If anyone who reads this is familiar with the rummage sales at First Presbyterian Church in Lake Forest IL, The Economy Shop reminds me SO much of that kind of thing. The Economy Shop is literally a Victorian style house with every room crammed with secondhand goods and antiques. They're only open 3-4 days a month from 9am-3pm, so you need to plan your visit. When you enter, you're handed a paper sheet that is divided into different categories of merchandise. When you go to each room, they total up whatever you want to buy from that given room. When you're completely done shopping, you pay at the far back of the house and exit. Prices are fair and you can find some great stuff here. The basement was one area that was overwhelming. Almost too much to look at and fully absorb. Tips for first time visitors: 1. Bring reusable bags or a tote bag. They will give you bags but a good sturdy bag will work to your advantage. 2. Parking is tricky. You're fine on residential streets but if you park along the train tracks, you have to feed a meter. $2.00 per hour. Card payment only. 3. Leave small kids at home. The rooms and hallways are too packed and tight to reasonably manage kids in tow. I like this place! I will be back! read more

The place is a mess. And the people that work there are very, very rude. Won't be going back there.

It's an interesting concept but it's pretty hard to get around in the shop and the basement area is pretty grungy. I felt like I needed a shower after I left. read more

Able to locate a diverse array of quality goods (some high end) for the entire household. The volunteers are very helpful and friendly. I'd highly recommend. read more

Fun to shop around in , lots of different sellers , payment was easy . 3 floors of fun!

Really amazing place. Can be very busy and crowded since it's only open a few times a month, but the volunteers are all very nice.

This is an amazing place. There is so much to look at and the prices are amazing. I will say, beware of the open times. I got there at 9:30 AM thinking they were open for shopping (as online stated) and was wandering around in the building for a good 30 minutes looking at things until I was told shopping doesn't start until 10:30 AM. read more

The only thing I wish I knew about this store was that I knew about it sooner. It is such a hidden gem in the oak Park community. I never leave empty-handed I always find something unique and perfect for either my dog, a friend, or myself. This is a great non-profit organization where all the proceeds go to a church so you feel good about every dollar spent. They have a great selection of gifts, antiques, women's clothing, children's toys, pet supplies, men's clothing, children's clothing, maternity wear, and so much more. They even have a section in the basement for music, movies, books and memorabilia of many kinds. I love always being able to find a one of a kind item here! read more

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I agree with the reviewers who noted visits to The Economy Shop require time, patience, an allergy pill and an understanding that all proceeds go to charity so although you might expect garage-sale pricing you won't typically find it here. Everything is priced higher than garage sales especially things like books and toys that would move much more quickly if the prices were lowered. I'd go more often but it is hot, crowded and some areas are just too crammed with old and really outdated (not "vintage" old, just and sometimes kind of gross old) stuff. They should really cull the donations better and lower prices to move things so it's not absolutely stuffed in every room. I appreciate the volunteers do this without compensation and the $$ raised goes to charity but I am totally with the other Yelper who said every time they go here they imagine how they'd make it so much better! And raise more $$ for charity. More like The Brown Elephant perhaps which is really bright and tidy, not over-stuffed. And parking is tricky so go really early or plan on walking 3-4 blocks to find street parking. The only other thing I've had a problem with was on my first visit - I didn't realize you had to pay for each item in each room before moving to the next. An older woman, a volunteer, yelled at me! She accused me of trying to steal whatever I had in my hand- a few spoons, I think. I was embarrassed and quickly explained I didn't realize the rules and she yelled something about them being posted but clearly I didn't see that part as I assumed it was more like an estate sale where you pay at the end. Nope. So if you go be sure to read the rules or you may be scolded, loudly, by an angry volunteer. Being cash so you can pay in each room. Bring a few sturdy tote bags, too. read more

