all the staff members I’ve encountered have been really nice and/​or fun to talk to.
PRO TIP: I can’t stop referring to this thrift store as «Circle Pit.»

I love this place. I walk in and the staff know my name and are extremely friendly.
What people need to realize is that is is a thrift store, and that you have to dig to find your treasures, that’s the whole fun of it! I love the whole basement atmosphere and the super low prices.
I scored a beautiful vintage wool Chanel jacket for only $ 4. Definitely will be back on a regular basis.

Solid Thrift Store. Its confusing about its religious message though. What sort of church does it support? Fire & Brimstone? Or marriage equality is ok? Its a considerable side note when wondering where to buy second hand pajamas or phone chargers.

Circle Thrift is alright. Personally, I think thrift stores should be about one of two things: serious bargain hunting (read: Super Thrift on Aramingo) or goofing off (Philly AIDS Thrift). The last time I was there, we were kind of goofing around trying stuff on, but we were being quiet! Just a little silly. The staff seemed thoroughly annoyed… their limited selection doesn’t afford them that kind of attitude!
However, they have some interesting pieces (we found an old coat with a real fur collar for $ 8). Clothes are arranged by color, which I super love.
Not much in the way of appliances, dishware, books, music… but what they do have is cheap as heck. It’s hit or miss but definitely worth the try.

Can be somewhat sparse when it comes to clothing. But when it comes to furniture, kitchen stuff, random art, books, and other various bric a brac; the Circle can hook up some pretty insane buys.
The clothing selection can be pretty small, and it always looks like the good buys were ripe for the picking. But a dedicated thrifter will be able to pull out some great buys that almost never go above $ 10.
The furniture is by far the highlight on most occasions, and you come across plenty of vintage looking items. its also pretty solid that they have 3 set pricing points for it — one for you to take it home the day of purchase, one for them holding it for you, and another for delivery.
The store is in the basement portion of the South Philly branch of Circle of Hope. so its a pretty big spot that maintains a lot of treasures. on any given day you’ll find intriguing painting and posters, old lamps, cheap dishes and Pyrex, books and vinyl for $ 1, and then some. And that makes it worth the visit on just about every occasion.

One time at Circle Thrift I bought a little friend of mine this sparkly, shiny, spangled, body-​suit fringed monstrosity of a leotard. Who owned this thing? An ice skater from the 80’s? A gymnast? I can only imagine the lunatic… but when my pal tried it on at Circle Thrift that day we laughed hysterically forever. We probably annoyed the Hell outta everyone in our vicinity. Victory… and a sale. Five dollars well-​spent.
Sometimes you must dig and dig for the rare treasure, my friends.