Very well organized for a Goodwill, some magic formula working hard to clear the air of that typical musky fake smell ruining all the others I've been to. There's a tidy and nest assortment here however most prices are well inflated to make eBay look just as enticing. read more

Goodwill SoCal Boutique & Donation Center - Inside - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Pasadena, California

Staff is upbeat and well organized making quick visits possible. Also helpful. They were clear on donations they would accept and courteous on others. read more

BEST OF LUCK: If you are a fan of small boutiques with limited, but always changing used items, then this is absolutely the spot for you. I would recommend coming in once per week, if that describes you AND you live locally. As for being a serious book person, that dedicates days that add up to weeks per year specifically set aside for bookstore hopping, hunting specific titles from printed lists for a personal collection, I will unfortunately state that this was my fifth and final time to visit. There are too many other good books stores, Book Alley and Battery of Books to name just two, in and around the area to come in here to look through a three bookshelves, where hardcover books share a limited space with paperbacks, CDs. DVDs and games. Yes, of additional note... gone is the end cap full of CDs. Gone is the end cap full of DVDs. SHOCKED, SADDENED & DISAPPOINTED: If you enjoy shopping your local Goodwill store for books and you have never shopped this location when it was a DEDICATED BOOKSTORE, I am saddened that you missed out on this once a great little shop that always managed to pack a wallop. Let it be known that it has now downgraded itself, in the eyes of booklovers everywhere, to a weak and weary boutique. WHY IS THIS PLACE LESS THAN ADEQUATE: To a serious shopper the secret to a good shopping adventure is variety. This is not a large Goodwill store, hence the title "boutique" was used by the cashier. If you operated a small business and sold jewelery, small collectables, or books you have a great chance at promoting more items to your potential customers (this is the variety part). If you move in rounders full of clothing and put medium-sized kitschy items, prop up framed wall art and place small appliances on shelves, overly spaced apart, well you are forcing your business to promote less product. Thatvis not attack, that is fact. My book people take heed. Boutique people take heed. THE REALITY: It amazes me how the same space as a bookstore that seemed so voluminous, now fares pale by comparison. I used to walk through the back door (remember how loud that front door would slam?) and get lost for at least an hour. Well. my February 2022 visit took less than 15 minutes after I drove 30 minutes to get here. ALSO A REASON TO RECOMMEND: As for a place to drop off your unwanted items, well you can still do that. END GAME: R.I.P. "Goodwill Southern California Bookstore & Donation Center" Pasadena. Best of luck Goodwill Boutique read more

Goodwill SoCal Boutique & Donation Center - 02/2022: Usually this place is a 2 arms (full) experience. Store changed from bookstore to boutique, so sadly, this was my last visit. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Pasadena, California

This goodwill used to be dedicated book store and media. Now it changed to a boutique. The couple times I've been have been a mostly ehhh.. . I've had the rude customer service experience multiple times. Today it is 10:12am and the store is not opened. The sign says give a few might be sanitizing, clearly this is not true and there are NO employees. We are to believe this store not open due to cleaning.... ?! read more

Really tiny store. Max parking spaces is about 8. Only one long shelf for books. Another one shelf for glassware, and the rest is for clothing however, there's probably only two or three rows of clothing items. read more

Goodwill SoCal Boutique & Donation Center - The shelf of glassware and rows of clothing. There is only one more row of clothes not shown on the picture. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Very small store with limited parking so plan to walk a bit. Hard to find much since the store is tiny, and not-too much "boutique" quality merchandise. But the guy behind the counter was interesting and because he didn't like the selection of music available to the store he preferred silence. Therefore, no music and limited merchandise made this an average experience. I left and went to the Altadena Drive store. read more

I had a disappointing experience at this Goodwill location earlier today. As many people have mentioned, the store is small with a tiny parking lot. I was on my way to run errands and brought my foldable rolling cart with me opting not to drive, thinking I would pop in here to browse. When I entered the small store with my cart, I folded it up near the entrance to make space. I was the only customer and there was a female employee working, who did not acknowledge me when I entered. I thought nothing of this while I checked out the knickknacks and clothing. After selecting some clothing items, I returned to my cart to avoid any confusion, as some shoppers had come into the store and I did not want them to think it was for sale. Like I mentioned before the store is small and they don't have fitting rooms so I was looking at the clothing items I had selected to see if they fit. I placed them on top of my cart to sort through them. To my surprise, the worker came up to me and rudely demanded I put everything back and move. When I asked for clarification, she repeated her demand without explanation. I was uncomfortable and frankly baffled with the way she was speaking to me. I told her I wanted to make my selection and that I was going to pay for the items and didn't see the issue. She continued her rude tone and repeated the same thing over to me. When I requested to speak with a manager, I hoped for a resolution, I explained our interaction to him. He mocked me and said she was providing customer service and he saw nothing wrong with how his employee had addressed me. Feeling baffled and frankly on the bridge of tears, I chose to hand everything back to the female employee rather than deal with such poor customer service. I tried asking for clarification again and she ignored me and was smirking as she was putting my items back. At that point I did leave in tears. The lack of professionalism and courtesy from the staff was disappointing, and I left feeling disrespected, and unwelcome. I won't be returning to this location. read more