Rarely does Rosa J. have a Saturday off! The "Economy Shop" is open on select Saturdays, from 9am to 3pm. The dates are pre-set and announced on their official website. From my understanding, free one (1)-hour parking is available. However, CTA Oak Park Green Line station is one (1) block east from store...excuse me...I meant the "shop," or I should say the big house on the corner of South Blvd. and Grove. Even if you don't find anything or can care less on helping the environment and the community through thrifting and recycling, visiting "Economy Shop" will definitely be an experience. It's a well-organized, systematically-run community store staffed by volunteers. I wish I could take more pictures and share with you Yelpers. Surprisingly, there were lots of people in each room. Every time I attempted to snap a photo, some random person would pop out around the corner! I liked how the vinyls were organized by categories. The public washroom is available on the basement inside the large furniture/electronic/bric-and-brac room. By the way, get a map from the front cashier's desk because this house is a giant maze. If you grew up in the early to mid 90's and have watched "The Crystal Maze," a British variety show, the shop shared a mere resemblance of it. It was actually fun to walk from one (1) room to another! Most major debit/credit cards are accepted. In my opinion, having cash on hand is WAY better than paying with a debit/credit card. Items would be put on hold AT EACH DEPARTMENT until the debit/credit transaction is completed with a cashier at the front desk. Nevertheless, cash transactions can be done through each department and you can go away with the merchandise that you've purchased. My overall impression of Economy Shop is "very cool." I don't know if I will ever make it to another sale day, but it will be a fun activity to consider doing on a Saturday morning. read more

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Every time I visit it's like going to affair @ a museum there's always something I pick up for eithr myself or someone special . I absolutely love this place . It's beautiful I've invited many friends who also enjoy the experience. Thank you read more

Such a cute little vintage shop, my favorite in oak park so far. They have such a myriad of items with good prices and sales. A lot of older people shop there and I was probably the youngest, but I found such cute items and at below-$10 price too! Of course you had to look hard for the best, but it's totally worth it. read more

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High quality men's suits/pants, and sports jackets. Many brand names. Cheap!!

This is just a great shop with lots of little surprises in every room! The best part is that funds go to support a variety of local charities. read more

Literally open once a month. Helped me answer the question, "what if I wanted to go buy overpriced antiques, but on someone else's schedule?

Truly a magical place full of treasures. The Economy Shop is a huge old house that's been converted into a charity shop that's open typically two Saturday's and a Thursday each month (you can check out their website for their shopping dates and hours). I'd recommend getting there early as parking fills up quick! I think they do take cards, but it is much easier to pay with cash here. This is a great place to go wandering through as the rooms are chock full of odds and ends, and there are many rooms to wander through. I've found all kinds of things here, from aprons to baskets to rugs to furniture to art to random knickknacks. Prices are pretty low, and you can often find really good quality or designer items that have been well-maintained more often than you would at other thrift shops. Come here if you love the thrift store experience and want to find treasures. Maybe don't come here if you're looking to quickly find specific items. This is one of my favorite places to spend a morning, and it might become yours too! read more

I have a love-hate relationship with the Economy Shop. The first time I went I thought, This is the GREATEST place ever. I don't know if it's gone downhill or if I've just gone on off days, but I don't love it anymore. I have two big issues. First, the pricing is weird and, more often than not, things are overpriced or seem priced by some delusional person. There are things that are just flat out junk and should be in a freebie bin and other things with prices that are two or three times what they should be. It seems like they should be pricing things to get them moving rather than putting ridiculous prices on things and having them sit around until they finally end up in a sale pile. Second, some of the rooms are just so disorganized and in disarray, I don't even want to deal with them. I get that the place is volunteer run and a lot of people come through on busy days, but it should be a priority to keep things tidy. It's just unpleasant to have to rifle through a bunch of stuff in a room that looks likes a hoarder's basement. I still go the the Economy Shop periodically. When I go there now, I walk around and have fantasies about how I'd run the place if I were in charge. That said, if I put the effort in, I can still find good things on occasion. If you go, just bring a lot of patience with you and don't get too worked up about the second-hand sticker shock. read more

Great merchandise selectionThere's something for every member of your family and there's housewares for the kitchen.

