Cat Angels Thrift Store
Cary is Wake County’s second-largest municipality and the third-largest municipality in the Triangle. It’s also home to several fantastic thrift stores. If you have a Saturday to ‘thrift-hop’, you can easily hit all five of these.
In addition to finding great bargains, by shopping at these stores you’ll be helping the community. Proceeds from each of these stores helps the charitable organization it’s affiliated with.
Also, check out this close look at Durham thrift stores, Raleigh thrift shops, and this huge list of thrift stores, consignment shops, antique and vintage shops and used bookstores throughout the Triangle.
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Thrift2Gift
Thrift2Gift
900 E Chatham Street
Cary, NC 27511
Thrift2Gift is one of the largest thrift stores in Cary, with thousands of square feet dedicated to clothing, shoes, toys, housewares and furniture. When you enter Thrift2Gift, you are welcomed by a carefully arranged furniture area that could be mistaken for a high-end furniture gallery. But once you check out the prices, you’ll be reassured that it is definitely a thrift store.
Do you like flash sales? Thrift2Gift will text you when they have one. Just sign up on their website for text alerts.
Do you like extreme bargains? There are two semi-annual sales on seasonal clothing that help the store move out the prior season’s inventory.
Most of the proceeds help fund local philanthropic programs through the Seeds of Mustard Ministries. Many of the volunteers who help at the shop are completing court-ordered community service, another aspect of the thrift’s ministry. The store is closed on Sundays.
Cat Angels Thrift Store
Cat Angels Thrift Store
2436 SW Cary Parkway
Cary, NC 27513
Cat Angels Thrift Store is a small but charming shop located, amusingly enough, in a shopping center along with a cat veterinarian and pet supply store, so you can have a whole cat-focused excursion!
The shop sells donated items, including everything from clothing with original tags still attached to decorative and household items, all at below average prices compared to other local thrift stores.
Because their prices are already low, Cat Angels doesn’t have special sales. Their staff often gets to know regular customers well and provides outstanding customer service. The store has limited space so they don’t sell furniture.
All proceeds from the shop support Cat Angels Pet Adoptions, a cat and kitten rescue and adoption organization and no-kill shelter in Cary. The store is open Monday through Saturday.
Dorcas Shop
Dorcas Shop
187 High House Road
Cary, NC 27511
Dorcas Shop carries clothing, shoes, small appliances, books, jewelry, toys, lamps, housewares and more. There is even a special area for vintage and collectible items.
The store is large, well organized and well-lit, with an efficient checkout arrangement that moves customers through during busy times, especially on the weekends.
New items are put on shelves throughout the day, so you don’t have to be the first person through the door to get a great find. Dorcas is open Monday through Saturday.
Sales on categories aren’t announced beforehand but can be up to 50% off their already low prices.
Proceeds from the shop support Dorcas Ministries, which provides services such as financial assistance, job training and child care assistance to area residents.
Habitat ReStore Cary
Habitat ReStore Cary
181 High House Road
Cary, NC 27511
Habitat ReStore Cary is right next to Dorcas Shop in the same shopping center on High House Road. There is ample parking available and several wonderful restaurants nearby in downtown Cary, less than two miles away.
ReStore is known for carrying building supplies, hardware, cabinets, furniture and lighting, but also has a large area filled with comforters and other bedding.
They are always restocking shelves as they get new donations in daily.
ReStore is open Monday through Saturday. There are a total of ten Habitat ReStores in the Triangle so if you are looking for a sink or chandelier and can’t find it in Cary, there are nine more ReStores to check out.
Proceeds support Habitat’s mission to build safe, affordable homes in partnership with hardworking families.
Guardian Angel
Guardian Angel
710 Laura Duncan Road
Apex, NC 27502
Guardian Angel is a thrift store on the border of Cary and Apex, with two other locations in Fuquay-Varina.
The Guardian Angel Thrift supports Alzheimer’s Research.
The store is one of the few Cary thrift shops that is open seven days a week. There are discounts for military personnel and veterans, teachers, and senior citizens. Call the store for details and required identification.
There is plenty of parking available and a pizza place next door for a quick lunch. The store carries furniture, clothing, housewares and more. They have an extensive jewelry selection up front with everything from inexpensive costume to sterling silver.
Pro Tips for Thrift Shopping
- The Triangle area and beyond has a wonderful array of artists and artisans and sometimes their pieces end up in a local thrift shop. Look for handmade pottery by artists from the Sandhills region of North Carolina. You can check the bottom of pottery items to find the maker’s mark.
- North Carolina is also home to outstanding crafters who do quilting and needlework. Handmade items in this genre are harder to spot but try to look for imperfections that indicate it was stitched by hand and not mass produced.
- And finally, look for original artwork in oils, pastels, acrylics or pencil, either framed or unframed. If the art moves you, it’s not important whether it’s valuable or by a famous artist. You will likely get it at an excellent price and will enjoy having it in your home.
- And, speaking of frames, high quality frames are often a great bargain at thrift stores. If you don’t like what’s inside the frame, swap it out. New frames at framing shops can start at $100 but a framed print at a thrift shop may only set you back $15.
- Do-it-yourselfers will appreciate the low cost supplies available at thrift stores. While Habitat ReStore is well-known for carrying items for home improvement projects, many other thrifts will also have drawer pulls, light fixtures, tools, ladders, sandpaper, and even unopened tubes of caulk at a fraction of the large retail stores’ prices.
- As with any purchase, don’t buy what you don’t need, but if a home improvement project is in your 2020 plans, start at the thrift stores — you might get lucky.
