Prevention of Blindness Society Look Again Resale Shop

Every time I pass by this place I see something unprofessional happening.
First time, the owner was rudely shooing away a normal looking woman who was simply just trying to look through the front door and then open it because she thought it was open and they stupidly I forgot to lock the door. No apologies, no pleasantries just them pulling the door back closed out of her grip. :O
Second time, they had a «be back at 12» sign and already at 12:30 there was a woman inside with the light on, so, since I was waiting for them to open and kept coming back, I knock on the door and I say «are you open?» And she shooed me off as well with an unprofessional, dismissive hand wave which I assume meant «no».
Today they are finally open and I go back with my husband and he tried to buy a book that was not marked, but received a $ 1 price quote from an employee, but very quickly after hearing the dollar quote, a grey haired old lady (manager?) snatched the book out of his hand and said sternly to my husband, «you need to wait for us to price this» and walked away with the book. He was floored as was I.
What was she expecting? That He could discern between what the «need to go through» hoarder style piles are over the already priced, hoarder style messy piles all over their extremely disorganized store?
There is zero method to the madness of this place. It’s complete chaos. Such an utter mess.
They also always have «giveaways» sprawled all over half-​hazard outside the door on the sidewalk as wel. No organization at all.
I find it a shame that such a worthy charity is being run by such rude, messy loons.
Please Hire people who know how to organize and how to be good to their customers.

The first time visiting this shop a few moments ago I was amazed at the rudeness of the woman running it.
I found a book that I was interested in lying in a pile, but couldn’t find the price. So I asked an employee what the price was, to which she shrugged and politely answered, «a dollar.»
IMMEDIATELY another woman (presumably a manager) took the book out of the other employee’s hand and then proceeded to give ME a talking to, saying «You just need to wait for us to price this item, not everything is just going to be a dollar,» as if I had done anything wrong.
Then she went about her business and made no effort whatsoever to price the item I had just expressed my active interest in buying.
So, despite being extremely turned off by her inability to direct her emotions toward the appropriate person (her employee, instead of a customer), I knew I had exactly one dollar in my wallet, and picked the book up out out of the pile and offered an immediate sale to the rude woman, vs having it sit indefinitely on the shelf.
She took the book from me and placed it out of reach behind the counter, and said «That’s ok. I heard you.»
So now I know, this woman has no idea how to deal with customers OR how to arrange a store in a way that isn’t a safety hazard, and cannot figure out how to prioritize things in a way that would benefit anyone — the customer, the store, OR the intended recipients of the charity proceeds.
Hint: «pricing this product» when it’s in the customer’s hand could lead to actual sales.
Just not from me now, you ruined that chance.

This place seems okay by me because many times I see they place items in a few boxes outside the store and write FREE, that’s very cool.

I’ve been gone from the area for 3 years and recently returned to my favorite thrift store. Still love this place! Pricing seems kind of uneven though, strangely high prices on the oddball piece. But the bargains are great too! Come here fall your dishes and glassware.

This place makes me angry. Outrageously expensive, and rude employees. If something isn’t priced, they will refuse to sell it at anything but extortionist prices. It is poorly kept, with zero reward for uncovering anything worth while. Almost everything is unfashionable and dirty.

Way too much inventory, and all of it is junk inventory. Prices are INSANE. Heavily used pajama top: $ 14. First, ew. Second, why so high? Goodwill would price this at $ 1. Framed posters at $ 200-​$ 1200. What? The store is so full you can hardly move. I’ve never seen any merchandise move, in years. The staff is unhelpful and unhappy, generally. There are signs everywhere telling you what to do, where not to step, jeeze. If I was a volunteer here, I would have a HUGE weeklong sale and empty out a lot of the inventory, then really curate what is accepted in the future. It’s a shame this place is so full of over priced junk.

The place is packed with furnitures on the first floors with clothes on the second floor. It’s hard to navigate the first floor since the furnitures, picture frames, books, pots & plates are everywhere. There is not much organization at all on the first floor. Prices of some better items are expensive; in some cases, more than regular stores.

I have loved this place for years. I make it a point to donate items to them at least once a year. The fact that the proceeds go towards the Prevention of Blindness Society is a big factor. This store has great stuff. I have to really be disciplined not to buy more than I just donated. If you need dishes, etc for your new place i recommend Look Again.

