Goodwill – Long Island City, Queens

I’d like to start sharing NYC thrift store reviews. I’m always looking for great new spots to fuel my closet. I mostly shop for myself and Arthur, my fiancé, but do occasionally offer my finds for sale.

I had an interesting time yesterday going to the by-the-pound Goodwill in Queens. I always like to use Yelp to check out new stores to go to but I first heard of this one from a friend a few months ago.

The place was extremely interesting. Just these giant blue bins of stuff everywhere. You had to dig to find things, but it was great. I loaded up a cart (which I later pruned very well) full of all sorts of clothing. We also grabbed a couple plates and mugs, some books, and CDs.

A lot of the stuff has been picked over because most of the items are items that have no sold in regular stores. There are gems though that make all the digging worth it. The thrill of the hunt was great. The downside about this place is it can be a bit hostile to shop due to some of the more aggressive customers. We heard a lady say to another lady, “I’ll kill you!” over a pair of shoes. Staff also forces you to stand behind a line, leaving your cart behind (for somebody to maybe go through!) until they bring out the new bins. I believe this is because most of the customers will start running and pushing to get to the new stuff. I feel if the staff cared more, they’d make people act somewhat civil. I just stood back until it calmed down. Not everybody was aggressive by any means, however. A kind customer I never spoke to approached me with a beautiful jumpsuit for no reason!

We spent a bit over $28. I had to be good and put back the two crochet blankets I’ve been obsessed with collecting recently. Everything fit into a medium suitcase, and a backpack. Items with a * will eventually be offered for sale on Etsy or eBay at reasonable prices.

Things I found:

• modern light turquoise rain coat
• thin plain red vintage sweatshirt
• 90s pastel pique striped skirt with ruffle waist*
• faux fur 90s tiger print mini skirt
• short sleeve green velvet turtleneck shirt
• 70s tartan wool Pendleton jacket*
• black 80s jumpsuit with glitter shoulders*
• 70s floral wrap skirt
• a few retro ties
• black high waist pants
• mid rise charcoal The Limited pants
• soft viscose blend 7 for all Mankind*
• DKNY velvet black floral skirt*
• a few plaid button downs
• oversized mens sweater in grey and white
• large canvas tote with interesting logo

My overall rating of this thrift store: 3.5/5

Goodwill Store (by the pound) – 7 train to 33rd St
47-47 Van Dam St
Long Island City, NY 11101