Ark Thrift Shop

Perfect place to find used furnitures. A lot of sofas, dining tables and cabinets all in affordable prices. I hope I know this place earlier!

Great place for bookworms! The one and only reason I go to Ark is to buy books. And I go at least once, often twice a month. I love to read and can’t get enough of this place because the prices of books are insanely good.
ALL hardcover books are $ 0.50
ALL paperback books are $ 0.25
Every time I visit, I leave with no less than 10 books. Some I have heard of, most I haven’t. I bring my phone and pull up my Goodreads app, buying just about anything with over a 3.5 rating.

Love the Ark, I’ve been going here for five years and have found great stuff including perfect condition vintage electronics. For those who don’t understand why they are closed on Saturdays, it’s a Jewish thrift shop. Maybe the giant Star of David on the sign out front isn’t hint enough? People are so ignorant… but, I do love to thrift on Saturdays, so I understand the annoyance. For newbies, they will negotiate. Never pay sticker price.

I wouldn’t call this place a thrift shop; instead, I call this «supposed thrift store» a «indoor yard sale.»
What I saw was piles and piles of stuff. Furniture was stacked on top of each other. For some reason, they had a lot of washcloths and towels, all occupied in the back of the store.
The furniture and «gadget» shop has a different location from the clothing shop. I believe the address listed on their Unilocal page is for the furniture/​gadget shop.
While I was about to stamp «two (2) stars» on my review for the Art Thrift Shop, I found a massive collection of vinyl records. Well, hubby loves vinyls and I would go ahead bump the rating to 2.5 stars. I was excited and sent him a text immediately to announce my discovery.
As I was wondering where the clothing shop was, I found a sign, stating that the location would be on 1258 N. Milwaukee. Deal! Let me proceed that way!
The clothing shop, overall, was disappointing. The shoes in the front weren’t marked with prices, not even one (1) pair. Although there was signage everywhere saying «we will be glad to assist you if you have any question,» I didn’t feel like to bother you for price check.
The apparel section was virtually a hot mass! Their price-​tags were just stickers that adhered to each garment. So many of them have fallen. They did say «no price-​tags; no sales.» Well, I guess 40% of the merchandize wouldn’t be sold because of missing tags.
The selections were one of the poorest I’ve seen in all thrift store in the city. I mercifully raised another half-​star to the accessories I purchased. They were having a half-​off sale, and I managed to find one (1) beanie and one (1) beret for $ 1.64. Well, that half-​off promotion was really needed to generate businesses because they priced their merchandize way too high for their shabby qualities and less-​desirable conditions.
I believe the clothing shop is cash-​only, but I don’t know if the same rule applies on the furniture/​gadget shop. From my understanding, the entire store is cash-​only because I didn’t see any credit-​card authorization device or any POS system specifically for credit-​card transactions.
I will probably skip this one from now on. I don’t think it’s worth to make a trip over, unless I happen to pass by in that neighborhood.

Soo I fell like let me stop in today and everything was a dollar
Lol and I look around and
I fined a leopard heels
Old navy winter boots & heat for a dollar
Lot ppl there
Thanks
1−11−15

Not really organized. Stuff is everywhere. I love checking out used books at these places but just wasn’t very appealing.

Loooove The Ark ! Great customer service, perfect delivery and filled with treasures. Please don’t come here and leave all of the awesome vintage merchandise for me. In all honesty, I love this store. Lots of great deals for those who have patience.

Not sure what the other reviewers are talking about… The furniture here is reasonably priced and if you think something is too pricey just haggle! Plus they have sales here all the time. I got a couch and recliner here for $ 235 — The couch was brand new and the recliner was barely worn in. Delivery was only $ 60 even though I don’t live on the first floor and my place is a 20 minute drive from the store.
Yes the basement is dusty but not anywhere near a level that would cause discomfort. And this place definitely does NOT smell like urine. I’ve been to thrift stores that will try to charge you $ 100 for a broken tv stand that has cat scratches on it. The Ark is not one of those places.
As for the clothing section of this store — I’ve gotten several high quality work clothes here. From the outside the clothing area does look a little run down but just give it a try. As for the compliant about using staples on the clothes… c’mon guys. How many thrift stores do that? Most of the ones I’ve gone to do. It’s not that hard to remove the staples and doesn’t cause damage unless you’re impatient and just rip them off.

