9 Detroit Thrift Stores For Life In Motor City’s Anti-Fast Fashion Lane
Goodbye fast fashion; hello Motor City’s thrift shopping slow lane.
Detroit is proof positive that the Great Lakes State is also the Great Thrifting State with a huge selection of af-Ford-able secondhand goodies to cloak your home and yourself.
Because Detroiters may love their square pizza, but that doesn’t mean they dress like squares.
As a historical center of American culture, Detroit birthed the modern automobile, Motown, Eminem, techno, and radio news.
So, if you’re looking to collect relics of America’s past or to support locally in “the 313,” scour no further than this list of best thrift stores in Detroit, Michigan.
Before you do like OG Detroiter Aretha Franklin and demand some “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” for our environment, peruse our thrift shopping tips (or watch the video highlights below) and peep below to learn about why thrift shops in Detroit are paving the way to a better future.
The Full List Of Thrift Shops Detroit
1. Public Thrift
About Public Thrift Store Detroit
Looking for some thrifted streetwear like ‘90s sports jackets, a vintage NASA bomber jacket, or a retro windbreaker?
Public Thrift not only sells some of the best used clothing Detroit residents could ask for, but they also care about making their local community a better place.
They call their business model a “worker-cooperative,” meaning the power of the business lies in the hands of their workers.
They proudly pay workers well-above minimum wage, partner with nonprofits and mutual aid groups to donate stock overflow, and provide consignment opportunities to locals to make a bit of extra cash.
They also host a wealth of neat events monthly, like their $10 Fill-A-Bag, where on the first Friday and Saturday of every month, customers can fill a bag for just $10, and can do it as many times as they wish.
Location: Hamtramck
2. Flamingo Vintage
About Flamingo Vintage Resale Shop Detroit
An iconic streetfront carrying high quality vintage items of every era for affordable prices, Flamingo Vintage is one of the best thrift stores in metro Detroit.
This 2500 square foot renovated vintage outpost provides impeccably curated selections, making it a favorite of wardrobe stylists, movie productions, musicians, and artists from all around the globe.
You might even get to say ‘hello’ to the Hives,
The wow-worthy selection will draw you in, and the vibrant atmosphere and impeccable organization (by color, then size) will keep you coming back.
Alongside an epic selection of second hand Levis jeans and shorts, we also adore their 1940s and 1950s dresses, which one Google reviewer remarked includes an impressively larger size range for the era.
Did we mention their vintage cowboy boot selection will have your jaw on their well swept Art Deco floors?
Flamingo also hosts regular events like Friday live music nights and weekend Coney Dog DJ BBQ events. (If you’re not sure what a Coney Dog is, do you really know Detroit?).
Location: Central Southwest
3. Joy Thrift
About Joy Thrift Shop Detroit
The joy of thrifting is alive and well at Joy Thrift.
This Hamtramck-based shop carries everything from clothing items, collectibles, home goods, housewares, and linens, to shoes, accessories, small furniture, toys and games, and tools.
As a non-profit, all profits go toward the work they do in the community with One New Humanity Community Development, who help to feed and clothe newly resettled refugees and local residents in need.
Since 47% of Hamtramckers fall below the poverty line, the joy that Joy Thrift is bringing to the community is oh-so welcomed.
We’re especially impressed by their roundup of winter gear for extra affordable prices during the colder months, since Detroit winters are notoriously fierce.
At the time of writing this, we saw a second hand goose down jacket for sale for just the price of your average food court meal!
Location: Hamtramck
4. BORO
About BORO Consignment Shop Detroit
While there’s nothing to borrow here, BORO is one of the top Detroit consignment shops.
With its tall white walls, contrasting black iron clothing racks, and vaulted archways, the modern-chic shop is about as cool as it gets for consignment shopping.
BORO also sells vintage decor and hand-curated selection of locally made wellness products, plus they host a wealth of neat off-hour events like flower arranging, textile repurposing, local garbage cleanups, and community yoga.
If community vibes and designer labels at thrifted prices are the name of your vintage game, bolt over to BORO.
And true to their name, you can either buy or borrow from them via the special occasion rental rack, available for 2, 4, or 8 day rentals—and you know how we love clothing rental services!
We especially love all the highly-tailored and structured ‘80s and ‘90s power suits they have for sale at the time of reviewing them, to channel your inner powerhouse magnate.
Their handknit ethically sourced Italian angora sweaters by The Great Eros might be just what you need to survive the cold midwest winter.
Location: Milwaukee Junction
5. Vintage Eastern Market
About Vintage Eastern Market Thrift Stores In Detroit, Michigan
Open daily, the 100+ year old Vintage Eastern Market easily becomes a full day affair with popular weekend events, food, and art spanning across its massive 15,000 square foot three-floor experience.
It’s home to more than twenty vintage dealers and an astounding selection of vintage furniture, lighting, china, garden items, retro clothing, and jewelry, old coffee table books, records, and so much more.
Eclectic is the norm here, so arrive early, cash in hand (some do take cards,) and expect the unexpected!