A friend recommended the Economy Shop to me and I can't thank her enough for the recommendation! This "store" is actually located in a house in Oak Park. Each room contains something different: women's clothing, vintage clothing, shoes, accessories, furniture, etc. There is even a room strictly for tchotchkes! The only "problem" with this store, is it is open pretty sporadically (I think only four times during the month- 2 Saturdays a month and 2 Thursdays a month). I went to their website and was able to sign up for their mailing list (via email) and now I am alerted immediately to their next sale. SCORE! If you want to find your next bargain, come early to this store. Apparently this store is a big hit amongst the city folks, so the store fills up pretty quickly. (I avoid the vintage women's wear room like the plague. That room is too small and the air gets pretty stuffy pretty fast). On my first visit to the Economy Shop, I was able to purchase 10 designer blouses for a total of $10 (seriously!). I was also able to buy a matching Croft & Barrow sweater & skirt for $10. In the accessories room, I bought a brand new Liz Claiborne purse for $8 and another designer handbag (brand new!!) for $5. Although this store does accept checks and credit cards, trust me, it's much easier to just pay cash. If you pay with a check or credit card, they write down your purchases on a slip of paper and you have to take the paper to a cashier somewhere else in the building, and then come back to the room where your clothes are and pick up the clothes. This can be confusing if you picked out a lot of clothes in different rooms (how on earth are you supposed to remember where all the rooms are?!). I brought cash on my first visit, and the volunteers there that run the place were happy to see me coming! They were able to take my cash and give me my change and my purchases right away, and the transaction went smooth as silk. I didn't run into any problems with any of the volunteers whatsoever; everyone was very friendly and helpful. The "Last Chance Room" contains clearance items, and trust me, that room is a definite plus! I found some beautiful sweaters there, and walked away with about 6 designer name brand sweaters (in perfect condition) for only $6. All of the volunteers remarked that I had shopped rather well for my first visit (trust me, I hit up the Tchotchke room and shoe room as well later on!). Street parking is pretty much a no-go, but there is a parking garage about half a block away. I spent only a total of $1 on parking at the garage, and I was at the Economy Shop for over 2 hours (yes they have that much stuff!). If you anticipate buying a lot, you can even bring your own shopping bags. Another plus of shopping at the Economy Shop is that the proceeds benefit a variety of local charities (the website lists all of the charities that benefit from the proceeds). So if you are in the mood for bargains on brand new, designer clothes (and don't forget furniture, jewelry, tchotchkes, etc.), I'll race you to the Economy Shop in Oak Park! read more

You know when all the families on a block have garage sales at the same time? Replace the families with local charities and the block with a house, and do it every week or so. That's what the economy shop is. Some nice finds here, lots of clothes and toys. Definitely put it in your weekend rotation if you're out garage saling. But check the website first to see when the next sale is. The street parking is permit only along the tracks, so watch the signs. read more

Cute little thrift shop. SO organized and tidy. GREAT selection of books--- arranged alphabetically in their genres. Bought an amazing little vintage leather purse for $2.50! Only opens certain times of the month, so make sure you check the times before you head over. read more

I went there for the first time yesterday. It was very impressive! I got myself a beautiful vintage leather "like butta" Coach handbag for a steal. Everything was neatly categorized and laid out. I come from the Geneva area and there is a store that's famous on their main drag called, "The Little Traveler." It's a huge old house with different stuff in each room. This is the secondhand version of that store. People were helpful and friendly. A person could find just about anything they are looking for! I had lots of time, so I strolled from room to room and checked out everything. My experience was that you can purchase stuff from each room and that's where they take your money. (They must've changed this since that other person wrote her review.) I brought cash. No problems. I'd go back in a heartbeat. Even if you don't purchase anything, it's still quite an experience! read more

Just went here today, but the crowd was huge. Coupled with the humidity, one of the less pleasant visits I've had here. However, the deals were amazing. I got two skirts for a dollar in the impromptu "Doller Store" at the front room. In the leisure room, I picked up two Gap shirts, one a nice denim, for $5 total. In the shoe room, there was a beautiful pair of real leather loafers a size too big for me and a bit too worn. I ended up also buying a LOFT skirt and a flowy dress from the Women's "Finer Clothes" section. A successful trip to a place known for variety from clothing to chinaware to toys to fabric...I love it. read more

