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Whether it's vintage clothing, a couch for your front porch, or you just want to bulk up on used video and cassette tapes, thrift stores can be the one-stop shop for all your secondhand needs - and Chico has a lot of them.
Junior Jenny Windman said thrift stores thrive on business from students who buy used clothing for themed parties.
"It's like Halloween year-round," she said.
Not much unlike the bars, liquor stores and taco trucks that satisfy Chico State students' hungers and thirsts, you couldn't count the number of thrift stores on your hands. But five of the most popular downtown thrift stores are all within walking distance of each other.
It's time to put a new face on an old tradition. So get ready for the Chico thrift store crawl.
Stop 1: Discovery Shoppe 315 Flume St. The Discovery Shoppe might be more popular to an older crowd, but if you're looking for that vacation look, this little thrift store will fulfill your needs.
Hidden on the east side of downtown Chico, the Discovery Shoppe mostly features clothing from the 1970s to the 1990s, as well as a few knick-knacks that fill the shelves at the back of the store.
Though most of the people roaming the store reflect the era of the clothes, it's worth your while to see the store's large selection of 1980s workout videotapes.
Stop 2: Salvation Army Thrift Store (New) 700 Broadway St. Located at the old Chico Enterprise-Record headquarters, this Salvation Army features an impressive collection of antique furniture.
Clerk Nickey Arnold said prices are cut in half if the item isn't sold in 30 days.
"My favorite part of the job is to try on the hats," she said, as she watched a costumer try on an old hat.
Arnold said about half of the customers are college-aged.
Though some of the store's merchandise and prices reflect the look of an antique store, the large selection of cheap clothes makes this thrift store worthy of a stop.
Stop 3: Salvation Army Thrift Store (Old) 1054 Broadway St. Just down the street from the new Salvation Army is the old Salvation Army. Nearly twice as big as the new one, this is the place to find cheap couches, desks and appliances.
Arnold, who works at both stores, said that the vintage clothing is the most popular thing at both Salvation Army locations, but at this store, most of the customers poked through the stacks of desks, tables and chairs.
The Salvation Army gets all its merchandise from donations, Arnold said.
Stop 4: Orange Street Consignment 514 Orange St. Perhaps the most diverse thrift store in terms of merchandise, you can find large collections including mounted animals, old pinball machines and collections of vintage clothing.
But don't be scared if the mounted animals start jumping around - it's probably just a passing train behind the store. It can be rather noisy.
Manager Wayne Lake said this store isn't considered a thrift store because most of its merchandise isn't owned by the store. Instead, it sells stuff that is owned by people who don't want to sell it themselves.
Lake added that although the store is in an area where mostly students live, many students don't know about the store.
That could be because it looks more like a warehouse for the train-station, but inside it's more like a museum.
Stop 5: Thrift Queen 641 Nord Ave. Arguably the most popular with the students, the Thrift Queen is a major hot spot for costume parties and vintage clothing.
The daughter of owner Tanya Schuttenberg, "thrift princess" Jenny Windman, said most of the clothes in the store have been gathered from rummage and garage sales from all over the state.
In addition, the Thrift Queen also rents clothing for a week, gives special offers to regular customers and hands out 10 percent discounts on campus.
Though this thrift store doesn't have much outside of clothing, it's probably your best bet to find clothing that the other thrift stores might not have. But be ready to swim through the waves of clothes, because the store is rather small. Clothes are piled on top of each other, crammed in boxes and on racks.
Bob Main can be reached at bmain@theorion.com
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