Hands down the BEST thrift store in Austin!!! Like seriously thank you so so so much for existing!!! I am a commercial actress and a stylist on set put me on to Heartening. I'm always on the hunt for commercial friendly clothing to add to my acting wardrobe closet without spending a ton of $$$ and I always have great luck here. The main section of the store, everything is $3!!!! Yes, you read that correctly: $3. Clothes, shoes, accessories/jewelry. $3. Everything is very organized & there are dressing rooms with amazing lighting. The workers are super friendly! They also have a big premium section with things ranging $15+, but items that are worth it! I found so many amazing unique pieces, including very flattering extra long vintage 90s jeans on the baggier side (I'm a tall girl) for $15 - I was SHOOK. I went there again yesterday and found amazing pieces! There is also a free section outside in the back (for those in need). Thank you for making a difference!!! This is what thrifting is about and way too many thrift stores in Austin have completely lost the plot. 1000/10, recommend Heartening! read more

Heartening - Wearing the vintage 90s jeans I thrifted on another Heartening shopping adventure - Thrift Stores Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I contacted the owner to bring my Girl Scout troop to Heartening (7 middle schoolers and 2 adult leaders), who were interested in learning about community giving and local donation resources. I reached out to owner Kelley Rytlewski in advance as a courtesy, when we could have simply walked. Her response was to tell us not to come to her store. Her reason was that she didn't want us taking up space for "real" customers. No explanation beyond that, no alternative offered, even after I responded to her question about whether or not the Girl Scouts would be spending money at her store. (Yes, she actually asked me that. My response was that they were all instructed to bring $30 but it was up to them to choose to spend it at her store or not.) As someone who reached out in good faith, I found the interaction dismissive and unwelcoming. The customer experience was a stark contrast to the warm, community-focused image the business owner projects. If you're a school group, troop, or youth organization looking for a welcoming community partner and experience in Austin, I'd look elsewhere. Imagine being a female owner of a community-focused business and NOT partnering with Girl Scouts. Mind blown. Note: My previous THREE reviews of my experience with this business have been removed by the owner. read more

The Heartening is an absolute Austin gem!I've been a regular for about a year and it's my go-to for everything from everyday wear to event-ready outfits. What makes this spot a "must-visit" is the two-store setup at one location: The $3 Store: Almost everything is a flat $3. I love that I can build a full outfithere for less than the price of a single $10 item at places like Goodwill. The Premium Section: Located in the former warehouse, you can snag brand-name pieces for a tiny fraction of retail. They have an amazing selection of clothes, bathing suits, pajamas, shoes, accessories, and bags.They even have a free section outside for extra finds and fitting rooms on-site so you can make sure everything fits perfectly before you buy. Here are a few outfits I've found here: Customer service is great as well. A total win for the community! read more

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"Girl, put your records on Tell me your favorite song You go ahead, let your hair down Sapphire and faded jeans" We just found our new favorite thrift store..not only is the customer service amazing but their selection of items are great and priced reasonably. They really stand behind what they say. I also appreciate that they have clothes for the entire family so my baby girl racked up and got a beautiful coat for $3 that is like new by S13. This is how you help your community and I will definitely be supporting and bringing my donations here. ALSO the patchwork pants I found soon as I walked in the door were epic and I couldn't resist them. Also snatched the M&M denim jacket for my sister while checking out. I had to fight myself to leave lol. Please check them out and we will definitely be back. read more

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Saw this in Instagram and thought I would check it out. It is a cute, clean venue with reasonable pricing and a good selection of apparel, shoes, and accessories. The selection is constantly changing, but fun to browse. Service is great. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. read more

Was able to style an entire wedding wardrobe from Heartening. Large men's selection and amazing quality. Take your time and do some digging and you'll find a gem. Solveig helped me find this jacket in the premium section that went perfect with what I was looking for. Look good for great value. Definitely going back for my next event styling. The employees there were so helpful and can help with styling. read more

Heartening - Thrift Stores Near Me - Austin, Texas

I'm honestly shocked this place doesn't have a solid five-star rating! This shop is such a brilliant concept, led by an incredibly selfless woman who clearly cares about our community. It's the perfect spot for sustainable, affordable shopping that keeps clothing out of landfills. They even have a free area outside with a great selection of men's, women's, and kids' items. Inside, most pieces are just $3, with a special $15 high-end room that helps cover the shop's utilities. This is exactly the kind of business we need more of! I'd love to open a store like this in Denver! For now- I'll keep coming whenever I'm home visiting my parents read more

I love Heartening and its mission! The owner, Kelley, is all about sustainability. So she accepts clothing that is not wanted and resells for $3 (or $2 if it's children's). Premium stuff gets priced a bit higher but it's fine because that's what keeps the doors open at the physical location! There's a free stand for clothing and other items that go out to the community. The physical location is about to open its expansion space so it won't be as crowded feeling as it was before! I hope more Austinites learn about Heartening and go so that we can keep more clothing out of landfills. read more

The lady at the front was THE BEST!!! The selection is incredible !! And YES EVERYTHING IS THREE DOLLARS!! It's a great organization and if you're seeing this review it's a sign to come here ASAP! read more

What a perfect thrifting experience. I heard about Heartening and its mission here and immediately decided to visit. I found 11 $3 bargains - all high-end clothing that my daughter can wear for work. I found two things in the $15 premium section and will go back and explore for more when I have a longer time. I was incredibly successful and happy with my purchases. The super-nice volunteer who checked me out was an added bonus! read more