I feel sorry for the people of Southern California who have to shop these Goodwills. They're filled with overpriced GARBAGE. Absolute hot garbage. I love shopping Goodwill. I shop Goodwill in the Midwest and online and have found so many wonderful things. Just close these overpriced trash palaces. read more

First off the parking lot is small! We were here on Labor Day weekend asking about some furniture! A older guy employee was very rude when we asked him a simple question! Their prices are also higher than other goodwills! Would not go back! read more

No dressing room. Worker lied and said we could return items within 60 days. When we came to return an item that didn't fit, he changed it to exchange only (same guy). I didn't remember incorrectly, he said return, not exchange. Will never return. read more

Was in the area and decided to stop by because I've never been to this location. One of the smallest Goodwills I've seen, which helps for a quick look around. They look like they have the right amount of staff to function at a high rate, as I saw two different people bringing in donations that were being helped right away, as I was being rung up, as well as another employee tidying up and organizing the store. Found some little treasures and will most likely stop by again the next time I'm in the area. Open every day 10-6 read more

Goodwill SoCal Boutique & Donation Center - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Pasadena, California

Gentleman who attended to me was polite, friendly and helpful. I was coming in as a donor. Other places who have staff that appear and act burned out, treat donors like nobody. He answered my questions and volunteered to help carry tons of clothes from vehicle to unloading area. Gave specific instructions on getting a receipt (helpful for tax write off). I will donate here again. read more

This Goodwill is small, but very organized. They primary carry books, CDs, DVDs, audio books, and vinyl records. However, they also had a few posters and other small items that were dispersed within the bookshelves. I love how clean and organized everything is. Books are neatly placed on shelves and are organized into sections (cooking, travel, biographies, foreign language, classics, etc.). If you're looking for bigger items like furniture, clothes, or kitchen items, this may not be the best place for you. But if you're someone like me and love books and records, you'll appreciate their collection here. Pros: -free small parking lot in the back -clean and well organized -staff are friendly -they accept donations Cons: -small shop -doesn't have a lot of variety like some other goodwill shops read more

Goodwill SoCal Boutique & Donation Center - Books are organized into categories! - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Pasadena, California

Very small store and doesn't live up to the 'boutique' branding, which typically has higher end brands.

This location is easy to access at the Lake Ave intersection! There's freeeeee 15 min parking right by the donation door, which is in the back of the store(West side)! The staff is friendly and you can even opt to get your receipt emailed to you for tax purposes. If you donate on a Wednesday, they give you a 15% off coupon for an in store purchase. read more

I am very disappointed that this is no longer a bookstore, but now a boutique. I hope they'll consider changing it back to a bookstore. I recommend SAVERS Thrift Store in Arcadia, they have a well organized good size book section. They also offer a 20% discount if you make a donation of items in their drive up area (on the south side of the store). read more

This was great when it was a bookstore. Goodwill's decision to convert all its bookstores to "boutiques" was a classic piece of idiocy imposed by management. It's not as if the contents are particularly high-end compared to regular Goodwill stores. It's a waste of space and a sad blow against literacy. read more

This place is a hidden gem!! I tend to think of the goodwill donation and bookstores as just a donation drop off with a few books on the walls that they didn't have room for in their regular stores. That may be the case at other locations, but this place is a pretty legitimate used bookstore on its own. I have come here looking for specific titles and found them. In addition to that, they typically have a small rack of more curated, often vintage, clothing as well as interesting knickknacks. There are a couple of staff members that I usually see here, they are very friendly and helpful. read more

Great little bookstore at awesome prices :) I love coming in here every week, you never know what you'll find. They do a good job with shelving and everything is very neat. Props to John who's been there for as long as I've been coming to this location (years) but the rest of the crew is always great as well! Friendly demeanor from all of them and I always feel welcomed there. read more

Bookstore/DVD/Audio books. Take donation in back. There's a restroom too. Very clean place. Jason was super friendly. Sooo glad I made a donation here in September. Found a good audio book for a 8-10hr drive this wknd with no radio, lifesaver. Easy free private parking lot. read more