Expensive!!! Save yourself some time and energy with parking and go somewhere else like the twig or goodwill. The prices at Look Again will make you look again. Crazy

I enjoy to visit this place and browse around, but some of the price are laughable. The manager just throw out of numbers from her head when asking items are unpriced. Just because the designing brand in clothing, the price is outrageous. I can get a brand new similar clothing for the same price or better at outlet or clearance price. You can find a few good deals, but don’t hope it’s a thrift shop price. Hint: look at their wall pictures, laughable pricing.

Not a super huge item selection, but what they do have is GREAT! They had wonderful prices (and sales on top of that) and a decent selection of men’s clothing. I walked out with shoes, two shirts, and some kitchenware all for less than $ 20! It’s too bad there is not a resale store in DC as good as this one!

Do you love books? Do you have an Amazon wish list of books so long that you’d have to take out a loan and buy a new house lined with shelving in order to purchase all of them? Would you like to get a stack of great books you actually want to read for less than you spent on lunch today? Come to the corner of King and Alfred.
When I worked in Old Town, I’d often wander down here and walk off with a grocery bag of books for just a couple of bucks. They have a LOT of books (not just a little section of Danielle Steele paperbacks with worn spines) with a little bit of everything. Travel books, cook books, rather ancient books, political books, old textbooks, language books, books in foreign languages, novels, you name it. It’s not as curated and cultured as Book Bank up the street (which is awesome, like you’re in the Neverending Story bookstore), but it’s very cheap. Most of the books are $ 1-​$ 3. This past weekend, they had a 50% off sale, so I ended up buying four that rung up to $ 4, plus tax.
They’ve rearranged the store a bit since I worked nearby and it seems like there are fewer books and the prices went up a bit, but there is still a lot to browse through. And, of course, it’s a thrift shop, so there’s loads of other interesting stuff to look at, though some of it seems a bit pricey. There was some kind of coffee maker for $ 20, for example. That just seems a bit high for a coffee maker from a thrift store, so I just come for the books.

This is a really neat thrift shop, generally. It’s a good place to scope out clothes, and they often run discounts on their clothing items.
I’m a bit flummoxed by the pricing on the framed pictures. Most are over $ 50, not a bargain at all.
I think some of the people that work here are doing it for court-​ordered community service, so the workers are not always very nice.
Still, I’ve found some bargains here, and will continue to come back.

I love this shop, and have been taking my really nice clothes that I have outgrown there for years, rather than to a consignment shop. I’d rather have people of all income levels have access to them at a great price. I’ve seen the shop grow over the years, and more and more of the «haves» in Old Town are taking their stuff there, since some of them can’t be bothered to consign them, to the benefit of the rest of us.
Over the years, I have found two Peale cashmere sweaters, great jeans, two beautiful skirts made in France, and even though I wouldn’t buy them, some Manolo Blahniks. You never know what you’re going to find, so I tend to drop by most Saturdays.
Sometimes you find some really great books there, and the staff is always nice. It’s one of the best assets in Old Town, and I hope it stays there for many years.

Best!
Husband and I were a pair of tourists shopping for vintage, hitting up nearly 10 thrift and vintage stores in VA on our first designated shopping day. We ended up in Old Town Alexandria by accident on the way to DC and found Look Again.
Took one step into the store, and my eyes immediately fixated on a glimpse of tan peeking out from other purses behind the register like it was my destiny. With still only one foot in, I promptly asked to see it: a Kelly style genuine crocodile purse from Italy, brand new, absolutely unused, with dust bag and a guarantee authenticity tag inside. For $ 49.
It took all of me to not run around the shop screaming in glee and hugging everyone. I had been obsessed with finding an alligator/​croc bag in this very style for a couple years now. There were many wide-​eyed sleepless nights and lost bids on Ebay dedicating to this quest. Never in my wildest dream had I imagined running into a brand new one at a thrift for $ 49! I don’t know who it was that donated this, but I LOVE HIM/​HER SO VERY MUCH.
So I made husband carry the bag while I kept looking.
This store is amazing! It’s not huge, but most of their furniture were well-​priced antique pieces. If we weren’t traveling, there were at least 3 large pieces I would have bought. As it were, I took photos of them for souvenir. There were a lot of old vintage books, too, in great condition. Clothes were downstairs. Didn’t find much but did get a funky 80’s Christian Dior jacket for $ 10. There was also an early 70’s St. John Knits evening dress ($ 50) that I considered but ultimately left behind. We also got a couple of Victorian era’s child dresses + bonnet for a song.
I wish I could visit this shop all the time. In fact, we went back the next day just to make sure we didn’t miss new stuff that came in before we left town. The lady manning their register was so pleasant and lovely. Will definitely visit again if there is an opportunity.