I had such a great experience at this thrift store warehouse! I was visiting for the weekend, and Kat made my trip even better. From the moment I walked in, she greeted me with so much positive energy and made me feel welcome. She went above and beyond to help me find everything I was looking for, answered all of my questions, and made shopping so much easier. Kat's enthusiasm is contagious, and it's clear she genuinely cares about helping customers. She was patient, knowledgeable, and incredibly kind throughout my visit. Outstanding customer service like hers is hard to find these days. Thank you, Kat, for making my experience such a memorable one! I'll definitely be back the next time I'm in town and highly recommend this store to anyone looking for great finds and even better service. read more

this is a really great thrift shop in austin and i love what theyre doing. out of all the stand-alone thrift shops ive been to in austin, this was by far the most affordable. my friend purchased a pair of good condition white air forces for $15. i also purches an excellent condition sweater, and a few wraps/scarves for under $20. they also have a free clothing section which i adore. the clothing & accessory options they have are pretty decent! heartening is a great austin find, i would recommend to anybody who is in need of decent quality clothing for a very very decent price. read more

Heartening - clothes - Thrift Stores Near Me - Austin, Texas

I had read about Heartening's mission in the community before going. As for their resale selections, both super-bargain, and higher-end bargain, I was impressed by the organization, and displays! Friendly volunteer staff, make the experience complete! I had been saving items that are in 'very good', or new condition to donate, and was so happy to contribute to this amazing service. read more

Amazing thrift store concept, clothes $3. The store is organized, so finding the right size isn't guesswork. There are dressing rooms. The selection is great. And they are doing good in the community. read more

Trying to find this place is like trying to gain entry to an illegal basement speakeasy. There is no sign that I can see outside, it's just a door near the rear of a building. The entryway is known as the premium room where you will find all the more expensive clothes and accessories. This place is manned by volunteers which keeps the price of the goods down. The space consists of one long hallway packed to the ceiling with clothes and shoes. The two aisles are pretty narrow as well. What you will NOT find here are toys, electronics, books and housewares. At the rear are two curtained off dressing rooms. If you're looking for some decent quality uber cheap clothes or shoes, this place should definitely be on your radar. Two other notes of interest, there's only about a dozen parking spaces and for some reason when you check out with a credit card, you'll face the tip screen. Plenty of informative photos and video to get you through the door. read more

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I love this place... $3 clothing !! there were plenty of absolutely wonderful finds. I found several name brands. You have to have time to go through everything and it's a bit crowded even though I got there an hour after they opened on a Friday . The land mark is the mural on the side of the building with the Austin zip code. You walk down the drive, while outside look to the right is wood shelter area where everything ..clothing, shoes are free. You can find some good deals. I found a wool hat.. free. Look to the left is an open door ( no sign marking the store) . Ton of clothes, some arranged by size and others piled on each other and you just need to go through it. Bring your own bags to take your purchases. You can find Heartening on instagram with videos of how to find them. I definitely will return and plan on donating my clothes here. You do not get any credit for donating, just the good feeling knowing you're giving back. read more

Sorry, I realize that my whole entire review wasn't posted. I just want to add that I've been back several times since the review and I've learned so much about what they do for the community and I'm so appreciative that they are helping the community but also it's affordable And there's great stuff there. Also, there's something for everybody all sizes. I recommend this place if you're gonna do donations. They're very respectful to everybody. They are volunteers they're not paid so don't forget to tip. read more

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What an incredible thrift store!! Incredible prices, great customer service, super organized and incredible finds! Drove down from Dallas and it was well worth the drive. I will be back! read more

Hello there, my name is Kevin, and I am a nearly 4 year resident here in Texas, I have come up on some rough times in these last years, and have had some unfortunate times that I lost my entire wardrobe for some weird reasons one reason or another. I am thankful for places like heartening, before, there was a pantry on Speedway somewhat near UT, and they had a clothing closet that you could get free clothes from in addition to food, but they shut that down, so my only options to get clothes then was either find some random free clothes hear and there, or go to goodwill and other thrift stores, which nowadays are pretty heavily over-priced, but not Heartening, I heard about this place a while ago, but some of the negative things I heard about it kept me from committing from making the long on foot journey over to the place from where I was, but more recently someone took me to get some items, I was in shock that they have not only a 3 dollar section, but they have an outdoor section too which has a storage container with free clothes and items too that people donate, this place has allowed me to rebuild my wardrobe a little at a time while I currently have a job that I don't make all that much, so not much wiggle room to buy tons of stuff, recently I got a new pair of shoes there in their section with more premium stuff, they have shoes incredibly affordable at 15 bucks; this place I recommend visiting for sure. read more

Decent selection in the $3 section compared to other thrift shops. A lot of items were correctly organized according to their sizes as well, which made it easy to shop. Lots of good items appear to be in the bins, however, there's not much room to try and access them. Not much room in general, Heartening is a rather small shop. Racks are somewhat difficult to go through because clothes are packed onto them. Good spot, but I recommend going when it's less crowded due to how small it is. read more

My kids love this place. They enjoy showing me all the great finds made with in their budgets. I recommend this since people go through fashion phases often we get to recycle and not be wasteful. read more