I love this store. They've got items for a great range of decorating/dressing styles, and lots of everything. I am an artist when I'm not at my day job and often find great things for my art here (pretty plates, colorful glass things, frames, shells, yarn, . ..), as well as things I can use directly as they are. I'm adding pics of a few of my favorite things I collected over multiple trips. read more

Green Element Resale - color stack of glass cups and paperweights - Thrift Stores Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I've been coming to this place for a couple years now and I'm sorry to say that I won't be coming back. Nevermind that they've lost their minds with pricing, but the service has crashed and burned. They have a sign in the back to yell for furniture pricing, but the second you go up to politely ask they get annoyed and aggressive and start yelling at you. The lady with bangs is especially shockingly and incredibly rude. I used to chalk it up to bad days and isolated incidents, but she is super condescending and cruel, especially with people of color/people whose first language isn't English. read more

By far my favorite thrift store! I come here for everything - clothes, wrapping paper, furniture and especially crafting materials. I just finished making these two brooches out of beads and broken jewelry I picked up here! Celine is awesome as are the rest of the employees (sorry don't know everyone's names). The store is super well organized and has new stuff daily. You're missing out by not stopping in! read more

Green Element Resale - Brooch I made out of stuff from Green Element - Thrift Stores Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Things were so much better when Bill the former manager was there. Current manager tends to change prices at register. Argued with staff infront od customers. Then body shamed another female customer all today. Very disappointed. read more

I was excited to explore and support this small business. The store itself was well organized, and the staff was friendly. However, I need to give a serious warning about parking. We parked near the mural outside, between the store and McDonald's, in the McDonald's parking lot. The mural has an arrow pointing directly toward the store entrance, making it appear that the area is connected to the shop. There is nothing that clearly indicates you cannot park there. We went inside and spent less than 20 minutes browsing furniture. When we came back out, our car had been booted. As we were walking back to our car, the parking enforcement officer approached us and was ready to process the $170 payment with Apple Pay immediately. We were told that the moment you step off McDonald's property, your car is subject to being booted. The store seriously needs to address this. Having a large, inviting mural with an arrow pointing to your entrance--while customers get booted in the spots directly next to it--is incredibly misleading. There should be bold, obvious signage stating "NOT CUSTOMER PARKING" or "DO NOT PARK HERE." It is unreasonable to expect people unfamiliar with the area to know this, especially when the entrance and branding are right there. This setup feels deceptive and unfair to customers. read more

I live right by the store so I come here very often. The people are always so sweet, the place is so fairly priced, and it's the least overstimulating place I've thrifted in. Fully recommend to go for a day of thrifting with friends since they have all types of styles for everything! read more

Update: Today they crossed a final line and stole my money. The woman behind the counter (manager or owner, I'm unsure) tallied up my things. I did ask her to recheck the prices because I thought she had added it wrong the first time. I was wrong, she had been correct. I did point out to her that I heard her say something to another customer after I asked her to re-check the prices. Some sarcastic remark with an eye roll. She told me I must have misunderstood the context of her comment. She told me my total was $32, $35-something with tax. I handed her $40. She gave me back $1.50. I pointed out that was incorrect and she said, "I don't know WHAT to tell you. I told you TWICE that it was $35, $38-something with tax." That is absolutely not what she told me, nor what she added up, twice. She walked back towards the register, and I thought perhaps she was going to give me the correct change. Nope, just repeated that she didn't know what to tell me. Making me seem like the crazy person as she literally stole $3 of my money. Whether she remembered incorrectly or did it intentionally, she still did it. Of course it's only $3, but it's still wrong. I thought it was bad that I hear her yell at a customer almost every time I'm there; now they are literally stealing money. The way this place is run now is disturbing. read more

Large selection in all categories of items. Staff was friendly. Very good location if you are looking to add to your DVD, blu ray, or CD collection. read more

Oh no! This trend of unsettling customer service happened to me too. I've been shopping here for over 15 years, always loved the place. Today, I'm looking through the sidewalk books and some guy starts yelling at me to put them down, takes the book out of my hand and says they're not for sale and you should know that. I said no problem but there's always been sidewalk books so that's why I was looking through them, you could have just asked me. He was all fussy and kept saying you knew they weren't for sale. I said why are you treating me like this and then he called me a little bitch. Turns out this is Brian the owner with the really cool brown Billabong hoodie. Another customer saw this interaction and told me who he was. F this guy. What a shame that he's ruining such a wonderful place. Please get some therapy Brian. read more

