Humboldt Exchange

"Nice thrift store in Arcata."

"I wouldn’t call this a “boutique upcycle” as the owner states, one reason is the lack of dressing room. This is a thrift store, and an uncompetitive one at that. I’ve come here 2-3 times and bought some great trendy items, and found many many more low-fashion items unreasonably overpriced. It seems like some clothes were being sold for more then they’re worth new. Despite this I’ve found the staff to be very kind and some of the items to be really unique. They also have some custom clothes that they sell, I assume made by local artist(s)."

"I'm a local who thrift and consignment shops very consistently. I've been wanting to come in, so I did today. I noticed prices were high. If you're somebody who is looking to buy and resell this place is not for you. I was looking for something special for myself. I purchased a makeup bag, which was name brand. Originally it was a free gift the company gives with a purchase. I paid $38 for it. Later when I left, I looked it up and there is one for sale on eBay for $10. And there are two that sold on Poshmark one for $12 and one for $9 that were brand new. This one has some of the plastic missing in a few spots. Just a bad experience to know that if I had just looked online I could have bought one for $10, but instead I paid almost $40. There is some cool stuff in th store and the couple were helpful. P.S. just a tip when checking a purse or bag to make sure somebody didn't put something in there to steal it..don't tell them that's what you're doing, it's insulting."

"Terribly overpriced. It seems they look every item up on eBay and price things accordingly, which leads to outrageous prices for an in-person thrift store. Online prices are higher than actual thrift stores for a reason. They have so much clothing from fast fashion brands that is priced way too high, sometimes even higher than they would sell for new. I thrift often but don’t even bother going to this store anymore because of the prices and bad selection."

"This place has some incredible treasures. Take your time and browse through the different categories. Many years ago I found an utterly stunning hand-woven matching coat and dress from Sweden designed by Countess Ebba von Eckermann from the 1960s. Gorgeous! I imagine a professor's wife bought it at Saks Fifth Avenue, the only store in the US that sold von Eckermann, and brought it back to Arcata...who knows?"