This place is the most organized thrift store I've ever been to. All the sizes are organized as well as every little trinket. One room was even by color! You have to pay for the items you find in each section in that specific section. So don't take it with you to the front. I bought some earphones for a $1 (turned out not to work so well, oh well), a Chococat mug (buy one get two glasses free; I got three cups for 25 cents!), and my Water for Elephants book for $1. Great place to find some good bargains! You just need to find time to go when they're open (which is not very often). read more

Affluent River Foresters and Oak Parkers dump their unwanted items here and the rest of us divide the spoil. Wonderful place run by wonderful volunteers and the proceeds all go to local charities. A win-win situation. read more

This is a great little gem in Oak Park that I wish were open more often. I love the layout of the place - very unique and organized fairly well, however, due to it being open around two times a month, the days that it is open are INSANE. The rooms are too small to maneuver in for how much product they have out on the floor and the for amount of people that are trying to shop at once. I felt like I was saying, "excuse me" every minute, but then realized that it was pointless as I've found a lot of the people that shop here are pretty rude and are unaware of the people around them....or just really don't care. The prices nearly make up for the crowdedness and they have some pretty awesome sales; prices are almost always negotiable and they have some nice items. The volunteers have always been friendly and helpful, which is GREAT! Overall, I just wish they were open more often...even one day or two days a week, so to make a more enjoyable shopping experience. If you're looking for a neat place to spend an hour or so, you should still check it out as all the proceeds go to great causes. read more

The economy shop is a great place to come if you're looking for a bargain. They will, however, make you work for it! The economy shop is not a regular store that is open everyday. They have scheduled days they are open, about once a month. These days can be found on their website. I got there about 20 minutes before they opened. There was people waiting when I got there and the line grew, fast! By the time the doors opened the line was at least half a block long! The store, which is actually a beautiful large home, is divided into sections. One room is home items, women's clothing, men's clothing, etc. I feel like their prices were slightly higher than a regular thrift store however the quality of their items was also significantly better. I bought a few items but my favorite was a beautiful like new Tory Burch sweater for $10. I'm still so excited every time I wear it! read more

Positives: large amount of merchandise, proceeds go to local charities/agencies, good combination of older and newer second-hand items. Items divided into different rooms (jewelry, womens, shoes, etc.) Negatives: not open often, the volunteers don't seem to know what they're doing all the time. I warn people who plan to pay by check or charge-- You have to have a ticket written up room by room and then pay in the office the end of your shopping AND THEN go back to each of the rooms and pick up your merchandise. I was mistakenly given a "pay by check" ticket in the first room (seriously, who even writes checks anymore?), and when I tried to pay by credit card at the end as I originally intended, I was told to go back to each of the rooms I shopped at and have a NEW ticket written up because it wasn't the right one. When I instead tried to pay by cash with a $50, I was told they don't take bills over $20. I ended up walking out without any thing-- it wasn't worth my trouble for a bunch of old clothes. I doubt I'll go back because I was put off by the volunteers and the frustration I had over trying to pay. If you choose to shop there, bring cash, and only bring small bills. read more

Come here and buy my old stuff! This place accepts, sorts and sells many of the second-hand goods from Oak Park, River Forest and beyond. The merchandise is carefully arranged into rooms in this big old house. One room for jewelry, one for toys, one for women's clothing, etc. Profits benefit many of the social service agencies in the area. It isn't open all that often, though, so check the website for dates. read more

As far as I can tell, this is the BEST thrift store around. They always have great stuff, for great prices. It can become a bit of a zoo on the sale days, but that adds to the experience (sometimes). Check the website for sale dates, they are closed in the summer (no AC). All proceeds support local charities. read more

