Waco Thrift Stores: A Baylor Student's Budget Shopping Guide

Waco has a better thrift scene than most students realize. Whether you're furnishing your first apartment, refreshing your wardrobe for less than a pizza tab, or donating a pile of stuff during move-out, the waco thrift stores scattered across the city cover every category. This guide breaks them down by type — clothing resale, furniture and home goods, and specialty vintage — so you can stop guessing and start finding actual deals.

Best Waco Thrift Stores for Baylor Students

Here's what to know before you go: each store in Waco operates on a slightly different model. Some are traditional by-the-item pricing, one charges by the pound, and a few buy your clothing back for cash or store credit. Pick the right store for your mission and you'll save far more than you'd expect.

Heart of Texas Goodwill Industries

Goodwill has the widest footprint in Waco, with four locations and one standout option that serious thrifters drive across town to hit.

The Goodwill Outlet (1000 E Waco Dr) is the one you want if you have time and patience. Merchandise is sold by the pound at $1.49–$1.50/lb — which means a full bag of clothing can cost under $10. Inventory rotates constantly from unsold items at the other Goodwill locations, so the mix is unpredictable but deep. Arrive early on weekdays for the freshest stock.

The LaSalle Ave location (2429 LaSalle Ave) is the closest to 19Eleven — about a 10-minute drive south — and runs standard by-the-item Goodwill pricing. Good for a quick run when you need a specific item without committing to the outlet experience.

Two other Waco locations at 1700 S New Rd and 1508 Hewitt Dr round out the coverage. Most Goodwill stores are open Mon–Sat 9am–8pm and Sun 10am–7pm.

Pro tip: Monday and Tuesday mornings tend to have the freshest inventory because weekend donations get processed over the weekend and hit the floor early in the week.

Uptown Cheapskate Waco

Located at 1001 Webster Ave in downtown Waco — about 1.5 miles from 19Eleven on S 8th Street — Uptown Cheapskate is the go-to for on-trend clothing resale. Think J.Crew, Lululemon, American Eagle, and the kind of stuff you'd find at the mall for $40–60 selling here for $5–20.

What makes this one worth knowing about: they buy your clothing, too. Bring in clothes you no longer need and walk out with cash or 25% more in store credit. That's a smart deal when you're moving out or cleaning out your closet before moving into an apartment. Hours are Mon–Sat 10am–8pm and Sun 12pm–6pm.

If you're living at 19Eleven and furnishing your apartment with a limited budget, the exchange model here makes it easy to fund new purchases by selling what you already have.

Salvation Army Family Thrift Store

The Salvation Army at 4721 W Waco Dr (Mon–Sat 9am–5pm) runs a wide-format thrift store covering clothing, housewares, furniture, and small appliances. This isn't the flashiest store in town, but it runs periodic 50% off color-tag sales that can make already-reasonable prices genuinely cheap. Check their schedule before you go — the sale days are worth timing your visit around.

Mission Waco — The Clothesline

The Clothesline (1817 Franklin Ave, Tue–Sat 11am–4pm) is a women's gently-worn clothing boutique run by Mission Waco, a Waco nonprofit focused on addiction recovery programs. Prices are consistently low and the merchandise is well-sorted. If you're shopping on a tight budget for work or professional attire — internship season, career fair, whatever — this is one of the best options in the city per dollar spent.

Caritas Treasures Resale Store

Caritas Treasures (300 S 15th St, Mon–Fri 8:30am–3pm) is a community-oriented resale store supporting Caritas of Waco's programs for low-income families. The selection covers clothing, household items, and small appliances at prices that lean toward affordability as a feature, not just a side effect. If you need a blender or a few kitchen basics to outfit your first apartment, it's worth checking here before defaulting to Target.

Waco Habitat ReStore

For furniture and building materials, the Waco Habitat ReStore (1224 Franklin Ave, Wed–Fri 9am–5pm, Sat 9am–3pm) is in a different category than most thrift stores. This is where donated furniture — couches ($40–80), tables, bookshelves, appliances — goes to find a second home. Benefiting Waco Habitat for Humanity, the ReStore is specifically useful when you're furnishing your first apartment near Baylor and don't want to spend $600 on a couch.

