Baltimore's Best Thrift Stores - 2nd Ave. Essex

Thrift Store Coat

Second Avenue located in the store formerly known as 
Village Thrift at 10 Stemmers Run Road in Baltimore, Maryland offers a huge selection of clothing, textiles, 
shoes, toys, and books. Although it is a chain, the size
of the place and their wide variety of goods, keep
me coming back. 

As in any thrift store, the best way to shop is by following 
sale days, which seem to change often. I like to stop in with an open mind; that seems to be the way to find the best as well as unique items. If something is dropped off and set out, if it is totally fabulous, it won't last long. 

My favorite purchase at 2nd Avenue is the coat pictured above. The long robe like coat has a label that says "Sofia New York." It is made of cotton with a beautiful vintage style lining. The black decorations are actually long zippers. There are no fasteners. It is so soft, I am wondering if it was originally a robe. I can find no information on it online. This was not picked up on a sale day, so the beautiful coat cost me a whopping $12.00. I have heard people complain about the prices here, but you can't beat finding something this special for that price. 

My husband always finds clothing here and I have found everything I need for my cheapo wardrobe.

Thrift store vintage silver plate flatware

Against my own best advice, I have found brand name shoes with no wear at all. I once found vintage plastic curtains, hideous yes, but they were like new.

Second Avenue displays flatware and kitchen utensils in baggies hung above the shelves. While I used to enjoy pawing through the boxes of mixed flatware in my search for vintage silver plate, the new display allows for a very quick search. Learning to master the art of the quick search is an essential here. The store is so big that it would take forever to look at everything. I scan the clothing racks with certain fabrics in mind. It's easy to spot linen, or a favorite pattern if you just skim along the tops of the hangers.


Second Avenue is located at 10 Stemmers Run Road, Essex Maryland 21211. There is a convenient drop-off truck stationed in the parking lot.