Goodwill Columbus

This Goodwill store isn’t bad but its no where near my favorite thrift store in the city. The clothes are all at set prices which are ok but everything else is priced all over the place. They tend to charge way too much for really junky furniture and they resell donated Target items often at prices higher than the Target clearance price.

I just stopped in again to see if my elusive bookcase had arrived, and was surprised to see that the furniture wing of the store had been closed down! Bookcase! How will I find you now???

The location of this Goodwill store really bumps it up an entire star, for me anyway. It’s suIper close by, so I can make a pit stop there super-​quickly, or, on the other hand, if I completely strike out, I didn’t waste a bunch of gasoline on the trip.
I find that in general, this store has better items during the summer. Most likely since this Goodwill store is sitting right on top of OSU campus and gets less traffic from students during the summer months.
This location has a really great entire back wall of nothing but books. Great if you like to dig, and like to get books for 50 cents to 2.00. This is the place to go for a new pair of broken in running shoes, or some random board game for a party. The employees here are SUPER nice, which is not exactly something that you expect in a thrift shop necessarily.
This is by no means the best thrift store in Columbus, but if you enjoy the hunt and like to find something cool in the bottom of the pile, you might just be pleased at the end of a trip to this Goodwill.
Other big pluses to this Goodwill: there is ample parking, they accept credit cards, and the dressing rooms aren’t completely cringe-​worthy.

This Goodwill is kind of eh. I thought it was great when I first moved to Columbus because I hadn’t experienced many good thrift stores before, but after going to several others up here, I find this one lacking in a lot of areas. It’s located conveniently close to my apartment, but I rarely go just because I can’t tend to find much I really want from it. I think other thrift stores in the area give better prices and more selection, although you can definitely find some good stuff if you look really hard. Also, there tends to be stuff thrown everywhere and I get harassed by weirdos that hang out in there sometimes. So, overall, it’s worth a look, but there are definitely other thrift stores in the area that I would recommend more.

Larger than the Volunteers of America on Indianola, this Goodwill Columbus offers up quantity over quality.
Dirtier and dingier than I would like, this thrift store is great for finding parts for your DIY Halloween costume with racks upon racks of shirts and pants.
I do like the home furnishings section of this Goodwill. I’ve bought a few end tables, chairs and odd props for photography projects. I’ve even seen a doctor’s exam table up for grabs. Creepy and gross, but sort of neat at the same time.

This is a pretty solid Goodwill. I frequent it mostly because it’s super close to my house, and because the staff there is pretty much always friendly. Those are its two main selling points for me.
As far as the selection goes– clothes and books are always very well-​stocked and decently organized (though obviously it’s a thrift store, so you’ll have to do some digging). Furniture is hit-​or-​miss, though they get lots more stock around move-​out time for OSU students (late August/​early September). Household goods are also hit-​or-​miss, but I’ve never had a problem finding decent plates there.
The only issue with this place is that at least one manager has to be on drugs, given how they price some items. I used to go there exclusively for cheap jewelry, but recently the jewelry has gone from $ 1−5/piece to $ 5−10/piece, and not just the high quality stuff. I’ve seen a beaded necklace there for $ 15, which is ridiculous since it looked like I could get it new for the same price. Plus some of the furniture has been more overpriced lately– things that look beat up are often priced close to retail. Whoever does the pricing on those items needs to realize that it’s a goodwill, not a regular store, thusly things are supposed to be CHEAP. But for the most part, that’s just a problem here-​and-​there, and there are lots of cheap goodies to be found.

Not the best, but not bad!
The only thing I usually go here for are the dishes and other ceramics. I only use white and clear dishes and serving pieces, so I’m always on the hunt for some really cool additions to my collection. I don’t always find something here, but sometimes I walk away with great finds!

This is a good thrift store close to my apartment. I really like this place, even if it doesn’t compare to the almighty VOA a couple blocks west. But I’ve truly found some nice things.
The place is organized really well, and most of all of the clothing is color-​coordinated. The dressing rooms are clean and the crowd is decent. This place is most frequented by the Clintonville community and hipsters.
Best Find: An antique fully intact rocking chair for $ 15. It loves its new home in the living room. Cat adores it.
Most WTF find: A ceramic plaque with «Shalom Ya’ll» written across it. It sits above my sink now.
Most useful find: basic clothes for work.
It’s not the biggest and brightest thrift store, but I go back once in a while and find some good stuff.

