Store Profile: United Church New to You Thrift

The United Church in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood has been operating this thrift store — open four days a week — on this stretch of Morse Avenue without much fanfare for a over 75 years.  I used to drop in here several times a month as this shop was literally in my backyard.  And I love it.  For a number of reasons.

1. No one knows about it.  (Until now.  Crap.)

2. The prices are way reasonable.

3. The staff is beyond friendly.

4. There’s an interesting assortment of stuff — from clothes, to housewares, to books and vintage office supplies, to vintage cards and wrapping paper.

5. Despite the fact that it’s a small store that (from what I can tell) not too many people frequent, the turnover is remarkably fast.  Even at some of the larger chain thrift stores I frequent there are items that seem to lag on the shelf for months, untouched.  While that of course happens here, this isn’t one of those church thrift stores you only visit twice a year because the turnover is so low.  You can drop in here two or three times a month and still find stuff you didn’t see the first time around.

Don’t get too worked up, though — this isn’t a goldmine.  It’s not like you’re going to walk in here and find a Catherineholm bowl selling for $2.  But you can find some decent stuff for your home or office or Etsy store without breaking the bank, and it’s a really pleasurable experience thanks to the church ladies who run the register.

Open Tuesday, Thursday – Saturday from 10am – 3pm.

1545 W. Morse Ave
(773) 761-2500