Goodwill is Closing Stores Near Me!

I just learned that Goodwill is permanently shuttering 11 stores/donation sites in the San Francisco Bay Area this summer. Will my neighborhood thrift store escape the chopping block? It’s a small one and I fear its demise.

I will be sad if it closes. It’s been a part of my life for 12 years and I have found some fabulous things here–antiques, amazing crystal, sterling silver, handmade quilts, paintings, even a few good pieces of jewelry. At any given time about 50% of my inventory is from this one tiny store.

Here are some of my favorite finds over the years. Each of these netted me $100 to $200+ profit.

Thankfully where I live there are plenty of sourcing venues including other thrift stores, flea markets, great estate sales, etc. so I don’t lack for buying opportunities, but they all take more effort, driving, planning and sometimes $$.

And of course the other thing pressing on my mind is the possible closure of MY store in 2026, which would also make me sad. My Etsy store has been a part of my life for 13 years and I have enjoyed running it. I have grown quite a bit as a vintage/antique seller but I have so much more to learn and I hate to think of that all ending.

But I am trying not to get ahead of myself! The year is young yet. Stuff is still selling. (Just not like it used to.) I am still buying a few bits of inventory. I am also keeping my mind open to other selling opportunities and directions.

I did go to my neighborhood thrift store this morning. I hadn’t been there for a week because of my mini vacation and I was expecting/hoping to find some new things. And I found a few, but not what I want to be selling. The tall porcelain hand-painted Nippon pitcher is lovely but rather out of favor as a decor piece. (It feels a little 19th century bordello to me!) I almost bought the big wood Dutch cookie mold but it didn’t seem to have much age and I wondered about its popularity too. (Thoughts?)

In the end I found another beaded purse–this time a Saks Fifth Avenue–in like-new condition and bought that. I wouldn’t have without the Saks name. No-name beaded purses usually aren’t worth the effort.

In the last few weeks I have found two other nice quality beaded purses at this store–from designer Mary Frances–and it does make me wonder if they were all donated by the same person.

Well I am thankful that at least for now my neighborhood Goodwill is still up and running!

Wishing you happy hunting,

Karen