Over the past year, my friends and I have been going to thrift stores a couple times a week to look for funny clothes, stuff to wear for spirit days, or just regular clothes. I have been to almost every thrift store in North County, and some of them sure are better than others.

In my opinion, Escondido’s Valley Thrift is the best thrift store in North County. First of all, it is huge, probably double the size of any other thrift store I have been to. The racks are all color coded, which makes it extremely easy to find whatever you may be looking for, and the selection is huge. It is the only one I have been to that has robes, belts, and jewelry, and the prices are significantly lower than what I have seen at most other stores. I would go there 3-4 times a week if it wasn’t so far away, it usually takes around 40 minutes to get there. In summary, Valley Thrift is my favorite store in North County.

Coming in at second is the DAV in Oceanside. The DAV is about 20 minutes from my house and only 10 minutes from school. This is the store I frequent most, and probably over half my wardrobe is from there. The prices are very low and the racks are well organized. It is nowhere near as big as Valley Thrift, but it is still big enough that I have never left that store empty-handed. I would recommend the DAV over Valley Thrift simply because of how close it is to school and to Carlsbad, just 5 minutes from Carlsbad Village.

My third favorite thrift store in North County is the Vista Goodwill. The Vista Goodwill is about 25 minutes from my house and has a huge selection. It seems to be very hit or miss, which is something I don’t like about it. I have left empty-handed many times, but also have some very good finds from there. The prices are significantly higher than that of the DAV or Valley Thrift, which is also something I dislike. This Goodwill still ranks higher than the Oceanside Goodwill, which, despite how close it is, I rarely visit.

Honorable Mention has to go to the Oceanside Goodwill. The Oceanside Goodwill is tiny and almost the whole store is women’s. The only thing I like about it is the belt section. My friend Gray got his favorite belt from there; a rainbow buckle that just says “JESUS” on it. I rarely go to this store because of its minimal selection and high prices, but I have found a few things from there that I like.

So those are my top thrift stores in North County. Valley Thrift has an unbeatable selection, the DAV is close and cheap, and the Vista Goodwill is huge. There are still a few stores that I am yet to visit, but I am sure that I will make it over there at some point.