ARF Thrift Store

Totally fun place. Parking is easy. Would go again.

This quaint and charming thrift shop is definitely worth a trip to for some great frugal finds! What’s more is that it’s completely volunteer-​run and all proceeds go towards the care of all the homeless doggies and kitties at ARF. What’s to hate about that?
It is hidden behind China Wall Buffet, next to that sushi restaurant and board game store where nobody ventures, so it can be super easy to miss. Like any other thrift shop, it’s musty and dated in the inside. At a quick glance it seems small, but there’s actually a back room where they sell more awesomely priced goodies. My personal favorites are the pet supplies and picture frames because there’s such a great variety. Where else are you going to find large doggie beds for $ 10 bucks?
If you plan on donating here, they will take in most things except old electronics or dirty appliances. Fair enough. Everything else, they’re pretty open about it. They’ll even sell your children’s old school projects if it looks good enough!

Went back about a month ago and had a great experience with FOUR different people who were working there: I dropped a glass by accident, and the volunteer who hustled over with a broom, and insisted on sweeping up, THANKED me for waiting until she got there (I wanted to make sure no one stepped on the shards). Wow! Very attentive and friendly, above and beyond service.

ARF is Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation. this spot is a thrift shop. location is in or near a former Hostess discount bakery store.
offerings: cheap clothes, upscale ones too.
buys: belts, 2/​$ 1
checkouts:
–store too hot inside, can’t stand tjhe heat, got out eventually but not empty handed.
–proceeds literally go to the dogs (and cats).
–pricing very cheap on some items
–sells mostly clothes, household goods

Kind of behind Fry’s, can be a little hard to find your first time.
Amazing thrift store, great prices, very friendly staff, lots of floorspace, clean. $ 4 Krups espresso maker? Yessir.
Your purchases help puppies and kittens. PUPPIES AND KITTENS. So 5 stars.
Wish it were open Sunday, but I also wish I could fly.

This is the best thrift store in Concord, Ca. Everyone is friendly and there is plenty of wonderful items for sale from jewelry to dishes and cloths.

Nice big store, very neat and clean. Not anything to compare except goodwill which is way more expensive.

I like this thrift shop, they have a nice selection of items. I donate items to them a few times a year. I go at lunch time to the back entrance to do the drop off
it is very sad to see an undeserved 1 star review !

Love this thrift store. If you drive by it, you might think it is pretty small, but it is actually rather large inside. As you walk in, you will see handbags to your left and framed pictures to your right. There are also a couple of glass cabinets where they store the china, jewelry, and other nice items. You will need to ask for assistance as the cabinets are locked. Further in, you will find clothing/​shoes. Keep walking and you will get to a large kitchenware section, and even further you will enter a very large room where they store books, home goods, linens, and furniture. I defy you to visit and walk out empty handed! Okay, thrift stores are hit or miss and you just might but because it is so large, your odds are greater you will walk out with something. I have bought a couple of china plates that were nicely priced. They also have specials. When I was last in, everything with an orange tag was 50% off. They advertise their specials in the front of the store and behind the register. And who doesn’t love their cause?

I love this place! It’s so cute and people are so friendly!
I’ve bought a lot of things that I wear on a day to day basis. I mostly buy pants to make into shorts and I might actually sell some because I’ve made way too many for myself!
The prices are always reasonable and they have sales pretty often.
Overall, if you love thrift shops and want quality items, COME HERE!

I have been going here since 1998. I bought an old RCA television for $ 40 that STILL works to this day. They have very good bargains and everything is in good shape. Sure some of the elderly ladies who are volunteers may be cranky but they are giving of their time. I have bought books, clothes, knickknacks, Christmas decorations, etc. AND the money goes for a good cause. I love it!

I’ve been going to this thrift store since 2003 and it’s the best! The monies made from the selling of the items goes to the Emergency Medical Fund to help low-​income people when their dogs/​cats need medical help. The items are of good quality and the variety of items are vast; they have named brand clothes, shoes, linens/​towels as well as kitchen ware; there is a crafts, baby and pet section; the book section is unbelievable. The sales on all items is well going in for! The volunteers, who work there, are always helpful, and you can see that they are there because of their love for animals and what this store means for the animals.

I for one am certainly sorry that Suzanne D. doesn’t like this store. And I’m sure that other avid thrifters (whatever those are) are disappointed to learn that the ARF store volunteers aren’t going to stay open after closing time and miss dinner while they get in some last-​minute avid thrifting. Perhaps Suzanne should visit a Mercedes Benz store; I hear they will stay open late if you show up with a wad of cash and a bad attitude.
Now that I got that out of my system…
ARF Thrift store rocks. It’s cheap and has new things every time I go. The volunteers are nice, if you treat them like, y’know, other people like you (only older and with more free time).
Books are my favorite here. I can get old sci-​fi trash from the 50’s for like a quarter. They also have good kitchen crap. Clothing is the usual, but it does seem to turn over fast. Unlike the big ThriftCorps, you don’t have to wait for it to go on sale, because it’s already really cheap. If you see something you like, you will leave with it.
Also, consider donating your things here, vs ThriftCorp. You will actually see it on the shelves (and find out how little it’s worth!). The money will go to help dogs. Dogs are better than people. I rest my case.