Goodwill brands themselves as a community service, but essentially getting rid of the dedicated Pasadena bookstore on Lake blows up that claim. The single biggest predictor of school success is children who like to read and much of that comes from children who've been read to while young. This store had children's books in great condition, and I purchased them for younger relatives, because their parents did not buy books, only crappy plastic toys. What a shame. And really, what a betrayal. read more

Went here yesterday looking for a book and not only did they not have the book, it is not a bookstore anymore. It is a clothing store now I am really disappointed. read more

I'm thrifty, cheap, and frugal. This Goodwill offers $2 on softcover books, $3 on hardcover books. Most Goodwills (and Salvation Armys) I've been too are a dollar less on both soft and hard covers. So it's one dollar extra, feh. But the reason I mention the prices is because there's another Goodwill close by this one that charges $5-6 on soft and $5-8 on hardcover! Not to mention their other products are inflated in price. This also goes for the Salvation Army antique store across from the Goodwill. But this Goodwill specializes on books! So their half of color tags are more likely to apply to your books for roughly half off! Honestly, with the other thrift stores around, this is the best for a thrify bookworm! Selection always varies, of course, but I got about $25 worth of books (only one was half off). I'd come here religiously if I lived closer to the area. read more

They should even bother. There was hardly any room for anything, and their meager attempt at staging the "good" items were a joke. Nothing you can't find at a normal goodwill. Save yourself a trip, there's nothing boutique about this place. read more

Wonderful selection of all kinds of book at a fraction of the cost of new books. I love this store!

This is a great Goodwill. They only have books in it! They do accept donations for anything though. There's a small parking lot, but it's always had parking when I've gone. You cannot miss the location as it's on the busy corner of Lake and Orange Grove. It's a small store, but there's seating around the edge of it for you to peruse your haul. They just opened, and have set a precedent for keeping the books arranged by sections. There's a hardback fiction wall, and a good sized section for: kids books, health/pregnancy, paperback fiction, and old travel books. There are smaller sections on: art, religion, cds, dvds, and general non-fiction. I'm glad this opened up. They get new books all the time. I'll probably check in monthly. read more

Reviewing this as someone who donated. Called during the morning to check what their hours were for donations on that day and if they accepted our items. Too bad no where accepts old mattresses. Oh well. I received friendly help on the phone. They have a private lot where you can park, and there are spots in the back directly in front of where they receive donations. it was a smooth and easy process to drop off our bags of clothes and also a small piece of furniture. They offered a receipt for our donation but we declined. If you're looking for a place to donate your goods, try this Goodwill! read more

What a great store. I haven't seen another Goodwill bookstore. I saw lots of kids and teens shopping here and I can respect Goodwill for making it an affordable habit. This location will also take donations for pretty much anything. The parking lot is small, so you might have to drag your items a bit far depending on where you park. You also need to wait for some time for an attendant to come by, but the staff is super friendly. read more

My local Goodwill had a modest selection of books and records but when I found out that Goodwill has book specific stores I just had to check this place out. It has wall-to-wall books of every genre. The prices are perfect for a college student or anyone on a budget trying to grad some material. Because we all know that reading a physical copy is better than an e-book I snagged myself some collectors edition books for less than 5 dollars and in excellent condition. What I like most is that these books are all donated, which allows the books to find a home in someone else's bookshelf. Books should never be tossed in the trash. I like to think it as a book kennel. Books are just waiting to get "adopted" by a new owner. By buying here you're helping keep people employed. The workers here are really helpful and are upbeat. read more

This was my favourite Goodwill bookstore. They had an excellent selection of stuff, from modern literature to the classics. They had a decent selection of CDs, too. I would visit every week and invariably spend $20+. Now, some genius in upper management has decided to transform all Goodwill bookstore into "boutiques", doubtless as part of "shifting the perception of our brand" or some equally bollocky rationale. What this translates into is a few racks of overpriced women's clothes, vases and trinkets sparsely occupying the space, with a paltry couple of shelves of books lurking sadly in a corner. Maybe it's just me, but I thought there was something rather noble about Goodwill devoting entire stores to books, making literature (and course books) available for cheap. Was the world crying out for thrift store-quality clothes with inflated prices, displayed in an over-large, wasted space? I visited once, and won't be returning. I hope the boutiques are a dismal failure (judging by the few customers in the store, this seems like a safe bet), and whichever upper management dullard is responsible for this ends up out on his/her ear. Bring back the bookstores. read more

