Searching for Toronto thrift stores typically brings up a large list of vintage shops (SO many of them!)…. and then there’s Value Village. Neither of which is what we’re actually looking for when we say “thrift store”. Admittedly Toronto isn’t the best place to go for that cheap, thrifting experience. But there are a handful of smaller second hand stores in Toronto that are definitely worth checking out.
First, here’s the list of best thrift stores in Toronto. I saved you from scrolling. But you know what really helps my website? You scrolling. And clicking around. Don’t be shy.
For better thrifting: Head to Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington or Hamilton
For thrifting from the comfort of your home: A complete list of online thrift stores in Canada
Location: 606 Gerrard Street East
Oh hey Toronto, we’ve got a new thrift store! A real thrift store: low prices, fun finds and best of all the profits go to a worthy cause. Having just opened in the Fall of 2024, their goal is to create a fun and funky store (which is already evident on their Instagram account!). Definitely check this one out for some A+ thrifting.
Second Journey Thrift supports Journey Home, a charity providing free services to those living with a palliative diagnosis and their family & friends.
BookEnds is a hidden gem for secondhand books in Toronto. It is operated by the Friends of Toronto Public Library and has books, music CDs and DVD movies. Their stock comes from donations and from materials withdrawn from the library’s collection. Prices range from $.50 to $5.00 with the majority being priced at $1.00.
Location: 55 Orfus Rd Unit #4, Toronto
The Toronto bins is a true thrift hunt experience. Bring your AirPods and your hand sanitizer and be prepared to spend a good chunk of the day digging through used clothing bins. If you want any ease of shopping then this place isn’t for you. So why bother? $4.99/lb for everything, including shoes. (Note: previously the cost was $3.99/lb. Not even thrifting is safe from inflation!).
The bins are sorted by category (ie sweaters, dresses, pants) but you will need to dig through waist high bins in order to see everything. As with most thrift stores, quality is greatly varied and it’s obviously more difficult to do a visual scan and pick out things of interest. But if you are a diligent hunter you can certainly find garments in high-quality materials like wool, linen and silk. Bag your finds and weigh them. You can get quite a bit of stuff for $20, whereas $20 won’t even get you an outdated Forever 21 coat at Value Village.
Location: 310 Gerrard St E, Toronto
The Double Take Thrift store is a favourite for its cleanliness, organization and affordability. They have clothes, furniture and housewares and all their clothes are steam-pressed and linens are washed before being sold. The Double Take Thrift also has an element of community if you want to get involved in second hand clothes in an alternate way to just shopping. Definitely one of the best thrift stores in downtown Toronto.
It also has a “feel good” element to it that you don’t necessarily get at Value Village. Because it is a part of Yonge Street Mission, all proceeds go back into supporting Yonge Street Mission’s programs.
Location: 67 Front St E, Toronto
Wildlife Thrift Store is definitely worth a stop if you are in the St Lawrence Market area. The shop is spacious so there’s lots of room to look around without being jam packed with other customers. They even have change rooms, which isn’t something that’s easy to find at a thrift shop these days.
The Wildlife Thrift store is a privately owned, for-profit business, that donates quarterly to charities in each store’s respective neighbourhood. Their key partners are Covenant House in Vancouver and Toronto, Coast Mental Health and The Gathering Place.
Location: 931 Kingston Rd
Out in the Beaches, the Pegasus Shoppe is another one of the best thrift stores in Toronto. It’s not huge but if you make a morning or afternoon out of it then it is well worth the visit. They have books, jewellery, vintage serving ware, art and clothing.
The Pegasus Shoppe in Toronto is a social enterprise community thrift store. Their proceeds directly support Pegasus Community Project.
Shmata Thrift Store now has two locations, including a new one in downtown Toronto on Queen West. You don’t need to leave the city to thrift here anymore. The new spot is rack-based, with curated clothing for men, women, and kids, so it’s easier to browse if digging through bins isn’t your thing.
The original North York location is still going strong with 4500 square feet of bins packed with clothes and accessories. The bins are fairly shallow and easy to sort through, and the selection is usually pretty solid.
Prices start at just $6.99 per pound, and the staff are friendly and helpful at both locations.
The Salvation Army Thrift Store is also another chain thrift store with a few locations close to downtown Toronto so you can get a fairly good thrift experience without leaving the city. The stores have a pretty decent variety and high turnover so you can visit frequently and always find fresh stock. Though they are quite picked over because very we are all doing the same thing, which is trying to find cool thrift store finds in downtown Toronto.
While prices have certainly gone up at the Salvation Army thrift stores in Toronto we still find them more reasonably priced than Value Village. So that’s good, I guess?
Important note: St John’s Thrift Store is temporarily closed as they look for a new location. I’m keeping it on this list in hopes they reopen in Toronto soon!
This place is a gem in Toronto. The prices are great, the staff are friendly and there is a really good range of stock. The storefront isn’t huge so neither is the selection but it isworth a browse if you are in the neighbourhood.
The St. John’s Thrift Store supports St. John the Compassionate Mission, one of the very first non-profit organizations to adopt the social enterprise business model.
Finding true thrift stores in downtown Toronto can feel like a challenge, but there are still some great spots if you know where to look. While the city may lean heavily toward vintage shops, consignment shops and Value Village, these smaller, community-driven stores offer a more ~aUtHeNtiC~ thrifting experience. Happy Thrifting!
Ron says:
After reading this article it’s a great list but I think you forgot one really good one and that would be National thrift I’ve been all three of their stores many times as their stocking new stuff daily the staff are friendly and the products they have are of new and slightly used items items they get are purchased brand new items and consist of donated items as well they seem to be a small company as they only have three locations 1448 Lawrence Avenue East in Scarborough, 4410 Kingston road in Scarborough and 2341 keele Street in North York like I said I have found some of my greatest finds at this locations don’t get me wrong there’s other great thrift stores but like I said I think you missed this one and I’m not one to take thrifting lightly thanks for your time.
Heather says:
Ron, thank you for your comment. You’re right, these would be great additions to the post and I will include them when I get a chance. I appreciate the insight from a fellow serious thrifter!
Frank Vetere says:
Thank you! This is a very useful reference. ValueVillage has been my main go to, but it’s gotten monotonous. They seem to favour quantity over quality. Sometimes, you can find some discounted items at Designer Consignment stores that offer better quality . A favourite of mine is Fashionably Yours at 707 Queen St. W. My best score there was a long coat by John Varvatos.