Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Thrift Store Review: CHKD, the one up at Hilltop


This is one of 20 Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters thrift stores in the Tidewater area (22 if you include Elizabeth City and Kitty Hawk, NC). While I applaud the noble cause for which they stand, the 7 stores I've set foot in all suck. I've been going to the Hilltop location regularly for at least 12 years and I think I've just bought a blank t-shirt and an empty record sleeve (just for the art). Overpriced. Loosely Organized. Crappy electronics and books. Tons of worthless records, coffee mugs, and furniture. Rack after rack of clothes that wouldn't even be useful for a "Make Anything You Want" challenge on  "Project Runway". Tiny aisles with dumpy people that smell like fast food always bumping into you. Dumpy people's dumpy children running around screaming and farting on each other. Bad top 40 radio blaring on the speakers. All at 1:45 on a Monday afternoon. If you feel like supporting the CHKD, just gather up all of your old poofy sweaters and Tom Clancy books, shove 'em in a garbage bag, drop them off up front, then walk right next door to Tida Thai, order the green curry, and reflect on your good deed for the day.

Of course, this is my opinion. If you love this place - great. Start a blog, keep it going for over two years and write a glowing review of this place.  I'd love to read it. And there's no real reason why I should keep returning to a place I don't like, is there? You better bet your bottom lip there is - I'm looking for one of these.  

Oh, and if you think this is the worst thrift store in Hampton Roads, you're wrong. I'll reveal that, along with all the other craptomundo things in our noodle neck of Southeast Virginia next month in the first ever, brutally honest and 100% official  Worst of Hampton Roads. Hurry up and send me your last minute nominations for stuff on facebook. Or just ignore this and get back to posting those dumb inspirational quotes and creepy self portraits.