This thrift store in Bel Alton is an absolute gem! The prices are fantastic, and every visit feels…read morelike a treasure hunt--you never know what amazing finds you'll come across. The selection of pieces is amazing. The owner is friendly and provides great customer service, which makes the experience even better. If you love thrifting, this place is definitely worth the trip. I'll definitely be back!

Don't judge a book by its cover. The store itself is a bit shabby but they've got some excellent…read moreitems and deals. Everything from furniture and home accessories to knickknacks, clothing, and more. Definitely worth checking out. Almost everything I purchased was in either new or like new condition.

The prices are high on housewares and furniture, store is sometimes messy, staff doesn't know how…read moreto deal with disorderly unhoused customers. Won't be returning and was a regular customer.

You can find anything here. I always get lucky in the jewelry, home décor, and kitchenware (they…read morealways have the CUTEST wine glasses!) sections. Speaking of jewelry...Stop by the jewelry counter FIRST to check out the gems, jewels, and trinkets. If you see something, say something, and they will place it to the side for you to retrieve when you're ready to check out. **Be sure to sign up for the Fivestars rewards program to get points towards discounts. __ I thrift. @DCthriftish I eat. @f.hux

Very nice thrift store. Prices are great! Would love to go back. I stopped and they were closing in…read more10 minutes so I just grabbed a couple warmer shirts for my husband. The cashier was a very welcoming and kind man.

While the shop is clean and well organized the staff has no idea how to work the credit card…read moremachine. The last time I went the woman ran my card like 8 times effectively draining my bank account. I didn't realize she had done that as she said the machine wasn't working so I paid in cash. Of course she didn't give me a receipt for my cash transaction. My bank said I have to get the refunds from the shop. I've gone back in spoke with someone else who also had no freaking idea how to work the machine or give me my refunds. She gave me the church treasurers phone number. Still no response and no effort to rectify my now four days of a drained bank account and tons of overdraft fees. Moral of the story, you might find some nice things here but only use cash! Pretty ridiculous to accept cards if none of the staff have any idea how they or the machines work ‍

AWFUL CUSTOMER SERVICE! Paul has had my item for 2 years now, it was listed at $450 and he has…read moretold me twice now (this year) that he'd send me a check for $150. to date, I have received ZERO! this is unethical business behavior and I've run out of patience with his excuses. will report to the better business bureau.

I went here recently because I was in the hunt for a new Yukata but stumbled so much beyond that…read more They were one of the shops at the Sakura Matsuri DC event that sold Kimonos/Yukatas/Obis, ect... First thing out of the way, Arise Bazaar is not easy to find but I made it easier to find. It's behind the shops in front as soon as you enter. Past the first row of places, immediately make a left and you'll see Arise. I think they did not have a sign at the time luckily it was not hard to spot ( there was a van that had cherry blossoms as a dead giveaway too ). Second, the person (Paul) who runs this shop does not open this shop frequently. If it is not a sale he is doing, most of the time you'd have to schedule an appointment for him to come out. It's a bit strange but since my visit was based on his IG post about a sale on everything in the store, it was enticing for me to check it out. They just have really limited hours so I highly suggest you go early. Third, while I am all for supporting Arise Bazaar, the items I got besides the Yukata might be on Amazon. I realized after buying my Clip On Obi that it's cheaper on there but I will leave that to your digression. That being said.. Walking in here, this is a warehouse full of antiques. From pottery to paintings, to kimonos/yukatas.. there's a lot going on here. Paul, the person who runs the store was kind enough to take time to show me where the Yukatas were at and left me to see what color scheme or design I wanted to try out. He was nice and even offered to help me put the yukata on. Since I wanted more than the Yukata, I also tried out the Clip on Obi he recommended. He was not really knowledgeable and tried his best to help me put it on securely but he offered to see if a staff member could come in to help assist in the future. After picking out the Yukata and the Clip on Obi, we looked at fans to buy and he was generous enough to let me get an extra fan as a gift. I think the total after the discount was around 200 which was a nice deal. My only complaint is that the store is very all over the place. Many boxes of things that could be out in display, there were Kimonos/Yukatas I did not get to check out and I wish I mentioned that sooner. Paul is also an expert of Kimonos, but if you wanted to get your kimono actually dressed professionally, he has to inquire with a staff member who's more prepared for that. I just found it a bit difficult to understand if it's your profession to be an expert but not be able to not tie a Kimono/Yukata. Perhaps I'm being a bit harsh but I want people to what to expect. Overall my experience was great, I do want to support the store despite knowing some items could be a bit pricier. Definitely a hidden gem if you are on the hunt for Japanese Antiques!

This is a new family-run store, and Herb, his wife and children are very welcoming and…read morecustomer-service oriented. Their supply of furniture, clothing, appliances and much more including artwork increases each time we stop in. They are conveniently located, right off of Route 5. We certainly recommend Life Empact.

I walk in with my son, no other customers presents and two elderly women employees at the register,…read moreupon entrance no greeting. I say "Hi" to them nothing. As I walk around with my son, another elderly woman employee is walking in the back area, also no greeting. Now I approach one of the only two clothing racks they have for men and she makes sure to come over and still never greets me, but I guess she had to make sure someone of my ethnicity wasn't going to try to steal something. As I get my son to walk out, a person of the "right complexion" walks in and what do you know, greeted properly by the woman making sure I wasn't taking anything. Unbelievable!

Tried to go there today and it looked like there'd been some damage to the front - wasn't sure if…read moreit was construction. However, the door was open so I tried to walk in. There was no sign saying it was closed. I can't describe how rude the person was at the front. She said she we are obviously closed. Ok? How would I have known that? It's too bad because they are a charity but I won't be back.

Wow, wow, wow! What a gift this thrift shop is to the community!! Everything is so clean and…read morebeautifully displayed. Items are in excellent condition. Volunteers are so friendly & helpful! I was shopping for baby & maternity clothes to help out a young Mom and I found the most amazing stuff there to give her. So happy to have found this treasure!

Clean and organized shop with an excellent selection of items and deals! Everything from kids toys…read moreto home decor, clothing, and jewelry. Highly recommend.

Excellent selection! So many cool things to look at! Love how proceeds benefit animals!read more

I needed to get out of the DC Metro area so I could have some sanity while shopping. I also am in…read moresearch of an item that I have in my head, but cannot describe to people, but when I see it, I know that it is the item I need. I somehow ended up down in this area and decided to stop at as many thrift and antique stores as I could. This one was a bit confusing for me (parking wise). I wasn't sure where I was to park, as the small lot next to it was full and I didn't think I was allowed to go around the back. I ended up parking across the street at a closed business and walked over here. When I approached the front of the business heading to the door I was greeted by one of the employees. I usually hate having to make small talk and will try to go out of my way to avoid it, but it came easily with this employee. She was pleasant and we spoke about the weather and what not. Once inside, I completely lost track of what I was here to look for. See, when they have cats up for adoption, I just don't remember a damn thing. What was fun was the cats wondering about in the space. It was so distracting (in a good way) to have them rubbing up against you demanding pets. I interacted with the cats more than I browsed. When I did browse, I found that they have a good mix of items and definitely warrants a revisit. But on this visit, I didn't find what I was looking for.