Look Again is really everything a thrift store should be — dusty, cluttered, weird, and occasionally awesome. They recently renovated and opened the top level, so the bottom is housewares, furniture, books, and other miscellaneous stuff, and the upper story is clothes. They have a lot of housewares, especially dishes and random decorative objects. The clothes are a mixed bag, last time I was there I found a great Armani skirt for $ 16 and a pair of Fendi bronze leather flats (alas, not my size). They also had some great coats. The prices seem to be trending upwards, which is a bummer (I’m really fed up with going to resale stores that are charging retail prices) but you can still find great deals if you’re willing to dig through the racks and go back pretty often.
It’s a great place to find cheap, vintage-​y decorations, like posters, dishes, and glassware. Their jewelry is disappointing, they don’t even seem to have fun costume jewelry, but they do have a pretty large used book section and if you need a funky gift, it’s a great place to stop. They do have periodic sales as well and they accept donations, but not consignments.

*deep breath*
*cue Bone-​Thugs and Harmony’s «1^st of da Month”*
*another deep breath*
I’ve decided to confess that this thrift store is a major enabler of my addiction to tacky CDs from the 90s.
Beastie Boys, Cranberries, Bell Biv DeVoe, cheesy MTV compilations and titles like «Ultimate Hip Hop Party 1998,» yeah, I found them all here. I never buy anything else when I stop in, I just go directly to the $ 2 CD shelves. The kind staff do not judge my taste in music.
I leave knowing that a donation has been made to the sight-​impaired, and I have new old music to rock out to. It’s a win-​win for everybody except my neighbors.

Been in here 3 or 4 times and always found something useful.

It was refreshing to find this place in Old Town, which seems synonymous with either high-​end restaurants or chain stores. Everything is very cheap and real treasures are not hard to come by. I have personally found a vintage Christian Dior tie, fabulously kitschy Seattle coffee mug, and first edition John Denver LP in perfect condition (all $ 1 each). So maybe my definition of «treasures» isn’t the same as yours, but the point is that it didn’t take me long at all to find them.
The shop is extensive… two big rooms on the bottom floor for housewares and shoes, and the second floor is devoted completely to clothing. Pretty much everything you can imagine is stocked here, too, including a nice assortment of framed pictures and books.

I was meandering through town, being one of those slow moving tourists that locals complain about when I happeneded upon The Prevention of Blindness Thrift. And as all neighborhood signs seemed to be subtitled in French (I guess appropriate given American history of the region), I thought to myself, «oh, self, what bonne chance!»
SHORT STORY: The store is a wealth of riches. You will find lots of fascinating items, a bargain or two, and some interesting social interraction.
LONG STORY: As soon as I walked in I overhead conversation behind the front desk whereby one employee advised an other that they should feign busy-​ness less the boss gets angry. Ever the consummate interloper, I offered this advice to the under-​engaged employee: «Consider dusting. That way you at least look busy and if questioned by a supervisor you have a quick retort with ‘cleanliness is next to godliness’.» I think my advice was appreciated.
As I browsed, a patron walked and announced (directed at the sales counter) that the 25% all items sale better still be going on as it was just his luck (that they would have errantly left it up). And guess what — the sale was still on! What was once $ 1 was now 75 cents. Everybody wins! He then handed his bags over to the sales counter folk because he didn’t want to be charged for «knocking nothing over and breaking it.» Wise man.
Being a wise person myself, I continued on my bargain hunt. I knew that I would not have much room in my suitcase and so, had to forgo the lovely triptic mirror, the assortment of bamboo steamers and china; I already had one too many magnets at home and so had to pass on the sewing machine magnet (really cool though!); I couldn’t verify that their jewelry would be allergy safe; and so, I settled on some ornaments. For under $ 2, I left the store with a shining violin and beautifully painted wooden star that will adorn my tree come Christmas time. That and my funds went to prevent blindness. Bonne chance indeed!