Located in the ground floor of an historic Masonic building, there are lovely leaded stained-glass accents above the multiple picture windows in the storefront. Hanging baskets of flowers – an attractive staple in downtown Gettysburg — welcome you to the thrift store.
Inside, you’ll find neatly organized racks with clothing for women, men and children, as well as an array of shoes, purses and housewares. Items typically aren’t individually priced, but follow a set price sheet (blouses, sweaters and pants $3, blazers $5, shoes and purses $2, etc.)
We scored on scarves ($1 each), finding two exciting color block prints clearly donated by the same person. We also bought a coral Talbots cardigan for $3 that was in pristine shape. Our big score was a Lucite mock tortoise shell bracelet cuff (with a discreet St. John logo imprinted on it) that we bought for $1. It is currently selling for $175 on 1stdibs.
Some of the clothing is out-of-date, but not yet vintage. But the majority of the offerings are recent pieces from Jones New York, Chico’s, Talbots and the like. We found a red wool Pendleton blazer in sensational shape for the bargain set price of $5 and new-with-tags tapered leg khakis for $3. A raspberry-colored Totes raincoat, so light you could keep it in a suitcase for rain emergencies, was just $6.
The thrift shop is in its fourth decade of operation and is staffed by volunteers. All proceeds support the community hospital.
Gettysburg’s downtown is extremely accessible, with hotels, restaurants, its Rabbit Transit hub, train station and the stunning Majestic Theater (hosting movies, plays and traveling artists) all within a three-minute walk. We were delighted that a valued and extensive charity store is part of the downtown mix, as thrift stores are favored travel destinations for us.
Gettysburg Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Shop, 10 Lincoln Square, Gettysburg, PA 17325. 717-334-5264
Open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
P.S. People magazine recently featured “100 Reasons to Love America.” Included along with “skateboarding” and “Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper” is “thrift stores.” The reason? “Buying a used item of clothing reduces its carbon footprint by 82 percent. There’s lots of inventory, thanks to the decluttering trend.”
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