There is Plenty of Value at Value Village

#thesavageway team loves a good bargain. Recently, we had the opportunity to hit up two Value Village locations in search of some hidden gems. Now, thrifting and second-hand shopping is nothing new to either of us (Torrie or Paula), however this trip was our first to visit the new Value Village location on Independence Blvd. We found so many amazing finds, and plenty of value at Value Village!

Upon walking in, the first thing we noticed was the cleanliness and organized appearance of the store. We also noticed that a discount was being offered that day on blue tags. (In fact, a different discount is offered everyday – simply look for the color on the poster!)

Sections were broken up into accessories, furniture, clothing, books, toys, shoes, etc. There really was a little bit of everything here! We walked in not necessarily having an end goal. We were exploring and seeing what jumped out at us. Value Village provided some nice thrifting tips to help for a better experience.

• Don’t Go in With Expectations (True, you never know what you are going to find!)
• Be Patient (Great piece of advice. If you are looking for something in particular, visit often and there is a chance you will snag it for cheap!)
• Familiarize Yourself with Good Brands / Look for Vintage (This is clutch – look for pieces that will have longevity and are of good quality!)
• Bring a Bag (Value Village does provide carts, but carrying a reusable tote is perfect to load up in store & when you leave)

Torrie’s Finds:

• 1 gold serving tray
• 3 candle holders
• 1 glass carafe
• 1 mason jar
• 1 leather handbag
• 1 unique, amazing jacket

Paula’s Finds

• 3 baskets
• 2 metal candle holders
• 5 mason jars
• 2 glass carafes
• 1 SWEET blue poncho
• 1 small leather handbag

Best part of it all, after the already low prices, & the deals of the day – TOTAL COST $7.27.
Full disclosure – we hit up the Central Ave location and snagged Torrie’s jacket & Paula’s poncho for a total of $20.11 (we just didn’t snag a picture of that register.) 

WHY THRIFTING IS IMPORTANT
There are a million reasons why hitting up the thrift store is a great decision. It helps you stay within budget, recycle & repurpose old clothes, contribute less to new textile production and reduce landfill waste.

DID YOU KNOW:

• An estimated 13.1 million tons of textile waste is generated in the US alone each year? Only as estimated 15% of that material is captured for reuse of recycling.
• Average person creates 70 pounds of textile waste each year.
• 1 pound of textile waste produces 7 pounds of CO2. That is approximately 91.7 Million Tons of CO2 generated each year. (Textiles are one of the largest CO2 emitting waste streams)

DONATION OF OLD CLOTHES
While we do create far too much textile waste, there is a small solution to help reduce that waste stream. Carolina Value Village works alongside the National Kidney Foundation as their chosen non-profit. Through the charitable organization National Kidney Services, Value Village is able to go out into the community, pick up people’s unwanted textiles and then give a percentage of those sales to the National Kidney Foundation. Awesome!

FIND A VALUE VILLAGE

Charlotte

• 2917 Freedom Drive,
  Charlotte, NC, 28208
• 4451 Central Avenue,
  Charlotte, NC 28205
• 5700 E Independence Blvd.,
  Charlotte, NC 28212
• 6300 South Boulevard #300,
  Charlotte, NC, 28217

Gastonia

• 2541 West Franklin Boulevard,
  Gastonia, NC, 28052

Greensboro

• 3407 High Point Road,
  Greensboro, NC, 27407

Kannapolis

• 912 South Cannon Boulevard,
  Kannaoplis, NC, 28083

Mooresville

• 219 East Plaza Drive #A,
  Mooresville, NC, 28115

Bonus: Over Halloween, Paula & her friends needed some quick costumes and knowing that Value Village had a ton of clothing options available, they headed to the Independence Blvd location. Paula’s entire National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation Aunt Bethany costume (minus the hat) was found at Value Village for $6.14! The other costume was found head-to-toe (except for the wig) from the Village for under $10!

After seeing that there is plenty of value at Value Village, it makes a lot of sense to plan a trip to the location nearest you! You never know what you might find!!