It’s a thrift store. They sell stuff that other people did not have space to keep or outgrew or just did not want. As usual the negative comments are mostly absurd and ignorant. To my understanding this place donates profits to Jewish families in need of medical and other essential services, so despite the conditions these are good folks. What have you done to help out your fellow man or woman today?

They make up higher prices for name brand clothes! They have a set list of how much things cost (Sweaters=$ 6, Jeans =$ 6, etc…) Well I bring up a sweater that I didn’t even know was name brand and the cashier lady goes «this one is $ 10.» and then rings it up. So I go «Aren’t all sweaters $ 6???» her «Well this is such and such brand so no» YOU CAN’T DO THAT! I understand if the item has a price tag and it is priced higher, but this had no price tag. YOU CAN’T just pull a random price out of your fat a$$!

I have recently been into shopping at thrift stores to find hidden gems to be up-​cycled and revamped. I’m not from Illinois, so I thought it was fun to take a look at this place. i went to check out their furniture for my brother’s place and did I score!!! I bought a sofa, 2 wing back chairs, 2 coffee tables, 3 trash bins, plastic organizers, and power outlet cords… all delivered for under $ 350!!!
Ernesto is very nice and helpful. There is a wide range of furniture and eclectic finds here. You just need some creativity to make it your own. I didn’t go to the other part of the store, it’s pretty big! I gave it a 4 because, I went on a Saturday and they were closed… so I had to come back. Not fun when it was 0 below degrees.
If you’re in town and love a good bargain… check out this place!

I only shopped the clothing part; the furniture and stuff is in a separate shop next door. I need to go back and check that out too, so I may need to update.
There are some really nice, high-​quality clothes here – you should go just to check out their coats selection, but definitely go through the racks of clothes too, you might be surprised at what you find!
I also like that they have set prices – all jeans cost this much, all sweaters cost that much – so you don’t have to fumble around for price tags. Also Mondays are half off all clothes, and every other day has its own special as well.
The only thing is that I didn’t notice a fitting room – to be fair, I didn’t ask for one either, so that might just be my bad.

I think this store is great it has so much to offer to the crafty and creative spirit. I love the staff they are so helpful and willing to answer any question that you have to ask in order to ensure you with the best service and quality of items and customer service as well. I will definitely coming back to this magnificent store. It has so much to offer at an affordable rate and price.

If you want furniture, glassware, books, record albums, or knick knacks, this place has plenty of them. Not cheap, but not full retail price either. The day my BF and I went, they were having a 50% off sale on «all» furniture, and there was a woman walking around marking quite a few pieces of furniture with a «not on the 50% off sale».
Their books are a good price at $ 1 for hardcover novels, believe softcover books are 50 cents. They had plenty of books.
They have clothing in place next door store & they were having a sale on clothing but not on the items I was looking at. Not terrible pricing, but more than I was willing to pay. I’ve definitely seen cheaper.
I heard they have a lot of fabric. I saw almost nothing of it. And what they had wasn’t cheap enough and nothing special.
Oh, and if you celebrate Jewish holidays, they had plenty of items for décor, and use for food display/​use. I’ve never seen that much in one place, which makes sense, as they serve to help the Jewish community with this store.
If you want to use a charge/​debit, they want a $ 10 minimum purchase.

Underwhelmed. The husband is out of town on business for a couple of days, so I thought I would find myself a little project to work on for the house while he was gone. Ark Thrift Shop is located within walking distance from the house, so I thought this would be a great starting point for my diy project. The store is somewhat grouped into furniture, dishes etc making it fairly easy to navigate, but the prices don’t seem reasonable at all in regards to artwork and furniture. The basement was a disaster and not worth the time, not to mention the smell and the sound of the floor above you about ready to give out. I will be finding my thrifty diy projects elsewhere.

