Thrifting Heaven!

As an avid thrifter, I'm asked all the time where I go to score all of the treasures that dot our home and fill our wardrobes. One of my all-time favourite spots just opened a spacious, beautiful new location so I had to write about it! Value Village, or as it's known in Quebec, Village des Valeurs, is my haunt and has a shiny new home! Last weekend we stopped by 4912 Jean-Talon West to check out the new space which opened on January 3rd, and I have to say it's lovely. I'm not above rummaging through racks upon racks of unorganized clothing or books to find a treasure (hey, it's part of the fun of thrifting!) but something that I've always appreciated about Village des Valeurs is that their stores are always professional, organized, and clean spaces.

The book sections are divided up into languages and genres, the clothing is arranged by type and size, and the home wares are neat and easy to navigate. Village des Valeurs is definitely the thrifting spot where I buy all of my second-hand books for this reason. There's an English biography section that I always make a bee line to, and lo and behold, I found one on C. W. Lewis just begging to be taken back to my bookshelf. On the same trip we also found the Narnia DVD and all of his Chronicles of Narnia books in perfect condition. Especially if you love to read classics, you'll always find what you're looking for there. I have found every Brontë sister and Jane Austen novel written at Village des Valeurs as well as every Harry Potter in French and English! When you consider the price and ecological impact of buying books new and compare that to the very same previously-read books, usually for $5 or less, it's a no-brainer. 

On our most recent trip to Village des Valeurs I found a massive stainless-steel bowl for bread making for $4, a pair of handmade in Canada children's moccasins for my God Daughter Beatrice for $4, and a few great books. Oli's eyes lit up when he found this realistic looking tiger and he asked if he could spend some of his pocket money from Christmas on it. Of course I said yes, and Oli promptly named him Hobbs. Melt my heart! My kids are die-hard stuffed animal lovers but we have a one-in-one-out rule so they don't buy them often, and when they do an older one gets donated. Lily found a pair of dressy shoes in a style she's been pining for, so she proudly bought them for herself. I love bringing the kids shopping second-hand to use their little spending money because they can get quality items (unlike at Dollar Stores) for even a very little amount. 

I've been shopping at Village des Valeur's locations all over Canada since I was thirteen, so I'm thrilled to be partnering with them this month! I love the eclectic styles I can find there and the unique pieces for my home that I know no one else will have. I love the thrill of finding something I absolutely love for just a few dollars, and I love knowing I'm making an eco-friendly choice when I buy used (and donate my used things too!) In fact, Village des Valeurs has become one of the largest recyclers of used goods in the world, keeping more than 700 million pounds of reusable items from landfills each year! 

This post was written in collaboration with Village des Valeurs, 
part of the Savers® family of thrift stores.

All thoughts here are 100% my own, and I've been a proud customer for almost twenty years!

For more thrifting finds, see my archived stories under the category THRIFT on Instagram.

To book a collaboration, feel free to contact me here.