While I don’t live in San Luis Obispo I love to visit there when I’m vacationing in nearby Morro Bay, California. I am a bit of a thrift store junkie so I love to see what bargains can be found. On my last vacation to Morro Bay in late March 2010, I stopped by with my family at the Hospice Partner’s Hope Chest.
On their business card, Hospice Partners Hope Chest brags that it is “The Ultimate Thrift Store.” Having been to several thrift stores, I have to disagree. It’s a nice store BUT it’s a high scale thrift store which means they have a lot of nicer items with the prices to prove it. High prices on almost everything at a thrift store can be a turn off to the budget minded shopper, especially when they get it for free (there is still a way to make a profit while not being super expensive). That being said, I would go to it again in search of something I just had to have and would be willing to pay the price for.
When you walk into the store, you’re greeted by the counter where you pay on the left hand side of the store. Straight ahead is a small book section and on the left hand side of that is an area with knick knacks and other goodies.
Walking straight back to the back of the store, you’ll come across a small section that houses children’s books, toys and other baby stuff. I was a little disappointed by how few children’s toys they had. I don’t know if they don’t receive enough donations of those items or if they simply are afraid some of them might be recalled and they don’t want to check them out.
To the left of that section is the clothing area. They have clothing separated by section. On the far left hand side of the store they have a few furniture and other items. The very back of the left hand side of the store houses more books and a few tapes/CDs.
As I said, their prices are high on a lot of things. I only bought a couple of things and one of them was not for me. Their high prices seem to allow them to keep nicer merchandise in the store which makes if a fun place to visit for some people. However several more lower priced items would be nice to see.
I do recommend stopping at this thrift store especially if you aren’t a big fan of going to thrift stores that aren’t straightened up very often. This thrift store is impeccably clean and I did not see one item out of place.
Hospice Partners Hope Chest is located at 445 Higuera Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 and their phone number is (805) 545-5955. They are open Monday through Saturday from 10 AM to 5 PM. They are closed on Sundays. If you’d like to make a donation, they accept them from 10 AM to 3 PM Monday through Saturday.