Incredible thrift store. Great for finding hidden gems.
First floor is full of furniture, fabric, electronics and TONS of kitchen stuff (Great place to get that). Also on the first floor are some games and random odds and ends in glass cases.
Basement level is books, more furniture and garage sale type items. I have seen $ 500 skis and snowboards sold here for like 30 bucks. This is truly the spot for junk browsing and finding treasures.
***The staff is also known to bargain on prices!

This place isn’t too bad. It does smell pretty weird and I’m pretty sure the amount of stuff they have in the basement is a fire hazard… but you can find some pretty decent things here. Some stuff is wayy over priced, and they don’t negotiate. I did get a pretty decent bookshelf for my kids room for $ 10. After a coat of paint it looks brand new.

A few weeks ago, I went to the Ark Thrift Shop to donate several bags of house wares along with an almost-​new flat screen. At the counter where donations are made, they have a clipboard holding a stack of two-​copy carbonless donation forms. So far, so good.
I filled out the form on the clipboard, and then asked the manager standing across the counter whether the store keeps the top copy or the bottom. Rather than answer, he tore the form from the clipboard and begin SHOUTING at me that I had ruined the donation form below the one that I had completed.
«Look at what you’ve done!» he fairly screamed as he peeled back the first copy of the form that had been beneath mine to reveal some faint marks from me filling out my form on top of the stack. «You’ve made a big mess!!! What are you doing!!!».
Despite my immediate apology for this crime against humanity, he continued to rant for 30 seconds or more.
K, no one has spoken to me that way since my high school football coach bitched me out for a fumble (Coach Ford at least had good cause). And never mind that the proceeds from my donated flat screen alone would buy them 50,000 new crappy donation forms!
The «BIG MESS» was not the second form, it was the MANAGER.
Devoid of self-​esteem or self-​respect? Then run (don’t walk) to the Ark Thrift Shop. You’ll love it! All others, steer clear. Oh, and if you do decide to submit yourself to this place, keep a watch out for a new flat screen. True, if it’s like their other stuff, it’s probably priced at $ 5,000.00 if it has a price tag at all… then ask to speak to the manager! He’s always there to «serve» you…
NEVER EVER going back, not to buy, not to donate.

The Ark Thrift Shop is a great place to find a hidden gem, and I do mean hidden. You will need both time and patience if you plan to visit because you will have to dig through a pile of junk in order to find something worthy of purchase.
Overall, you will find everything you expect in a thrift store. They have a wide selection of clothing, furniture, kitchen items (including dishes), luggage, toys, books, records, etc. Nothing is organized, and many of the rows are extremely claustrophobic. I often find myself holding my breath on visits to this shop, out of fear of knocking over one of many towering piles of glassware that seem to be perched precariously in every aisle.
On my most recent visit, I found most of the furniture to be pretty rough: couches with ripped fabric and missing cushions, a table with giant scratches across the top, a dresser with missing drawers, a desk that was actually missing a leg. I was also less than impressed by the clothing selection, but I have friends who have found some amazing pieces here.
All that being said, it doesn’t hurt to stop in and take a look. The dishes, for example, are fantastic. They have a huge supply of dishes, including complete sets of china, most in very good to excellent condition. I would happily shop here for plates, bowls, glasses, and mugs. They also have a nice selection of books, including some great children’s books, and a huge pile of records.

1) People, so there is no confusion-​this is a bonafide blue ribbon THRIFT STORE. A hard core they way the used to be dig through the pile of lord knows what thrift store. This should be my only point but I will continue.
2) So you are not surprised– the product here has been USED. In many cases LOTS of times. It may even have been sitting in the shop for years.
3.) It’s not glitz and glam. The gentleman shopping next to me was having the most amazing conversation with himself. He was thrilled to be finding banged up pots and pans.
4) Maybe it’s me but I don’t have a hard time spending $ 5 on a vintage glass covered jar. Just because it’s thrift doesn’t mean it should be free. The money you spend at thrift stores goes to help people in need instead of to a big company or Jessica Simpson.