The Shop

I’ve been getting almost all of my clothes at thrift stores since college. For years I was going to the Goodwill stores around here — in Palo Alto and in Menlo Park — but the MP one in particular seems to have just gotten pricier and pricier, and with fewer items that I even like. I was so bummed out, but a couple of months ago I happened to wander into this place just down the street and was so happy! I spent over an hour here, trying on maybe 40 items (and walked away with probably 15 good finds!). There’s a nice range of prices — sometimes I’d pull out, say, a sweater with an interesting graphic, and think, hmm, that’s kind of cool and different, and then see it was marked $ 50 — obviously some designer brand I was unfamiliar with. But unlike the MP Goodwill, there are also shirts marked in the $ 5 range. I was sad that right after I found this place it was closed for remodeling, but hoping that when it opens at the end of the month, it will be as good or better than before!

Like other reviewers have said — I too never leave The Shop empty handed. Although I’m not overly girly, my favorite Shop find is a green and white wrap dress. Check by the Shop often because the best stuff will sell quickly! Love that it supports the local Junior League too!

I’ve had a few good scores here, but the prices are completely cray-​cray. Sure, those shoes are Miu Miu or LAMB, but they are super used, so they shouldn’t be priced at $ 75. Truly b-​a-​n-​a-​n-​a-​s.

great place to shop and have fun and get great buys!

I’ve shopped at The Shop on multiple occasions and am always pleasantly surprised at the selection of great quality items they have available. They have great sales periodically throughout the year — but be warned they are well attended and VERY busy! You can get great deals however so leave yourself some time and enjoy the adventure!
My best finds seem to be jeans and pants and I always feel so good knowing that I’m supporting our community through The Junior League. Now that I have a daughter I find myself popping in often to look at the children’s clothes and am always coming away with an item or 2.
I love that as my tastes change (or my daughter grows) I can complete the cycle by donating our clothes to The Shop and receiving a great tax receipt.
Selection is always changing so stop by often!

I walked in on a weekday afternoon — not busy at all, maybe one other person was browsing the store.
THE STORE: Clean and well organized by color, until you realize the clothes are purely organized by color and not by size. Um, what?
THE GOODS: The clothes were obviously secondhand, which is fine except I don’t want to pay $ 25 for a used sweater. For the price, I could go to Marshall’s and buy it new.
THE SERVICE: When I walked in, the ladies working there didn’t even look up from their incredibly important work of gossiping among themselves. What were they yapping about? Coworkers who weren’t there and outfits of customers who were in there earlier. Seriously? You have a job in customer service?
This place didn’t feel like a vintage or secondhand store. It feels like a place where you’ll get judged upon walking in and won’t feel welcome unless you know the staff or are «a regular,» though I can’t imagine why anyone would want to be one.
Thanks, but no thanks.

I went into The Shop today. The lady behind the counter did not even acknowledge me. The merchandise, in my opinion, was very overpriced for a secondhand store.

My mom is constantly pushing me to shop at the shop because I am a young professional and they have fantastic deals on designer clothes — 2 of my favorite things! The store is small but what can you expect? It is a non profit. Sometimes it takes some effort to find the good stuff but it is definitely there. I love supporting the Junior League and will continue to shop here≠]

The first time I stopped in The Shop, the traffic kept me from getting there until right before closing. Since I had driven all the way there, I wanted to browse quickly to see if it was worth a return trip. The woman working in the store was very polite while reminding me that they were about to close, and she warmly invited me back again to look around another time. I liked what I saw and appreciated the friendly attitude, so I returned today to get a closer look.
The clothes were all pretty clean, mostly in good or nearly new condition, and had no strange odors. I like shopping here because I don’t feel like I’m sifting through junk. The clothing brands ranged from Banana Republic, J. Crew, Ralph Lauren, Ann Taylor (and Loft), Wilfred (Aritzia), J. Jill, Theory to higher end ones like St. John, Armani, and Escada. The prices were roughly $ 10-​$ 250, some were a better bargain than others. They have a few fitting rooms to try things on. There was a small selection of handbags and jewelry in the glass counter, but I didn’t get a close look.
Pros: Carefully curated upscale second hand store with nice brands and reasonable prices. They take visa or mastercard.
Cons: It is a small store. All sales are final.
For donors: Just saw on their website that you can drop off your donations and they will mail you «an itemized list and donation receipt.» Convenient.

Probably a great store, staff was friendly. Racks are way too close together to get through even with a small stroller. I could barely get in the door with my stroller, so if you have kids in a stroller, don’t bother here, maybe go to the goodwill down the street. Prices seemed okay here from what I could see for a higher end thrift store, but don’t expect $ 3 pants here (read other reviews – this is a higher end thrift store). $ 10 for a pair of diesel cargos and $ 10 for an outdoor skort, which i thought was an ok price. Place was packed with people, usually a good sign. Mostly older people, though. From what I could see, most of the styles were dated or for an older group of people. But then again, I wasn’t able to see much… so if you don’t have a stroller in tow, it’s probably worth checking out, but if you do, keep walking, you aren’t missing that much.

