Unique Thrift
Multiple locations
The Unique stores, located in nine Chicago neighborhoods (not to mention the suburbs and beyond), are a treasure trove of vintage and almost-new stuff at dirt-cheap prices. My favorite Unique is located at 3748 N. Elston. It’s super clean, well-organized, and doesn’t smell like mildew even on a rainy day. The size of a small supermarket, complete with parking lot, it mostly carries clothes and shoes for women, men, and children—but that’s not all. You can also expect fo find curtains, bedspreads, tablecloths, books, some furniture, and knicknacks and tchotchkes galore. The staff is pleasant—sometimes even helpful—and on Mondays everything is half price. I recently bought a large hand-embroidered pink linen tablecloth at Unique for just $4. It looked beautiful at Easter brunch. —Sterling Jubilee