I've been going to this place for years. I haven't been there in for awhile. I see that there's new people running it The woman behind the desk told me that winter coats start at $35. I said "that is too much for this coat. This is only $45 on Amazon. Costco also sold these coats." I won't be going up again soon. read more

I went in looking for some vintage flannels and what turned out to be the owner, Brian walked up to me and said "Boystown is a few miles south. We don't do the bleeding heart thing over here." I thought I must have misunderstood him and just said I was looking for some flannels and he was like "I don't care what youre shopping for, I care about that trash you're wearing. You think it's cute? To spit on the guys keeping this country safe while you're out here voting for people who want to burn it down?" I was wearing a shirt that said "No more war, No more blood". I was just like "It's about saving lives" and he went on this tirade about how I'm one of those "wussies" that "probably can't even tell what bathroom to use, let alone how to defend a border, you come in here with your rainbow colored worldview thinking you're better than the people who actually built this city." He was like "This is a patriot's shop. We support the real President, the one who knows how to use a hammer, not a picket sign. Men in my family died so you could have the right to look that ridiculous, but I don't have to let you do it under my roof." I wanted to respond but I realized this wasn't a debate, it was a performance for an audience of one. I just said OK I'll leave and then he said something about "Go find a safe space in Wicker Park. We don't need your kind of peace around here. It smells like weakness." I don't know who hurt this Brian guy, but he seems totally insane read more

This used to be my favorite thrift store, but not anymore. Something so unsettling happened the other day when I was there that likely wrecked it for me forever. Apparently there is a new owner (or owners), and she (or they; there was also a man working there whom she seemed to be "in cahoots" with, as she wouldn't back me up when he insulted me by saying from several feet away, "Yeah, I knew you wouldn't," insinuating I was being stingy for not choosing to leave the remainder from my $5 purchase on my debit card "to charity" because the lowest amount they'll accept on a card payment is ten dollars. I'm all for charity. But since when is it commonplace to "tip" at a thrift store? Um, never. But if they'd have been nicer, and if I wasn't buying something for someone else with their limited funds, maybe I'd have said, "Sure, why not?" But to them? No thank you!! And I left out the part where all of this escalated, and the man told me, "Here's the door" multiple times, to my astonishment. THE GREED ELEMENT indeed! read more

The lady at the front is incredibly rude, unprofessional, and is super impolite. You won't get any more donations for me and I will not be going to the store. I suggest you let her know that she should treat customers better. She is inconsiderate, makes up different prices that are inaccurate, and her tone is really rude and mean. She argued with me about the price of an item that was worth little compared to the price of it new. It was dusty and dirty, and when I showed her the price of a new one, she was very argumentative and interrupted me before I could finish talking. read more

They are the number one spot to go for resale. It has been there for years and the crew they have is top notch. Friendly, knowledgeable and always willing to help in any way. read more

I am writing a review on behalf of my mother who can't speak English very well. She had an absolutely horrible experience here. First of all; the owner's behavior is absolutely repulsive and disgusting. My mother picked something up that was precariously placed (and made of metal) and the base of it fell by accident. This lead to the owner yelling at my mother and telling her she had to pay for the undamaged product. My mother of course said that was unreasonable as nothing broke and it was a durable resale item made of metal, and it was precariously placed anyway. The owner got very angry and told my mother that she needed to leave the store. After kicking my mother out, she stopped her at the door in a very rude and aggressive manner as she was leaving and asked her to turn around so she could check her body for any stolen goods. My mother has never stolen anything in her life. My mother felt that if she had been white, the woman would have treated her better and not accused her of a crime with no basis. My mother was obviously very offended and the owner continued to scream at my mother to leave her store. This is unhinged behavior and is completely wrong and unprofessional. Also, this is not a trustworthy store. She sells things that she claims are made of precious materials but are actually cheaper material. She claimed that a piece was silver but upon a quick reverse image search the same piece could be found (and it is not silver). She also will claim that certain glass pieces are amber when that is clearly not the case. Save your money and sanity and go somewhere else. Absolutely horrible experience and my mother came home in tears. She has been living in the U.S. for many years now and this is the only time in her life here that she has been treated with such unwarranted disrespect. If I could give negative stars, I would. read more

