HOUSTON – This author is an avid thrifter. I have thrifted all my life, but it got serious and fun around high school and college and has taken off since I’ve become an apartment renter and homeowner. I love the thrill of the hunt and the joy of the haul after a great day of thrifting.
One of my favorite assignments I’ve ever done is this one: Try out thrift stores recommended by KPRC 2 viewers and Click2Houston.com users. Don’t worry, we’ll be trying others out, but here’s the start.
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There are the antique thrift shops, the low-end thrift shops, the commercial corporatized thrift shops, the thrift shops with too many donations and with too few.
I would put The Guild Shop of St. John the Divine in Houston in the well-stocked, high-end thrift store category, but don’t let that put you off if you’re genuinely looking for a deal, a steal and unique things.
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But before we get to the goodies of shopping at The Guild Shop (which we will, don’t worry about that!) Let’s start with more information about it and the good that it does in Houston.
What’s The Guild Shop?
The Guild Shop is a more than 60-year-old project of St. John the Divine, an Episcopal church located at 2450 River Oaks Boulevard. Women started the store in the 1970s where it began on Fairview Street and eventually moved to its current location at 2009 Dunlavy Street.
The store began by supporting St. James House, an Episcopal retirement home in Baytown. When the retirement home was sold, efforts moved to help other groups such as St Vincent’s House, The Amazing Place, Star of Hope, the Turning Point, Vita Living, Weekley Family YMCA, Camp Allen, Houston Food Bank (Senior Box Program), Lord of the Streets, and more, according to the store’s website. The Guild Shop’s website says it has given over $5 million in support to our community. It currently has nearly 200 volunteers and 13 full-time employees.
Inside how the store works
If you’re like me, you often wonder where all of the stuff came from that you’re seeing in the thrift stores you visit. Each thrift store’s items has a story, a life of its own. There are thrift stores that make me wonder whether grandma’s house was liquidated, or someone bought many, many storage units and are selling off the best of the best of what they found.
At The Guild Shop, the store is created from donations and consignments. Consignments are from the Houston area and beyond. People who want to consign can start the process online and when their item is put for sale could receive a portion of its proceeds. The best part about the donation and consignment process is two-fold, in my experience: the donations are highly curated and the consignment folks are putting their best stuff up for sale because there are a number of limitations and guidelines for the store’s merchandise. Perhaps most interesting is the store’s list of things they do not sell. (Keep this list in mind if you’re searching for something in particular.)
A little note on shopping at thrift stores…for sanity, budget and shopping magic’s sake
If you’re planning to go to the thrift store – or any thrift store for that matter – it’s good to keep an open mind. However, if you’re strapped for cash and want to keep to a budget, I recommend writing a list of your needs first on your phone to refer to when you’re shopping.
Full disclosure: This approach doesn’t always work – and shouldn’t. Thrift store shopping should inspire you, and sometimes – well, often -- show you things you never imagined you could want or need. Be open to the allure of the seek and the find.
At The Guild Shop, this is so often the case.
Now, onto the really good stuff. You ready? Let’s go and look at the merch.
What’s it like shopping at The Guild Shop?
When you park
Better than I remembered. On Dunlavy, there’s a big lot and a small lot down the street on Dunlavy. I remember parking in the small lot and almost hitting other cars with my side doors trying to get a big piece of furniture in my side door. (Just for the record -- I didn’t hit the other car -- I decided to pull the car out and then load it.) The bigger lot has decently-sized parking spaces -- even those that are marked for compact cars. Also -- there’s shade in the lot, which is extra-important most of the year in Houston.
When you go in the door
You’ll notice that The Guild Shop is all about beautiful furniture and decor moments.
Look at this! The entry had a stunning wooden dresser with gold hardware. On its top, traditional statement décor pieces and china finished off the eye-catching display. I’ll have it all, I thought...
Oh, my house is already furnished? Dang it, but so pretty!
When you look around
The store entry opens into a busy cashier area and then clothing and jewelry display area. It’s all surrounded by stunning artwork, housewares and luggage. There’s SO MUCH packed in that you could be standing there for a bit feeling a little -- or a lot -- dumbfounded.
I’m a seasoned thrifter and there are times when I stand in this area of the store and just need to take a moment to breathe. I like referring back to my phone list at this point. If you don’t, you could end up just going willy-nilly with your purchases.
This store has so much good merchandise. Take a look at some of the amazing pieces kept near the registers. I wouldn’t mind having at least five or six of those paintings in my house. One of the coolest things that the store does is feature the artists as “LISTED ARTIST.” You can learn more about the artists by Googling them. Don’t be surprised by the high price tags. The thrift store does its due diligence and researches its items, according to its consignment website: “Although we are not expert appraisers, we do our best to give your piece of art the best possible price. We research on sites such as AskArt and LiveAuctioneers, and eBay. We also consider if the piece is a print or an original, and we look at content and trends for what we see selling in the shop. Thank you for entrusting us with your art and we will continue to do our best to get you the best possible price.”
