ThriftDog: Minneapolis and St. Paul Thrift, Vintage and Consignment Shop Reviews: Salvation Army-Minneapolis Arc, Bloomington, MN

Reviewed July 21st, 2013

This Salvation Army thrift store, at the corner of 98th and Lyndale in Bloomington, has only been around for a couple of years. I know this because I was there the first weekend it opened in 2011.

Yep, that was me, right alongside the stampede of other ladies who had heard on the local news that there was going to be a bunch of authentic Prada bags on hand, donated by an anonymous source, for less than twenty dollars apiece. You better believe I galloped down there, only to find out that yes, there had been real Prada bags there and yes, they had sold out in a matter of minutes, probably to be resold for much higher on eBay.

But you might see where I'm going. This store gets some a-mazing stuff in amongst the usual donations of the charity store variety, and you just have to look diligently to find these prizes.

For example : A Kenneth Cole genuine leather tote for 6.99, suede Prada pumps for 12.99 (yes, the real deal), a robin's egg blue Wilson's Leather jacket for 35.00 with not a spot on it, several pairs of like-new Steve Madden boots and almost all of my Ann Klein work blazers and Banana Republic little black dresses. For chump change. This place is a bonanza.

Now, mind you, this is not high-end designer consignment. You're at the mercy of whatever people happen to drop off that month. And of course, you'll find stuff from clothes to furniture to electronics to bric-a-brac to books to used lamps and toasters, in brands ranging from crap to Target to Ralph Lauren, in stages of life ranging from brand-new to rather worn. But what's fun is the sheer mystery of what you might uncover. Shopping there is like going on a designer treasure hunt. You never know when there's going to be a real Prada mixed in with the Mossimo's, or in my case, a breathtaking robin's egg blue leather blazer from Wilson's mixed in with the Old Navy. They have large, clean dressing rooms where you can really twist and turn as you try on stuff, and there is even a Starbucks right next door in case you need a pick-me-up from the all that energy you're exerting in thrift heaven.

They have an excellent supply of clean used bedding (I've bought many a cheap comforter here, as I tend to discard them regularly due to cat-barf stains), nice rugs and decent electronics. I've even found a pair of awesome earrings or three. Can you tell I come here often? Probably two to three times a month.

All that being said, let me address the gently used elephant in the room. I know the SA has been accused of homophobia in the past, and friends have asked me how I can shop there. My answer to that is that I love this store too much to give it up, I'm not informed enough on the politics of SA to make an opinion, I don't believe boycotting a store is going to cure homophobia anyway, and well, this is a shopping blog. (And that's about as political as I'll ever get on this shopping blog.) Besides, if the SA is homophobic, then what better way to appreciate our fabulous gay friends than to buy and gift them some cool stuff courtesy of the Salvation Army? I did mention they have a fab shoe department, right?