Donated a bunch of gently used suits and jackets — which is why I was there in the first place. Decided to check out the store based on reviews. The selection is small, but pretty good. Definitely NOTHING like going to Goodwill.
Found a Talbot’s Irish linen dress ($ 20!!!), a silk Maggie London ($ 20), and a silk Pamela Brown skirt ($ 25). Feeling as if I’ve just robbed the store. :) There’s a seamstress just down the street (Style Alterations/​Nancy Lee) if you need clothing altered.

Clean, friendly ladies, items sorted by style and color, better prices than GOODWILL (UGH!!) and The American Cancer Society shop.
Last year I bought a blue leather skirt for $ 10 and to be quite honest the other thing I bought was also that cheap. So in essence it pays to shop their clearance racks. They have some sales coming up! I meant to snap a photo to post here, so I might have to go back and get the info.

I had high hopes for this store since it is done by the junior league. It looks like my grandma’s closet. Where was all the good stuff? I know members are required to donate a specific amount of clothing per year… So where is the good stuff?

This is my favorite of the Menlo Park consignment/​resale/​thrift stores. Their stuff tends to be nice and stylist, but without being incredibly expensive. I also love their book selection.
I picked up a summer dress here once that has turned in to one of my favorite pieces of clothing. Recently — in the summer — I needed a raincoat. God help me. They happened to have a cute (almost new, buttons in the pockets!) J Crew trench in my size for a great price. Perfect!
While their shoe selection isn’t huge, they tend to be cute and in great shape. There tends to be a lot of turn over — when I have come back after thinking about an item, it tends to be gone.

0-​M-​G wow why am I just now finding out about this place? Reasonable prices, GREAT products, and the $ go to a non-​profit. WIN! So for all of you who love shopping at consignment and second hand stores, you all need to go to Menlo Park and visit this place. I’m in awe of the quality of stuff they have here. Tory Burch? Manolos? Tod’s? Yep, all here. I just have to say, for those of you who donate your goods here, you really have good taste. It’s ridiculous on the treasures you’ll find here!
Only critique is that I’m bummed it’s not open on Sundays but I know the employees need a day off :)

Haven’t shopped here but have donated bags of clothing several times last year. Very convenient as you just pull up at the back door, ring doorbell and drop off. The last time I went I was a little put off by the gal taking the donation. She made a comment about hoping the clothes were not too «dated» so I stopped going there (1 star off for that snooty volunteer)
Had forgotten about the donations until tax time. Was pleasantly surprised to receive a computer printout listing clothing items, qty and a dollar value. The total deduction we received was over $ 800 and it was all documented much better than a goodwill receipt that you have to fill in yourself.
My comment to «the shop» would be that if I can donate $ 800 worth of used clothing that I would think that it’s not too «dated» for them to sell.
A suggestion to donors is to put your name and mailing address information somewhere on each bag you donate so that the items can be entered into their inventory system against your name.

Amazing deals. In the past two months, I have found vintage lucite chairs, Versace shirts, a fabulous linen blazer and great books. The selection is great and the prices are reasonable considering the high end brands. I mean, if you’re going to buy used, at least buy the cast offs of the muckety schmucks in Menlo Park.

I’m not a big thrifter, but I do appreciate a good local store.
There is a higher quality selection here than most places, but it might have to do with the neighborhood. The selection is moderately sized and it all fits in a small space. The clothes are nicely edited with some designer items, though some have noticeable stains, tears, and missing elements like belts and buttons. Everything is sold as is, so be warned.
There are a few gems here and some awesome deals when they have sales. The fitting rooms are quite spacious and well lighted so it makes it easy to try on the clothes. The ladies are friendly and it seems like they get a lot of regular customers since it seems like they all know each other. It’s a nice environment that makes visiting this shop a fun experience.

I didn’t think of myselft as a Shop shopper but my opinion has been changed. I found myself in Menlo Park with a few extra minutes to look around so I wandered into the shop. I couldn’t believe what I found, a replacement globe for my chandelier. The price was one dollar and far cheaper than ordering a replacement from the light store. All excited about my find, I looked around some more and found the cutest tin gingerbread house that opens on top. I paid an entire dollar for it as well. The tin makes a great holiday decoration and my son thought it was cool to boot.
If you have a few minutes to look around, I recommend stopping in to see what the Shop has for sale. The store really does have something for everyone at great prices.

SUPER CRAMMED in here!
The prices are definitely more reasonable here compared to Goodwill down the street. Jeans/​pants all around $ 10. Diesel jeans for $ 10? What? I cannot believe it. O_​O But I feel it’s a hit or a miss kinda spot… along with any other thrift store in town. I do feel a little claustrophobic whenever I walk into this store. There’s barely any room to move in the front of the store. I do enjoy browsing at all the things here! And it’s clean and doesn’t smell! I can always usually find treasures here! I just wish this store was bigger, with more space to walk around!
From Menlo Park Caltrain Station: about an 11 min walk