In other words, you’re likely get a deal, but it’s not going to be an absolute steal.
However, it’s going to a good effort of helping the elder community, so why not pay a fair price?
Statement pieces galore
In my experience at The Guild Shop, I’ve gone in for one thing and left with several other things. The largest thing I ever purchased was a massive wool area rug that decorated one home and now adorns my current home’s living room. It was $600. A big purchase, and, for me, a super-expensive piece right after getting married, but it was SO. WORTH. IT. The rug is neutral, thick and matches all of my décor. It was something that could easily transition from home to another and something I thought about a long time in the rug area with my husband. (And speaking of that, the rug area which sometimes stinks at some thrift stores DID NOT, and I know because I was there for probably an hour on and off). I’m a DIY person and a thrift store shopper. I didn’t want to pour $600 into something that I would have to swap out later. So, when I found that rug, it was everything that I could build my home around. I grabbed it!
Here’s the rug area at The Guild Shop. There are a TON in here and they’re STUNNING.
That’s probably the thing I would say about shopping at The Guild Shop – it’s easy to find things that are statement pieces in your home or wardrobe. That’s probably because it’s in everyone’s interest to put the absolute best, biggest and most potentially profitable items on the limited – and EXTREMELY organized -- selling floor at The Guild Shop. Everything is like “WHOA” when you go to The Guild Shop. It’s curated, it’s clean and it’s probably perfect for someone – or plenty of someones.
About pricing
Oh and that’s another thing: There’s a bit of a game that’s going on with the pricing at The Guild Shop. When you’re at the store, the tags will show several prices. The prices correspond to dates. The price goes down based on how long the item is there.
A KRUPS mini black espresso machine (with its instruction manual still with it, mind you) at the store had a price of $24. On July 5, that price would drop to $18. On July 20, the price would drop to $12, on Aug. 4, it would drop to $8.40. It’s a fun game, right? Can you wait it out? Right? It’s fun!?
Not -- if you’re like me. I’m not a risk-taker when it comes to thrift stores. I have been burned way too many times. There’s a houseful of regret furniture in my memory bank that I never purchased. It hurts to go there sometimes. Remember that stunning antique cabinet? It’s there in my memory parlor. Anyway, moving on.
If you are perhaps a collector or a person who can go back several times or are looking for something general enough that you could go with something else, you might be able to wait to get the lowest price possible. If you love it, though, I would suggest you buy it right then. So many of the items I liked while walking through the rooms, folks would come up behind me and say how much they loved it.
Finding the best stuff
Take a gander at these stunning Polish pottery pieces a woman passing me said were lovely and that I had a good eye. I bet I wasn’t the only person who saw them. They were on the lowest shelf and I have a feeling they were put there by someone who REALLY wanted them, but didn’t want to pay the full price and were hiding them where no one would get down and look at them.
Be sure when you’re looking at The Guild Shop to check out the lower or higher shelves for some of the best stuff. (I also recommend looking at floor-level and under pieces when you’re looking at furniture to check out the quality of the pieces.) Yes, I am the weirdo on the thrift store floor half the time, but I also walk out with the best stuff at the lowest prices.😁
Here are some of the other pieces I wanted to mention during my visit:
The most expensive piece I found was a large Louis Vuitton piece of luggage on the main floor. I’m sure there are more expensive pieces somewhere in the store (especially in the art section), but this one was making people’s eyes pop as they passed it. The ticket was $3,510, going down in price in August to $2,808, and then so on.
The weirdest piece I found was this: It’s not every day you see a mural painted on the back of large cabinet of dogs playing poker. One of the dogs has remarkable breasts. It was more than a little creepy, but it’s all for a good cause, right?
Store strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
The store’s curated clothing, designer section, furniture, housewares and artwork sections can’t be beaten.
My favorite area is the designer and upscale sections. The Guild Shop places items on both racks and in cases. While there are a lot of volunteers around so you don’t have to wait long to get your piece from cases, it’s lovely to feel the designer fabrics on the racks. Among the designer items on display: Louboutins, YSL, Elie Tahari, Halston, Hermes, Missoni, Diane Von Furstenberg, Ferragamo and Chanel.
Take a look inside the designer section and its cases and see what you can find:
The whole gang is here!
Hermes!
Statement piece, y’all!
Look at the detail on the embroidery!
Hello, friends! Anna Wintour would be proud of this lineup. Maybe? You never know...
I’m not a size 0, but whoever is, this is a beauty.
Delicate, frothy and summer sweet. The seasonal picks are fantastic.
Dahling!
Designer paradise, indeed.
Tory Burch, baby.
These brands are no joke.
Designer bags in luxe fabrics.
More shoes. Stop drooling on the cases.
