The truth is the best Value Village in Toronto isn’t in Toronto at all. You really have to leave the city if you want to find the best stuff. Even the best thrift stores in Toronto tend to be picked over because of the high concentration of ‘cool people’ all looking for basically the same things. Plus Toronto has a ton of resellers who quite literally make it their job to go thrifting. Even though the very best Value Village in Toronto isn’t in Toronto there are still some locations that are better to shop than other.
The best Value Village in Toronto if you don’t want to leave the city
Bloor and Lansdowne (Bloordale) – Permanently closed
The best Value Village in the Toronto has now closed, as of August 31, 2024. However it has been replaced by a new location just north of Bloor on Dovercourt.
Queen East and Carlaw (Leslieville)
This location is a close competition for the best Value Village location in Toronto (the actual city of Toronto, not the GTA). Because the neighbourhood tends to be a bit more affluent the donations also tend to be a bit higher-quality. Lots of modern brand name clothes here. The store is smaller than some other locations but still a decent size, clean and well-organized.
Dovercourt Value Village (New!)
The newest Value Village in Toronto is open as of September 26, 2024! I can’t speak to the quality of it yet but the size seems huge so i’m certain it will be worth checking out. It is located in a very unique building that used to be an old Canada Post building from 1953.
Have you been yet? Let me know how it is!
The best Value Village in Toronto if you can venture a bit further
Wilson and Keele (North York)
This location is also one of the best Value Village locations in the wider Greater Toronto Area. It is a large building with lots of items and decent sized aisles to walk down to browse and pass others with carts. It is clean and well-organized, which is a blessing for a thrift store. The neighbourhood also lends itself to lots of gently used brand name items and designer clothing. This Value Village location also gets a lot of praise for the friendliness of its staff. Not exactly a common compliment for Value Village but if you are a looking for a friendly thrifting experience then give this location a try.
The only warning about this location is that parking can be chaotic on the weekend so it might be worth it to try and visit on off-peak times like weekday evenings.
Dixie and Dundas (Mississauga)
This is one of the better Value Village locations in the GTA. In particular, because it is located right next to a few other of the best thrift stores in Mississauga. You can visit this location but also stop in at the Salvation Army, Mission Thrift Store and Talize without leaving the intersection (though it is a very large intersection). This Value Village location is large, well-organized and has spacious isles to shop. Definitely check this location if you are looking for furniture or lamps.
Victoria Park and Eglington (Scarborough)
This is a nice large Value Village location with lots of variety. It is clean, organized and with friendly staff. This location has so many options for all kinds of clothing, jewelry, accessories, electronics, books and household items. Definitely worth a visit if you want to venture a bit out of the city.
Yonge and 16th (Richmond Hill)
This is one of the nicer Value Village locations in the GTA. Similar to some of our other favourites it is large, organized and clean. Lots of gently used brand-name clothing and unique finds.
Weston/Hwy 7 (Vaughn)
This is a great Value Village location to spend a bit of time shopping outside of the GTA. This location in particular carries amazing housewares and furniture because the surrounding neighbourhoods have fairly large and affluent homes. Lots of trendy and modern clothing as well.
The best Value Village in Toronto if you want a road trip
If you really want the good stuff you have to leave Toronto and venture a bit further. A good idea is to find the best thrift stores is to take a road trip (for example, here are the best thrift stores in Hamilton).
Waterdown
Address: 50 Horseshoe Crescent, Hamilton
This Value Village location is definitely worth the drive out of the city. It is one of the biggest locations on this list, clean and very organized. The stock tends towards unique vintage finds but there are also lots of options for gently-used, brand name items.
Value Village Tips
- Sign up for the Super Savers Club. Seriously, these are the only marketing emails that I don’t instantly archive because it has deals that I actually care about #sponsored (haha, just kidding)
- Tuesday is Senior’s Day. So if you are a senior, congrats! If you aren’t, I would pick another day to go as it can get quite busy. Or do what I do and go in the evenings. This competitive crowd isn’t staying out past 7pm.
- Inspect every item carefully for stains and breaks because the employees surely haven’t before placing them on the floor.
- Keep a small bag of donateables in your car so if there’s no Super Savers Club promotion running you can donate and get a 20% off coupon before shopping.
- Dress in layers with your base layer being exceptionally minimal. This helps with quick shopping aisle try-ons because there are no change rooms anymore (RIP).
- Keep your receipts for clothing items and be diligent about exchanges! You have 14 days to bring things back that don’t work in exchange for something else.