Do not shop at this business. Not all, but some of the staff, as well as the store manager is transphobic. I've shopped here a few times in the past without a problem, but today I came in mad had a canvas grocery bag which I checked in without a problem, by a nice man who works there often and was sent on my way without being asked for my purse. After only shopping for a few minutes a different employee approached me and said I needed to check in my "bag." I explained it was my purse and he told me that "Whatever I wanted to call it" I had to check it in. I told him that I don't know any other women who would be comfortable handing over their course and I wouldn't either. He went to get the manager who marched me over to a course saying if my "bag" was larger than that course I had to check it in. My purse was clearly not bigger than the display one, but they were dig in that it I did not surrender my "bag" I would have to leave. I went to grieve the actual bag I had already checked in and asked why if my course was a problem why I wasn't asked to check it in before and the guy could lot look me in the eye. Trans women aren't treated as women in this store and my other LGBT folks and allies would do well to avoid it. Update: Your "making your bag check policy clearer", does not even begin to address the issue as my purse was under the size for which you require they be checked. It also doesn't address that your staff repeatedly acted in a misgendering manner and that I have seen cisgender women carry purses the size of mine, or larger, without being harassed.  It was beyond clear, from your staff's words and actions, that my purse was larger than what they were comfortable with someone they chose to perceive as a man to carry, regardless of it being under the limit.  And you clearly need challenged on the idea that cis members of the LGBTQIA+ community are incapable of or get a free pass from transphobia. I am also not the first person to experience bigotry in your store. This is all to say that your store doesn't have a policy problem, your staff has an actual problem and I am not interested in returning as part of your PR damage control. read more

The staff of this place ruins the thrift experience asking women to leave their purposes and disabled individuals to leave their walking cart up front . I've donated to this place bc it's walking distance and today was asked to leave my closed McDonald's bag in the front . No. And I won't donate or shop here again . Store is cluttered. Nothing sorted and prices not listed . Staff will tell you any item not priced is $15. May as well go up to the Salvation Army 1 mile away on Devon . read more

Green Element Resale - Zero stars - Thrift Stores Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The woman at the counter and the man working there we were extremely rude, belligerent and intimidating. Never have I ever witnessed 2 store employees behave so despicably towards a customer. Sarcastic, confrontive, and intimidating. And what's the deal with making a woman surrender her purse in order to shop there? These 2 excuses for human beings have no place operating a store read more

I've unfortunately had several unsettling experiences here. On one visit, my bag was taken away without clear explanation. On another, I was stopped immediately upon entering and was asked what I wanted. I asked about knitting materials and was told they didn't have any--despite several large tubs being clearly visible. When I pointed them out, the gentleman assisting me froze and didn't respond. The most concerning moment, though, happened a few years ago when I arrived with a small stroller while nannying a newborn. I was stopped at the front by that same older male and told that strollers weren't allowed because they block the aisles, and that I'd need to carry the baby in my arms instead--something that's completely unsafe for a newborn. Nobody walks around in stores with a newborn in their hands; it's dangerous. As I turned to leave, an older woman behind the desk called out, "I can watch the baby." I didn't respond. The whole situation felt off and deeply uncomfortable. I truly hope others have had more positive experiences, but I didn't feel safe or respected in this space. read more

I was a bit shocked to see the low stars when I first saw this place on yelp! I love going here when I visit Chicago 3-4 times a year and adore the staff here. I feel like they return the energy you give to them, if you're rude they have no obligations to be polite..? The ladies here are so chatty and sweet, I feel comfortable talking with them if I feel a price is unfair, though I have only felt that way with a couple items. The place is packed with SO much stuff I'm impressed how organized they keep it. Personally I love going here especially to find unique gifts for people, you're bound to find something if you give yourself enough time to go through the whole place. read more

I love it when the owner is in the store. All the staffs work really hard to keep everything organized and easy to find. I found quite a few tops that I love. Prices were great and there's so much to look at. What a fun place to spend the afternoon in. They also accept donations whenever they are open. Truly a neighborhood gem. read more

I used to come here a couple times a week and there is always something new! The staff is talkative and friendly, love hearing about Bills life! Good prices and lots of good cheap things whether you're looking for furniture, glassware, picture frames or kitchen supplies. read more

