One of my four go to antique/thrift/consignment shops. I consider my go tos to be above and beyond…read morewhat most people think about when they hear thrifting. This is not a Goodwill, Salvation Army, or DAV. Quality items and can't miss stops on your thrifting rounds. Make sure you check this place out!

On the east side of town is this shop. I happen upon it one Friday afternoon when I was wondering…read morearound downtown. I was really excited to see a thrift shop, as I really do love thrift shops. HCI Giving Tree is not your typical thrift store. It is a small clean store, with really nice products. This isn't really the stuff I am looking for when I go thrifting, however all proceeds from store sales support hospice services provided to patients and families served by HCI Hospice Care Services. I did end up purchasing something small to help support the cause. However I don't know if I would regularly return for big deals. I hope they continue to do what they are doing for the cause they are doing it for. Very cool.

You will find similar versions of this kind of overpricing throughout the store. Don't waste your…read moretime. Items are consistently overpriced.

I had an awful experience with an employee being rude to me here because I didn't know if he was…read moreready to check me out or not. He wasn't really looking at me, and usually the nice thing to do in retail is say something like "I can help whoever is next." Two other customers come up after maybe a minute (at most) and ask me if I was ready, and he blurts out "I don't know what she's waiting for!" And still doesn't address me directly. It was honestly embarrassing! I walk up and lay my things down on the counter and just explain I wasn't sure, and he cuts me off and says "I didn't know I had to make an announcement." The whole checkout process he is still in a mood and doesn't say anything after I say "thank you" even though he's the one who's been rude. I was (and still am) appalled by this kind of treatment, especially in front of other customers. I'm glad there's other locations to shop at!

I've only heard good things about this place so far so I had to visit it. First impressions are…read morethat it's clean and well organized. For the size of the space, which isn't too big, they still had a great selection. Since we visited after the holidays they had lots of sales. Not as much furniture from what I could tell, but great amount of kitchen dinnerware and clothing! Parking lot is crazy big since it's by a few other places. Driving here was also a breeze since there were quite a few signs leading to it! I'll definitely be checking this place out again soon.

My gf and I stumbled across this thrift store yesterday as we were doing our rounds. I guess it's…read morebeen open for four months, but it hadn't shown up on our radar until now. A wide assortment of clothes and hard goods. As far as layout and in-store vibe I'd put this up as one of the nicest thrift stores in the Des Moines metro! From their web site: "About us: We wanted to create a different kind of thrift store with a premium shopping experience - one where people could count on finding a great variety of quality items in an organized, pleasant atmosphere. Thriftmart is a nonprofit store owned by Joppa. All merchandise has been donated by Joppa Partners to match our meticulous quality standards so that you'll enjoy quality finds, every time! We all know thrifting is important for sustainability. Reusing items is not only economical it also helps sustain the environment. Plus, all unsold Thriftmart merchandise goes to good causes--nothing goes to waste. What's more, every purchase helps someone experiencing homelessness to survive, find housing and rebuild their lives. Our goal is to ultimately help end homelessness in central Iowa." https://thriftmart.com/

Love all the stuff I got great quality and amazing products…read more .

Every now and then you comes across a place on Yelp that makes you step back a little... I've been…read morehere a TON of times! How have I not reviewed this place before now...?! The Picker Knows is one of those places... Probably the premier, and my favorite, antique "mall" in the Des Moines metro! Rows and rows of vendor booth and cases. I'd hate to total the money up that I've spent here... And buying is great, but a lot of times I just have fun window shopping. Looking at the many different things here that I can't afford or have no business spending money on... Lol Very large display items, furniture, antiques, retro and vintage, some modern, a few clothes, comics, vinyls, Hot Wheels, some dusty and rusty things, handcrafted items, and tons of smalls! Prices are vendor driven. So some are high, some are at market, and there are great deals to be found here too. As a veteran I appreciate the veteran's only parking spot near the front door. At only 55 I pass it up a lot because there are veterans in A LOT worse shape than I am. But I have used it a couple of times. It's so easy to spend hours here! Vendors leave and new vendors fill their slots. And with the merchandise being vendor provided...the selection is ever changing! The staff is fantastic and always available for questions or to open a case! The bathrooms aren't terrible for this environment. They aren't perfect...pretty plain Jane...but they don't send you running for the hills. Lol The Picker Knows is a must stop in the Des Moines metro if you are into antiquing or thrifting!

If you enjoy looking for lesser-known but valuable item at thrift shop prices, you can occasionally…read morefind such items here. However, if the pricers know what an item is, you we are out of luck. They will price it at Ebay prices. If you're shopping for popular luxury brands, you can save time and frustration by buying from a seller on eBay. Like I said, it will be the same price and you will also be able to return it if it is flawed or does not work.

Friendly staff and were helpful while we were unloading. Didn't get a chance to go in and see the…read morestore, but will be back.

The saying is true that you never know who is watching when you're misbehaving. Unfortunately,…read morewhile shopping on 08/09 around 5:30 pm I saw an employee being mistreated by a snarky old woman and the manager. When I first came in the manager lady was telling the employee how she wanted him to stand near the register tagging items while watching customers, so no theft occurred. I have worked retail before and the gun that puts the plastic tags on can snag your finger if you are not paying attention. So, the young man demonstrates, and she still stands there and belittles him. After she went to the back area again, he is working organizing clothes and rearranging things while watching as she requested when the snarky lady approaches him and is asking about discounts and how she can essentially stack them on each other. Its already 50% off today and she is asking about veteran and senior discounts on top of them. He tried to explain to her that he wasn't sure and in true Karen fashion here comes the manager. These women were so demeaning to this young black man it was horrible. I have never seen a manager allow a customer to abuse an employee this way and then start helping her even though I am sure I just heard him say he started Tuesday...Its Saturday now! I knew the quality of this store went down when all new people were brought in and I see I was correct. All the people that cared are gone so think about that before purchasing anything from them.

What a wonderful place! It's huge and the people who work here are so kind and helpful! We cleared…read moreout a lot of work clothes now that we're both working from home and are almost always in sweats or jeans and know that someone could certainly use dress clothes at least for an interview. We also happened to have had a lot of coats we no longer wear, some never worn, and when we had called some of our regular drop off locations in town, were informed they aren't accepting any clothing donations at this time, but we're thrilled to see that Encore was willing to accept our donations. They do have requirements on what they accept and what their greatest needs are, so it's best to read their website before stopping by. However, once you've done that, the employees there are helpful and quick to take your donations!

The cashier does nothing, she makes you read off the prices then she throws you a bag and tells you…read moreto bag it. At that rate do a self checkout

We were in the area and decided to stop by. This place is definitely a hot or miss. We found two…read moreshirts but nothing else. This place was very clean and worth checking out if your in the area.