Oftentimes the shopping overflows into the back alley, where food trucks, dance parties, and unregistered sellers take up to keep the vintage celebration going.
We have our eyes on some sleek retro drinkware and bar cart, vintage framed bird art, a circular minimalist retro rocking chair with yellow leather seat, a 70s orange ceramic macrame hanging planter, and a deep red vintage Turkish rug.
Location: Eastern Market
6. Mama Coo’s Boutique
About Mama Coo’s Boutique Detroit Vintage Stores
Ready to breathe some new (old) life into your closet?
Go cuckoo at Mama Coo’s Boutique, a quirky, bubbly, and highly celebrated local Detroit vintage gem for all things thrifted and gifted.
You’ll find everything from vintage leather purses to mid-century modern furniture to old-school Playboy magazines—plus a handful of new items like novelty socks, enamel pins, and sunglasses.
We’ve personally got our hearts set on a set of the “Cheers Queers” beer glasses, along with the cutest vintage Coach bag we’ve seen in a while.
It has a cult following after many years as a pop-up around D-Town, and is female-owned and operated by vintage collector Alanna Rodriguez.
As a lifelong resident of Corktown, Alanna is passionate about her community—her Mexican immigrant grandparents first moved into the apartment above Mama Coo’s in the 1940s!
If inclusivity, community, and affordability matter to you, Mama Coo’s got your back.
Location: Corktown
7. Hiptique Resale & Gifts
About Hiptique Resale & Gifts Resale Store Detroit
Hiptique Resale and Gifts keeps it hip and happening with upscale, budget-friendly, gently-worn, consignment, and new items offered in a stylish, clean, and impeccably organized boutique.
From school and work to parties and pubs, Hiptique has something for everyone.
Customers adore Nikki, the owner and founder, who makes sure everyone who walks through her doors has fun and finds what they’re looking for.
If you’re hoping to revamp your accessories, Nikki’s selection of gently worn, preloved scarves, jewelry, hats, and handbags are astounding… not to mention her selection of vintage rock t-shirts with the likes of ACDC, the Rolling Stones, and the Grateful Dead.
This shop likes to keep it moving—the merch, that is—so it’s more than likely you’ll stop in during some exciting flash sale for your retail therapy session.
Location: Morningside
8. Grace Centers of Hope
About Grace Centers Of Hope Metro Thrift Stores Detroit
Grace Centers of Hope is a non-profit, Christian organization whose mission it is to help positively transform the lives of the “unwanted, addicted, and homeless” through faith, personal accountability, life skills education, and work-related programs.
Clean, organized, helpful, and polite, all four Detroit Metro thrift store locations sell in-kind donations of homewares, toys, furniture, books, clothing, accessories, footwear, outdoor gear, and more.
Locals agree that Waterford is the favorite location, with 27K likes on Facebook and a 4.5/5 rating. It’s the great bargain, helpful staff, and good quality selection of gently worn items that keeps shoppers coming back for more.
Your support helps them provide hope, jobs, and stability for in-need residents.
Location: Sterling Heights | Warren | Oak Park | Waterford
9. Neighborhood Club Thrift Shop
About Neighborhood Club Thrift Shop Detroit
Neighborhood Club has served the Grosse Pointe community since the 1920s.
One step into the shop, and you’ll understand why this place has stood the test of time for over a century.
New items arrive everyday, along with daily discounts on everything from home goods to handbags, boots and shoes to framed artwork and more.
Looking for a women’s linen suit or the perfect pair of $7 men’s pants? How about a vintage designer sweater or 14K gold filled bracelet at bargain basement prices?
Neighborhood Club has got you covered, all the while going easy on your bank account.
Location: Grosse Pointe
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Why Go Thrifting In Detroit, Michigan?
Did you know that in 2022, Michigan was the highest ranking state in terms of waste sent to landfills per capita, at 66.5 tons per person?
Or that only 21% of Michigan trash gets properly recycled, with only 15% of textile waste diverted from landfills?
Instead, these clothes fester for eons to come and release harmful microplastics and greenhouse gas emissions.
That said, the “Mitten State” is taking a number of steps to become one of the more sustainable states.
Not only do they lead in federal climate investments and strategic initiatives, but their groundbreaking legislative victory has them on track for 100% clean energy by 2040 while creating thousands of jobs.
Detroit is also pushing urban farming and urgent climate action, as the Green Movement sweeps the city that invented the automobile itself.
By choosing to shop second hand for furniture and apparel, Detroiters help us avoid fast fashion and other dangerously over-consumptive practices.
Final Thoughts On Best Thrift Stores Metro Detroit
Slow fashion is catching on in the Motor City that invented the “fast lane,” and we look forward to its continuing momentum.
As Detroit cycles out of economic downturn into prosperity and regeneration, repurposing the old into something new is cornerstone to the spirit of the place.
Visiting any one of these best Detroit thrift stores for furniture, clothing, and beyond—or shopping online second hand stores if you can’t make it in person—is a dollar vote for a greener world.
Now please, share this list of Detroit thrift shops and help keep it green in the Dirty D.
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