As you probably know, all Goodwill stores are similar, but not identical. This particular location happens to be one of my favorites. Here’s how it compares to others I’ve visited:
The clothing selection is pretty large. Fairly well organized, although not perfect, but it’s pretty easy to find what you need (if they have it). I’m usually looking for vintage men’s stuff, and I’ve found a few good ones. This isn’t a gold mine, but it’s not bad, especially if you have some time to kill.
Above average book section, as well as a decent amount of movies, CDs, vinyl, etc. Also, a decent collection of electronics, knick-​knacks, housewares, etc.
The furniture section is a bit shabby, especially compared to the location on Morse, so check there first if you’re looking for a new coffee table.
Most importantly, the staff here seems to be above-​average-​friendly, which is always nice.

I am obligated to give Goodwill on High 5 stars after obtaining a pair of $ 325 dollar knee high Chinese Laundry swede boots for $ 5. I never leave this store without an armful. Amazing prices.
The organization of the store is a bit annoying. However, prices and the trift hunting is well worth your time!

Why did I always think this Goodwill might be better than average? I think perhaps that its proximity to campus and Clintonville might mean that hip, barely used clothes and home décor items would flood into the shop. Well, not so much. I’m regularly disappointed by the lack of selection at this store. I’ve never found anything here.
Maybe what happens is all those college students and Clintonville residents buy up all the good stuff.

I’m a firm believer that location is the key ingredient to what makes a thrift store excellent, which is why this North Campus Goodwill might be one of the worst in Columbus. The logic is simple– it’s only a mile north of Ohio State University. Never in my life have I lived within such a dense concentration of such a underemployed populous of people in my life, and as such the selection at this thrift store gets pillaged on a daily basis.
College students love love love their dingy and ironic $ 1.25 t-​shirts, which is something this store is severely lacking. At one point in time during the summer, I stopped in here on a whim only to find a grand total of roughly 20 t-​shirts for sale. That was it. What a bummer!
On the bright side (hence the extra star in the rating) there’s a decent amount of dishes and other kitchenware items here that are always handy in desperate situations. If you had a psycho room mate move out in a flash and steal all of your knives for no reason whatsoever, this is as good a place as any to re-​up the supply for under 5 dollars. You can usually find a decent pint glass or two as well, which is helpful if a small gathering at your place house turned in to all out war that ended in your entire collection of glassware getting smashed in the street by that one dude that no one actually knew.
Like I said, this place is hit or miss for the most part, and if you’re looking for the thrift store staples like cheap t-​shirts and the like, keep looking elsewhere.

There are a couple of things I like about this Goodwill. First, it isn’t organized. That’s awesome because less committed people don’t find the amazing junk that I want.
Second, lots of books. I found a first edition Vonnegut book there that’s worth a bunch of money. There is always at least one awesome book that I didn’t know I was looking for until I saw it on the shelf for 2 dollars.
Third, lots of coffee cups. I like 70’s coffee cups. It’s a fetish.

I stopped in yesterday with the little sis and browsed the aisle of this big Goodwill. Not so impressed with the men’s selection. The T-​shirt section was small and unorganized, and that is one of the main things I look for in a thrift store. Come to think of it, everything was very unorganized in there. I often found women’s stuff mixed in with the men’s. Then again, I guess that it pretty much assumed when you walk into a store like Goodwill that you will not find the cleanest most organized store around.
The one thing this place did kick ass at was the the tie selection. I found about 20 ties that I would buy, which is why I have no problem telling you all about the great ties. The cut of many of ties was absolutely perfect, just like all the fashion mags show the well dressed dudes wearing right now. The cool thing is that all these are the real deal retro ties, not the retro-​looking ones that you see in the mags.

No matter what fancy schmancy consignment shops pop up around Columbus this place has my heart. As a child, my mother used to drag me to op-​shops like this and I was so mad at her for it. She tried to encourage me to treat it like a treasure hunt. As an adult, I am just beginning to understand and appreciate this. There are SO many hidden gems inside this place!
I cannot speak for all of the locations around Columbus but I have never left this one disappointed… it is not uncommon to hear me say ‘WHO would give this away???’ as I have scored designer jeans, brand new high-​end stiletto’s, and amazing vintage shirts. They get new truckloads of items twice a week (Tuesday’s and Thursday’s I believe) and they are really selective in what they put out and how they organize it. I feel like the staff really takes pride in the presentation of the items which is nice to see.
I should also mention that they partner with Target who sends over truckloads of clearance items every week as a service to the community. Really. Great stuff!