Inventory changes constantly — check back regularly or call ahead if you're hunting for something specific.

Amelia's Fashion Exchange

Amelia's (2452 W Loop 340, Mon–Sat 10am–7pm, Sun 12:30–5:30pm) is the upscale end of Waco's resale scene: designer and brand-name clothing including J.Crew, Lululemon, and occasional luxury pieces. If you have a more specific aesthetic or want quality over quantity, this is the store to explore. Prices are higher than Goodwill or Salvation Army but still well below retail.

The Bear-ly Used Program: Best Thrift Window of the Year

Every May, Baylor's annual Bear-ly Used program runs a campus-wide collection of move-out donations. Students clearing out their dorms and apartments donate 25+ tons of items — clothes, furniture, kitchen gear, décor, textbooks — which then get routed to Caritas, The Clothesline, and other Waco partner organizations.

For thrift shoppers, this creates a narrow window in late May and early June when the inventory at those partner stores is genuinely exceptional. If you're in Waco over the summer or looking to furnish an apartment for the fall semester, timing a shopping trip to the Bear-ly Used aftermath can yield finds that wouldn't normally show up at these stores.

Thrift Shopping Tips for Baylor Students

For clothing: Monday and Tuesday mornings have freshest inventory after weekend donations. Go early, go often. Uptown Cheapskate is the best one-stop for on-trend resale; Goodwill Outlet is best if you have time to dig and want the lowest possible price.

For apartment furniture: Waco Habitat ReStore first, then the Goodwill locations. Don't overlook the Facebook Marketplace "Baylor Free and For Sale" groups either — graduating seniors offload entire apartment setups in April and May, sometimes for free if they just need it gone before their lease ends.

For decorating a loft: 19Eleven's apartments have exposed beams, polished concrete floors, and industrial character that pairs naturally with vintage and eclectic finds. A thrifted wooden shelf or Edison bulb lamp looks intentional in a loft; the same piece would look random in a generic bedroom. Check out our guide on how to decorate a loft apartment on a college budget for ideas that work with the space.

Selling what you have: Before or after big life transitions (move-in, move-out, end of semester), hit Uptown Cheapskate to sell what you no longer need. It's one of the easiest ways to offset shopping costs — bring in a bag of clothes and walk out with enough cash to fund your next thrift run.

Waco Thrift Stores at a Glance

Store	Address	Best For
Goodwill Outlet	1000 E Waco Dr	Lowest prices, by the pound
Goodwill LaSalle	2429 LaSalle Ave	Closest to 19Eleven
Uptown Cheapskate	1001 Webster Ave	Trendy resale, buy/sell
Salvation Army	4721 W Waco Dr	Housewares + clothes
The Clothesline	1817 Franklin Ave	Women's clothing, nonprofit
Caritas Treasures	300 S 15th St	Kitchen and household
Habitat ReStore	1224 Franklin Ave	Furniture and appliances
Amelia's	2452 W Loop 340	Designer resale

Waco Thrift Scene vs. Big City Alternatives

One thing that surprises Baylor students from larger metros: Waco's thrift stores are not picked over in the way that big-city Goodwills tend to be. With a smaller population and a university that turns over large amounts of student goods every May, the inventory at Waco's thrift stores refreshes in ways that create real opportunities. The Goodwill Outlet in particular draws deal-hunters from outside Waco because the by-the-pound pricing is so low.

The neighborhood around 19Eleven also puts you within a short drive of most of these stores, making a weekend thrift loop genuinely practical. Grab coffee on the way out and you've got a solid Saturday morning.

For more on living well on a student budget in Waco, see our Waco cost of living guide and the full list of free and cheap things to do in Waco.

Ready to Make Waco Your Home Base?

Living at 19Eleven puts you within easy reach of everything in this guide — the Goodwill on LaSalle Ave, Uptown Cheapskate downtown, the Habitat ReStore, and the whole Waco thrift circuit. If you're still looking for an apartment for the fall, schedule a tour or browse our floor plans to see what fits your budget and group size.