Books only. This is a decent used bookstore, clean, though small and limited on stock. Prices for books were clearly displayed: $1.99 paperbacks & $2.99 hardcovers. The shelves were stocked primarily with familiar commercial fiction you typically find at used book stores. There wasn't much in terms of nonfiction so keep this in mind if that's what you're looking for. I did like the fact this Goodwill location was dedicated only to books; you didn't have to sludge through rows of random things to get what I think a lot of people like me frequent thrift stores for. The employees were nice, but too many of them with the store space and available stock. In fact, I didn't even check out the bookcase by the registers because an employee was sitting in front of it. Other customers that trailed in and out seemed to be regulars and were referred to by name (interesting). Personally, I don't see a need to come here again to buy books, but it's a convenient location to drop off ones you want to donate. read more

Bookstore and visual media only. I like buying DVDs, music CDs and classic literature a few times a year. After playing the DVD and CDs media for a while, I return them to Goodwill for someone else's benefit--sometimes it's even cheaper than rentals. As per the books, high schools and middle schools need classic literature titles, what better way to make use of these? I've even found very rare and invaluable college reading materials. read more

Such a clean book store. I imagined there will be other items but this is such a great shop to grab different kinds of books. The cool part is it is organized and categorized. It's easier to select and enjoy the collection. They have 2 chairs by the window and it's a cool reading area. Definitely going back.... read more

I love this store. I'm a book fanatic! I can't walk past a bookstore w/out going in. I like novels, history, Christian scholarly & devotional, leadership, English Lit, African Am Lit, and Short Stories. I've met PCC & High School students looking for required texts, finding exactly what they needed. Hardbacks $3 & soft covers $2. DVD are less than $5. I've been coming since they open. I love, love, love the quality purses. Since they opened, I've been able to buy quite a few $300 new or mostly new, brand name leather totes, for less than $20, but mine were mostly less than $10. (most of my keepers were brand new J.Crew, Gap, Coach, or Michael Kors leather bags- large enough to carry wallet, extra flats, & of course books) They're a small store, with a personable, dependable, and knowledgeable staff. Thanks John, Brianna, Roger, Jason, & Michelle!!! read more

I'm really impressed with this little place. First off, it's an air-conditioned used bookstore. What isn't great about that!? You have to dig a little to find good ones, but I usually find at least one little gem each time I go. You can find books for all ages and DVDs, too. They also take "all" donated items. The staff are very nice and helpful. It's usually not very busy, at least when I've been there on the weekdays, midday and early evenings. I'll definitely be back to do more donating and treasure hunting! read more

First time thrifter here, I walked in and found a bunch of gems for home decor at incredible prices. I'm extremely happy I decided to give this place a try. I purchased a large piece of furniture and they were able to help me load it into my car. Thank you Geraldo! Your work is very appreciated read more

I loooooove this spot! All of the paperbacks are $1.99 and the hardbacks are $2.99. They have a great variety of mystery and nonfiction. There are also some knickknacks and furniture. I got two mahogany end tables (heavily worn) for $25 that I'm going to refinish. The staff is always helpful and friendly, and loaded the tables into my trunk for me. read more

This Goodwill is so unique! It is a small store with one worker but he's extremely friendly. The place is clean and organized. Lots of records and old DVDs and magazines as well. Their prices are reasonable, about $2-3 a book. It's much cheaper than Savers! I found some cool Archie comics that look nearly brand new. I used to read them a lot so I just picked one up just for the hell of it. I asked the guy and he said they get quite a lot of donations, 20-30 people a day at the store and lots more at a truck/van they have (not sure where they park it). They also have a few antiques but not many. read more

This Pasadena Goodwill Bookstore is the only one I ever visited where the fiction books are just thrown on shelves randomly , not organized in alpha order by author. I undetstand why because 1/2 the time when you go there staff is sitting behind the desk playing on their phones not working at all. This place needs a new manager to bring it up to the standards of the Goodwill Bookstores in Upland, Redlands and Yucaipa. I guess the people who gave it a high rating have never been to a good Goodwill Bookstore. read more

I stopped by there on a walk earlier this month and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the store! If you are an avid thrifter, you know that some thrift stores can get pretty gross with dust and dirt, most commonly the book sections. But I was do happy to not only step into an air conditioned store, but a clean, well organized and QUIET bookstore. Prices were displayed prominently, and while I wouldnt expect to find old or rare books here, I did find some older edition art history textbooks that I had almost bought on Amazon for $100 earlier that week so I was overjoyed to buy them each for $3. They also have smaller tables with misc trinkets, ornaments and some furniture displayed in the windows that is well priced. Not a lot though, so don't count on spending much time there if your not looking for books. I really appreciated the employees humor and friendliness too, they bothered to learn my name and have a chat and thats a rare find these days. I noticed they addressed a ton of the customers by first name. Overall a wonderful place to find some books! read more