Unique Thrift Store

Closed… Sad really… Looks like another payday cash advance buy yer gold/​pawn shop thing is going in… Boy thats gonna lower the property value…

I used to go to this location every so often but in the past year or so they have just started getting some really nice stuff clothing wise. We’re talking stuff that looks like it was worn once or twice. If you are looking for housewares and decorations for your home this is the best thrift store in Cleveland to hit up. It also has a huge clothing selection and they’ve added changing rooms in the past few months which was such a great idea.
Mondays rule at Unique stores because EVERYTHING IS HALF PRICE! But be aware that the place is packed like a Best Buy that just opened on Black Friday. However, Tuesdays they put out all new stuff so if you don’t mind paying a few extra bucks for something you can get a better selection of stuff. Thursdays they have an early bird special where everything is 25 to 50% off.

I must concur with Will — while I fear that a postive review will increase the suburban influx to this treasure — Unique Thrift Store is one of the best.
If you read nothing else in this review, there are 3 words every Unique shopper should memorize — «Half Price Mondays.» Yes, on Mondays, everything in the store is ½ price. You WILL be joined by every other
savvy bargain-​shopper, the working poor, single mom’s with screaming kids, and others from the fabric of Cleveland life. It is worth it. Trust me.
Having grown up right around the corner, when I was in high school, I indulged my mid — 1980s John Hughes inspired hipster self perception by buying a couple dozen, vintage cardigan sweaters. REALLY nice cardigan sweaters that I am sure came from some old man’s closet once he passed away. As I grew older, I passed those cardigans along to other thrift stores in Boston, New Haven, Chicago and Denver … but as I edge ever closer to «old man-​hood» myself, I wish I had some of those vintage 1960’s, pure wool cardigans again.
I, myself, have a fetish for old kitchen implements and have always found Unique (this one and the one on West 25^th) to be a complete treasure trove — the Le Creuset steamer I have in my kitchen (purchased for $ 1. 10 on ½ price Monday — Google «Le Creuset» to get a sense of the bargain on this one) is testament to that.
When I lived in Cleveland and had guests visit, a Monday tour of the W. 25^th and Fulton Uniques was always scheduled. Out of town friends were always amazed at the things they found. You can also feel good that you are keeping things out of landfills and supporting a charitable organization. And — of course — finding unique, interesting items that will elicit gasps from your hipster friends when they ask «OH. MY. GOD. Where did you find THAT. It’s so cool.» And you can reply, with a small, secretive smile: «Oh, just some little speciality shop down near Tremont. It’s a one-​of-​a-​kind, you know.»

+ Clothes sorted out by colors and types.
+ found my shirt for Halloween in 5 minutes.
+ At 10 to 3, cashier gave me 25% discount that was supposed to end at 1:00pm.
+ they have sports shirts on its own rack. Need a Tim Couch, Manny, or Northcutt jersey to «prove» that you’re not a frontrunner? Look here.
— didn’t have as many CDs, dvds, or video games as the one on Lorain.
This is one of the few places/​businesses where I wouldn’t want the business to have more customers because selfishly, there would be less selection for me. But, I did it any way because not many people in Cleveland read Unilocal (yet) and some already know: I saw a couple other guys my age checking out the men’s merch.