I am very sad to write this review as the Green Element has been one of my favorite places to thrift ever since moving to Edgewater back in 2022. I've been to this establishment over 20 times in the past two years. The owners know my face very well. Today, I brought my mom and sister visiting from New York City to visit Green Element. Twenty minutes into coming into store and looking at things, an employee and the owner came up to us saying my mom took off tags of a garment. My mom wears a hijab and does not speak English. I asked her if she did anything like that and she said no. At first, I did not think of it as racial profiling but once I demanded the video footage, they told us it wasn't captured on video because of a "blind spot". Apparently, the employee saw my mom and sister take off the tags. The employee clearly lied, and assumed it was us who took off the tag. The owners and other employees were very nice and apologized later on but they should not have taken the side of the lying employee at first. This was very disgusting and ruined our entire day. read more

Great selection for anything from staging to a new move in. Green Element has been a great resource for helping the community as well

I love Green Element!! Everyone is nice, they have SO much stuff--tools, art supplies, clothes, books, home items, etc. I always go to Green Element before anywhere else because I know they probably have what I need. I noticed other people in the reviews complaining about prices, but I think everything is very reasonably priced. Sometimes bigger or nicer items will be priced higher, but I've never paid more than $15 for a single item (and that was for a very nice pair of Dr Martens, so worth it). Also, I don't really care if they charge me $10 for a nice painting or something--it's a thrift store and they deserve it! read more

A total hidden treasure - I love stopping by Green Element on my weekly grocery runs. I find the clothing and shoes extremely reasonably priced, and there is always a great selection of knickknacks in the back. I have always found the staff to be kind and friendly on my many visits. My few pieces of feedback would be to a) streamline the bag checking and donation drop-off processes (these are always pretty chaotic), b) consider a coat rack given how narrow the aisles are and how difficult it can be to navigate around in the winter, and c) figure out a more logical way to organize the books section. Just my two cents. Grateful to them for helping to promote a circular economy! read more

Great customer service! Items were picked up I a timely friendly manner SUPER FAST!! Store has awesome items at VERY reasonable prices

Avoid. Overpriced waste of time. They source items for free and price them absurdly high.

Great Store. Great selection. Always loved this place. Always a great time going there

I am in here about once a week, and sometimes I walk out with treasure. Sometimes I walk out with nothing. I find amazing things there all the time. Best MCM atomic lamp ever for $35? Hell yes. Some people might think that is too high for a used lamp, but it is easily worth $125+, if I were inclined to sell. Some times I ask how much something costs, and I am quoted more than I am willing to spend, so I don't get it. It's a quirky store that can be frustrating sometimes, but generally great. They do have unit prices for most things, and if you are nice or friendly, they will often cut you a deal. I know I have paid way less for some things than I should have. Everyone is friendly most of the time, and the only times I have ever seen anyone get testy with a customer, it has been because that person was an ass. I like it. I like the message and mission of the place. And I like the people. read more

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Great resale shop, very well-organized and super friendly employees. Would visit again. WARNING: Do not park in the McDonalds lot next door- even though we ate at McDonalds and came over to shop, our car was booted and we had to pay $170 to have the boot removed. Apparently the city alderman owns the parking security company and it's a total corrupt business. We saw two poor girls who were in the resale shop less than five minutes and they too had a boot on their tire and had to pay $170. read more

A wonderful community resource for savvy shoppers, Green Element always has very reasonably priced merchandise. They can be very busy at times, but that's a sign of how well they are liked. Their business philosophy of reuse-recyle-repurpose is admirable, and the stuff in stock is always being replenished wth new donations. Love this place and the folks who keep it going. read more

Odd, strange place with wildly inconsistent products. Poorly organized, has a neglected storage unit vibe to it. Stuff is everywhere. Looking for books, I found them in several different locations throughout the store. Slightly annoying to have the guy behind the counter argue with a customer regarding. Price of an item, and then to provide a blow-by-blow recap to another customer a few minutes later. Distracting and distasteful. Prices are not visible, and if you should ask, as I did. Whew, it is like you insulted the staff. Will not provide a receipt, which I found rather odd. Book prices are amazing, $2 for hardcovers, $1 for paperbacks. Lots and lots of furniture in varies stages of use. Small amount of glassware and clothing. Fairly robust selection of DVDs and VHS tapes. Overall dusty, but well lit. They had some posting about wanting the city to let them use the sidewalk for trade in the warmer months. I hope that dos not come to pass given the state of the interior of the shop. read more