The Economy Shop in Oak Park is my favorite thrift store! Beyond the great selection of stuff and good prices, I love the fact that this place is run by volunteers and the proceeds go to local charities. I shop mostly for clothes and accessories, but I've also found great deals on books and housewares. Read more here: http://thriftyllama.blogspot.com/2013/01/economy-shop-oak-park_25.html I just wish they were open everyday! read more

Things sometimes can be a little off in the economy shop. They are not open very often, and there is a lot of stuff to look through. The volunteers are either really helpful or really want you to just bugger off. I have found a lot of helpful things here in terms of home goods. The basement is a little crazy to get through and usually not worth more then a couple of minutes of your time. Overall, I love the concept of the economy shop and have found a handful of pretty cool things here. read more

Best place ever!!! Great variety & all money goes to local charities to help not only the Oak Park, River Forest area but also the entire Chicagoland area (see Hephzibah House as an example). I found great clothing for my family in the Children's Shop! Amazing Quality & garage sale prices. I happen to go on one of the days they had BYGOF and I even found a North Face coat for my niece for 4.00 & a beautiful piece of artwork for only 10.00! I signed up for their email blasts and keep track of all their sales. I can't believe I did not find this gem earlier! Check out the web site for the sale days & enjoy finding quality clothing, shoes, gifts, housewares & more at unheard of prices! read more

My favorite thrift shop!!!!! I am a regular here lol I know almost everyone by name. It's a major plus that all the proceeds go to various charities. read more

Well organized place for gently used housewares & clothes. Fair selection of casual & business clothes too. Prices are very reasonable & some are negotiable. Does not hurt to ask: just be nice. I got 2 belts for .50 ea. Bring small bills to pay in each room as you shop. Map directory on each floor so plan your strategy before you dig in. As other yelpers suggest: Very limited hours so check website before you go. read more

I was looking to buy some books for my kids. They had a limited selection of books, but most were in excellent condition. Other thrift stores I had been to (Goodwill, Salvation Army) stocked a bunch of tattered and torn books. The prices were very reasonable as well. I went through the rest of the store and ended up buying some sterling silver earrings ($15), some dress shirts ($3 each), some half sleeve shirts ($2). They had real nice dress shoes and sneakers for $5 and $3 - wow, just wow! Throughout the store, I was impressed with the quality of the products and neatness. The only issue is they are open on very few days (once every two weeks or so). I so liked shopping there, that I took half a day from work to shop on a Thursday last time. read more

One of my favorite Thrift Stores! It is worth your time and money. This place is amazing and organized. Every room is organized and you pay for your items in each section. I have never spent over five dollars for anything and theres sales all season long. read more

supporting multi non-profits, new stuff in all the time and happiest volunteers, how can you not like coming here! Thank you!

I vist the Economy Shop My son James and I travel from the far-southside . I found these cute porcelain salt&black pepper shaker. The prices on item was fair,but the people was amazing ***very friendly!!! read more

I wish that I could rate each individual room. Because some rooms are better than others in terms of quality for the price. Some rooms price items fairly. But for the most part, most of the prices are ridiculous to the point where I find myself saying "who is pricing these things, because they are crazy." When I do visit the Economy Shop, usually at least once on a visit I pick up an item, look at the price, and say "these folks are nuts" and I don't buy the item. You can tell the prices are wack because there are items that languish on the shelves for months (especially in the shoe department and basement). After all, these are used items that the charity receives for free. So they need to strike a balance between raising money for charity and fleecing the customer. I think it's better to have customers leave happy rather than frustrated. Customers will be more likely to come back and tell others to visit if they feel like they got a good deal. What would it hurt to price things more fairly so that people leave happy and like they've gotten a good deal? The shop might make a tiny bit less off an item, but the item won't stagnate on the shelf for months. And, better yet, you earn the loyalty of a return customer and you might make more money over time because of higher sales volume. After all, it's used merchandise that they've received for free. And the shop is final sale only--no returns. So you have to incentivize people. The economy is getting better and people have more options now in terms of buying new items for not much money. For the price and condition of the items we've seen here lately, you're better off buying new from a place like TJ Maxx. read more