I could pair these with...
The furniture section is my second-favorite spot in the store. Look at all that potential just sitting there. It makes me want to redecorate. Don’t tell my husband!
Hi CAMEL!
Hello, all you beautiful art!
Need a mantel? They’ve got 20! Not really, but there are a few.
Chairs are my weakness. Just. Keep. Walking.
Oh cabinet! How grand are thee.
And you’re just GRAND, grandfather clock.
We go low, so you know what’s worth high. Look at the legs on these pieces. What’s real and what’s fake? What’s craftsmanship and what’s veneer? You’ll find out if you look at the piece from the ground and knock on it, y’all.
Midcentury modern stunner right here. Could you just imagine it in this house? I could.
Collectibles, glass and pottery, and housewares are in abundance at The Guild Shop. I love these areas, but I have to be very particular about what I’m looking for to avoid purchasing just whatever.
Here are some of the things that caught my eye and a general look inside the sections.
The china sets are SO LOVELY and COLORFUL. The basket selection on the top shelf is spectacular.
If you want to be BE SOMEONE at teatime. This. Set. Is. For. YOU.
Everything here was high-quality, but I wasn’t looking for these things, but if you are, make sure you have that list. The selection is so good and the product brands represented are high-end.
Make sure to check out the “LAST PRICE” section. These items cost the lowest price represented on the ticket. Hint: Look here first. 😍
If you’re a collector, here’s your sweet spot. I also noticed some Pyrex...
This little figurine was so pretty, brightly colored and delicate.
The Guild Shop is NOT all antiques. It’s got sass and personality behind its curation. People are going to want this stuff, you can imagine the curators thinking.
Where Austin Powers meets presidents.
The pottery selection made me happy.
I want to make a Fourth of July diorama and put up some PostIt notes.
MEMORIES! What 80s child didn’t have or know someone who had this horsey?
Weaknesses
The Guild Shop does have a few weaknesses. I don’t want to belabor them, however, because they are very few, but they are important.
- The Guild Shop isn’t some place that I’d EVER take young children. - I have two young kids and I’d fear for my pocketbook if I ever took them in there. They would be the bulls in that china shop and I have nightmares of them climbing over designer furniture. The store also doesn’t permit strollers inside. If you have kids and you’re toting them around, it would likely be a less-than-ideal experience for you unless your kid is deeply sleeping in a sleep sack or something.
- The checkout line - It can sometimes take awhile to check out. The cashiers are lovely and talkative and kind. If you’re in a hurry, get in line when it’s short. Sometimes there are questions about merchandise and tickets get lost or whatever and the line gets long.
- Store selection variety - If you’re looking for general merchandise, this may not be the place for you. The store does not carry many things. As I mentioned, check the do not take list before you go, so you won’t be disappointed when they don’t have what you need.
My thrift store haul: What I bought
With all that in mind, The Guild Shop’s motto is “Resale at its best” -- I still have to agree.
While perusing the store for this piece, I went to the clothes section to get a taste of the kinds of brands available for women. I saw Chicos, Nike, Athleta, Vineyard Vines, J.Jill and J. McLaughlin.
I purchased four dresses -- two J.Jill dresses, one Vineyard Vines and a J. McLaughlin -- for $74.69. The trip to the thrift store was very timely because I almost pressed the “purchase” button on a Vineyard Vines dress that cost more than my entire purchase. (When I say ‘almost’ it likely wasn’t almost. I never pay that much for clothes.)
Sure, the dresses I purchased are not new-new, but they’re in amazing condition and, I can tell, haven’t been worn more than a couple times.
Here are my finds:
Vineyard Vines maxi dress $15:
J. Jill PURE JILL maxi dress: $15
J. McLaughlin linen dress: $24
J. Jill PURE JILL dress: $15
Total: $74.69
⭐BONUS STRENGTH OF THE GUILD SHOP⭐: LOCAL CURATION - Houston folks donate and consign this merchandise, so they know what Houston people need and want. I need dresses that make me want to live in these hot months. Someone at The Guild Shop knew that someone would want all of these blue mumus. We were on the same wavelength -- or at least living in the same climate. That’s the real strength of such a local, curated thrift store. I’ve been to thrift stores that have crazy amounts of big coats on a July day. Can someone say ‘thrift store corporate overlord who lives in New England’? Yeah. This is SO not like that. This is Houston doing good in Houston. It makes me want to go back right now.
What to know if you go
The Guild Shop
Phone: 713-528-5095
Hours of operation Mon-Fri 9:30 a.m. -3:30 p.m. Saturday 9:30 a.m. -3:30 p.m., closed Sundays
Donations accepted anytime. The staff is super helpful and sweet. Credit is accepted.
Great socials featuring the best of the best volunteers find. There is a blog. Newsletter (subscribe at the bottom of the homepage here) gives a heads up about what’s happening at the store.