Sometimes the measure of a store is not the merchandise, but the service in the place.
I came right before closing time and was greeted with the fact that they were closing in 4 minutes. I appreciate that the shop is probably largely staffed by volunteers, and that they wanted to leave for the day, but that is no excuse for being really RUDE to someone who just wants to look around for a couple of minutes and, perish the thought, give some money to their cause.
The woman (an older lady who looked like my dear departed Grandmother) who met me in the back room was so NASTY to me that I will probably never return to this little shop (sad to say because I am an avid thrifter). Being a volunteer is no excuse, this woman should not be working with the public! She does not know how to speak to them properly, especially in a retail setting.
I would advise this shop to lock the door 5 minutes early if this is such a big problem (it’s not that hard to figure out). And I would advise the public to stay away unless they can adhere to this shop’s strict policies. Not very enjoyable if you are just looking for a little break in your day with a quick, fun trip to a thrift store.

I did a little Spring Cleaning and ended up with three large boxes of «treasures»
to donate to ARF.
Note to self — we got there at 3pm (They close at 4) and was told very
politely that they prefer to have donations in by 2pm… but they took
them anyway.
I know if I were to have spent more time here I would have negated my
Spring Cleaning efforts by bringing home four boxes of stuff.
In my short visit (Mr Rinky and son were {I’m} patiently waiting)
I took a fast look at everything. I ended up with a 100% wool
LL Bean cardigan with cute forest animals) for a friend of mine’s b-​day
and a deep purple camisole for me & a super soft mini teddy bear—
total coast $ 6!!! Score!
I love that this thrift store’s proceeds go to ARF’s medical fund for low income
pet owners in Contra Costa County.
The clerk was very sweet and patient. I love that she so lovingly wrapped the picture frames of a shopper in front of me as if they were valuable art pieces.
She chatted with each customer and made us all feel welcomed and appreciated.

Unique and high quality items. I bought a fancy top hat for only five dollars.
The store is managed and staffed by seniors and they seem passionate about helping people find thrift.
Mostly women’s clothes, I’d come back for the hats.

I found this store thanks to Unilocal and the reviews appealed to me.
I would have never noticed this place because I never go to the stores surrounding it so I’m glad I found this place. I’m a huge animal lover so I love the fact that they donate some of their proceed’s to the shelter’s (I might be wrong and the proceed’s may just go to ARF itself), either way I like their intentions AND I like the fact that I could bring my dog inside to go shopping with me.
Inside:
— Has that thrift store smell, which I don’t mind.
— Dressing rooms.
— Lots of clothes to look at, all color coordinated.
— Like a lot of people have said, this place is bigger than what I expected. My mom loves the back room that has dinner plates, kitchen essentials, etc.
— The worker’s are friendly and the prices are amazing ! I choose coming here than going to goodwill.

ARF is great if you love treasure-​hunting. Also, the thrift shop helps support animals and how great is that. Easy altruism or better yet, helping with your dollars.
The bargains are great. If you have an eye for treasures, you may find cool stuff here. Today, I found a great jacket, two t-​shirts and one thermal hoodie (all items looked brand new, by the way), all for seven bucks!
They have a huge back area that is full of different things. If you are down to browse and hunt for goodies, you will like it here.
The only minus for me is no A/​C in the store and I’m not a spoiled brat, but it does get super hot in the summer and browsing in a tepid store with a bit of a musty smell kind of distracts from the task at hand-​treasure-​hunting :0) but I still like the store!

The store is bigger than it looks like from the front. There are always specials going on, e.g. a bag full of books for $ 4; Pet supplies buy 1 get 1 FREE etc.
I found varieties of goodies with very reasonable prices! I would definitely go back and shop more~!

I stopped off at the ARF Mart yesterday donate some household items. I have a ways to go before Gayle and I eventually consolidate our households and these «purges» are helpful as I move forward. At the same time, it’s not always easy to shed some of the trappings of my single father and Albany homeowner existence that have sustained me for so long.
The ARF Mart itself is located within the mass of shops anchored by Fry’s Electronics. Sales proceeds support ARF Emergency Medical Fund® which provides veterinary care through the ARF clinic for the companion animals of low-​income Contra Costa County residents.
The store space is large, L-​shaped, and stuffed with lots of «stuff». Like everything else related to ARF, there is a huge volunteer presence that is always impressive and sometimes over the top. And that sometimes makes up for what I perceive to be some modest organizational shortfalls at this shop. There is a Senior discount on Tuesdays and of course animal companions are also welcome.