Salvation Army Thrift Store

633 North Broadway Avenue
Tyler, TX
(903) 592-4361

The Salvation Army was started in 1865 as an Evangelical Christian ministry by William and Catherine Booth. It is called an army because of its structure being loosely modeled after military rank and structure. Today it has grown to have locations in one hundred and eighteen countries and operating in one hundred and seventy-five languages. People recognize their red and white logo world wide. The organization is most popularly known for its thrift stores and those sweet smiling people who annoy everyone by fundraising with the loud bell ringing at Christmas time outside of high traffic retail stores.

Salvation Army Thrift Store

But these stores are only a fundraiser like the bell ringing. The stores help to pay for their main Christian ministry of free drug and alcohol residential rehabilitation centers and temporary homeless shelters. They are also able to offer temporary and longer term jobs to people in need of work.

The Salvation Army thrift store in Tyler, TX is located on North Broadway pretty close to the center of downtown Tyler. The store shares a parking lot with their rehabilitation ministry center and is very easy to notice. I must say that this is not my favorite thrift store in Tyler, but I still frequently visit it. It has a few features that make me a permanent shopper.

I’ll start with the good things about this store. This Salvation Army thrift store has the nicest and cheapest furniture out of the thrift stores in Tyler. Aside from buying new or from yard sales, your best bet for cheap furniture shopping in Tyler would be this Salvation Army. My wife was particularly pleased with the amount of really nice wooden coffee and end tables. There are also usually a few couches and stuffed chairs in really nice shape.

Right as you enter the store to the left between the door and the cash register, there is a nice little shelf of CDs, DVDs, and computer software. I was more than impressed when I began to look through this section. I was able to find a few useful computer games and a music CD that was brand new in the wrapper. All were only a dollar a piece. This does require some time to sift through the more noticeable collection of useless CDs and software.

In the back right of the store they have a pretty nice book section. This collection of books surprises me every time. It seems that they have most of the John Grisham books, which I am often in search of.

The Salvation Army

They also have a surprisingly large selection of fantasy and sci-fi novels, which can be hard to find in used book stores. I must let you know, though, that just like the CDs the books are in no particular order. It requires patience and practice at skimming through titles to find the gems.

One last cool little section is in the center section of the back wall. They have tons of bolts of fabric, and it’s decently priced. I am never looking for cloth for sewing projects, so I can’t vouch for the usefulness of it in that sense. I use it for when I am putting together a costume and just need to be able to drape large sections of cheap fabric.
As for the negative things, there aren’t many. Thrift stores are thrift stores, so you can’t expect too much out of them, but one problem with this store is the men’s clothing section is pretty drab and scarce. I am usually in search of t-shirts, but their selection is not great. I have however been able to find a tie or two in good shape.

The last thing is an isolated negative experience I had in the store on my last visit. I was shopping through the CDs in the front and noticed one of the cashiers staring at me suspiciously. Being a self-appraised above average good citizen and licensed preacher, I shrugged it off and continued on my shopping. I was able to forget about the slight awkwardness and made it to the check out. When I got to the register the lady some how informed me that she was in charge. I’m not sure if she was a supervisor or the owner. Anyway, she looked at me like only a mother can in the eyes and asked, “Where are the other CDs you had?” Shocked by the sudden accusation of theft, I paused. Then I told her truthfully that I had placed the ones I didn’t want back on the shelf. She gave me a weird grin and said something like a tsk tsk. All in all, it was awkward and almost offensive, but I still think the store is great. I just think that they are very used to working with drug addicts and delinquent teens.

Give this store a shot. You will most likely be pleased enough to return to shop in the future.

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