Green Element Resale - Thrift Stores Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great selection of thirty items. You'll be politely greeted by Bill who runs the front desk area. Make sure you set aside some time to go through the lovely selections. read more

Green Element Resale - Thrift Stores Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

So many gems with affordable prices! I got the cutest 70s lamp for $20 and I have not stopped smiling about it. Bill greeted me with a smile & helped me a ton. Will definitely be back! read more

Green Element Resale - vintage floral lamp - Thrift Stores Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I really love this store. I'm a big fan of upcycling an recycling any items in good condition and believe 1 person's 'trash' is another's 'treasure' and I've donated many times to the store. My only reason for a 4, not 5 star review is that the store owners/managers could do better to organize the store's sections and better job with price tagging large or high demand items. With that said, there is some organization, but expected to walk slowly through the aisles and dig a little deeper in the bins to find some hidden gems. I also visit the store often to see if they have that one chair, kitchen utencil, broken dish replacement, or good book I'm looking for and I rarely walk out empty handed. Don't shop with the notion it will be there when you visit again...it won't. Stuff here goes fast and they sell almost everything. They also have a donation program that will pick up large or bulk items for free. You just text your name, items, photos (if furniture) and # of items to (773) 544-0505. (Yes, They are picking up during COVID with face masks). A really great local small business to support. read more

I've been to countless thrift/consignment stores in my life, but very few offer quality merchandise at great prices. Green Element is truly the exception! I've gotten to know the staff over the years. They're very knowledge and very helpful. The manager Bill runs a tight ship, but it's definitely a win for the customer. On more than occasion, Bill has gone above and beyond to make sure that his customers are happy with their purchases. There are some amazing deals on clothing, (yes they have Canali, Hickey Freeman, Hugo Boss etc...) but just like any other store, those items go quickly. I highly recommend Green Element, but try not to focus one item that you're looking for. Chances are you'll find it, but there are so many other "must-haves" that you might want to consider. See you there! read more

This unique emporium is very spacious and filled with an assortment of items ranging from used china to household photos from the '60s. It is definitely fun to just take a walk through the entire store! My qualm about it, though, is how disorganized everything is. I get that it's a second-hand store but there is just so much chaos that it can get overwhelming when it starts getting crowded. There is also a very large selection of used clothing for both men and women, but the only "dressing room" is a small corner with a curtain that only goes down to about knee length. There is very little privacy! And to top off this entire experience, my friend and I were only there for about 15 MINUTES and we parked in the lot right next to the building in a spot facing a huge mural from Green element with their store hours and logo painted on it. The lot was shared with the McDonald's next door and there were signs for some parking spots that were clearly only for McDonald's customers, otherwise it seemed like the other spots were free to park in. When we came out, again--15 MINUTES LATER--the car was booted by a private company called Innovative Parking Solutions and they told us that we weren't allowed to park there and ended up charging my friend $170 just to have the boot removed. They claimed that there were signs warning drivers not to park there but it was very unclear and the warning was in very fine print and not obvious when you arrive to the lot. I know this company wasn't hired by Green Element, but if customers aren't allowed to park in the lot right next to their store they should've made that clear. TL;DR: lots of cool stuff but very disorganized. also, if you're driving there don't park in the lot next to it! read more

Green Element Resale - Thrift Stores Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It's a big thrift store with lots of turnover, so something new every time I come in! Friendly staff - treat them with respect and they'll treat you like a friend. I've seen some customers come in with an attitude and the staff handles it gracefully without BS. Nice home wares selection with most items in great shape, and you're likely to find treasures in housewares and furniture. read more

This place is much smaller than a Goodwill or Salvation Army, but I would be willing to bet there is more good stuff in this store than many of the huge thrift stores. I've had the experience so many times at goodwill where I buy something that just looks like it needs to be washed, but is actually permanently stained or damaged. Everything I have bought here is in good condition. The prices are good for a thrift store, they don't do the thing thing where they up charge the hell out of clothes from higher end stores that a lot of stores do. They also have plus sizes, which a lot of smaller thrift stores don't. They have a very nice selection of furniture, a lot of which is antique. I don't really have any use for the vintage family photos that can be bought and sold there but they sure are fun to look at! read more