Alta Bates Showcase

Well organized thrift store in a great neighborhood. Nice selection of clothes, dishes, books, videos, furniture, bedding, etc. The help (volunteers?) seem more interested in chatting with each other than helping people. Also, more grumpy than friendly. But none-​the-​less I am glad they are there and I have found some great deals. Although some things are overpriced. If you are in the area, drop in.

Plenty of parking for my visit. Whats more is that I never got that horrible «I hate working here» vibe from any of the workers. It made for a quick and overall painless process. And seeing how had multiple visits — it was important that the quality of service was consistent with the first visit.

I’m not sure how this place stays in business given the odd hours they keep and high rents in the neighborhood.
However, the workers are pretty nice and the store accepts most donations although their donation times are incredibly inconvenient… «but I am trying to GIVE you stuff…»

The pricing is erratic and many times high, only to be marked down later. The display of items is unimaginative. (Bambino down the street does a great job at making the merchandise appealing.). At times the clothing area is smelly. Many of the items seem to be there for months.
The manager is a bit rude, and the ladies that volunteer quite often openly complain about other volunteers.

The review from 2009 shows how the prices have risen at Alta Bates Showcase since then. $ 8 was deemed on the pricey side, and I would concur, then and now, having been going to ABS for about 12 years now. I do wish the reviewers would stop referring to the very tireless volunteers there as «old ladies», how about something more respectful for what they do? Energetic senior citizens, maybe? OK, apart from that, ABS is my number 1 thrift store, but I have noticed the prices going up and up, esp. on men’s shirts for some reason. $ 15 for a used man’s shirt? There’s this idea that any recognizable label, be it ever so humble (such as Land’s End) deserves to be priced higher. Sorry, this takes the idea of thrift out of the thrift store. For those prices, you can get more choices over at Rockridge Rags. I pointed this out to the manager and she just shrugged. Pricing can be very erratic, as different people price the items, it seems, even within categories (linens, men’s, women’s, etc.) All that having been said, over the years I have found many quality items of women’s and men’s clothing, lamps, watches, linens, housewares, books and knick-​knacks. If you go frequently you will eventually stumble on something good, though it often happens, these days esp., that I will emerge empty-​handed. Such is life on the thrift store circuit.

alta bates showcase is a thrift store a few doors away from market hall.
store is small by thrift standards but alta bates isn’t an hole in the wall.
showcase looks as big as market hall itself.
no smells reminiscent of goodwills.
reads:
–snow falling on cedars, guferson (2)
–truman, david mccullough (2)
–the word is flat, t. friedman (2)
notes:
–sign: «no bar scanners allowed» in booksection.
–some bargains here. some overpriced. (recent oprah book -$ 15)
–designer shoes (40) bargain?
–friendly service by the elderly.
–4.5 stars for the bargains.

…this place is interesting. Seems like they get weird inventory, kinda like Ross (there was a ton of stationary the day I went), and kinda pricey.
Said stationary was $ 6 bucks! Seriously?
I broke down and HAD to own a necklace but paid $ 8! It was amazing ‘ethnic’ or ‘tribal’ looking. There is a section deemed ‘hella nice’ near the front of the store (where I found my necklace) that has even pricier stuff, including furniture.
I may come back to see if the stationary is gone and better/​cheaper stuff has replaced it.

I really love this little thrift shop. The store is pretty small, but the items seem to be picked with care, and a bit more emphasis on quality, condition, and kitsch, than say a goodwill or salvation army. Unlike most thrift stores, where say 90% is complete junk, almost all of the items at this place are noteworthy, and could potentially be a treasure to the right buyer.
I was also a little surprised to see that so many Unilocalers had raked this place as a $$$$ thrift shop. Some items are overpriced, and it’s true the old ladies wont budge, but overall, things are cheap.
A few of my best finds…
Leather oxfords with cutout detailing $ 5
70’s salt and pepper shakers with painted butterflies $ 5
cute, well matted/​framed painting of an elegant old lady $ 7
boxy, cropped, and knit sweater $ 10
The old ladies are also very charming (not cranky), and it’s located directly across the street from the crepevine! To be honest, I was almost a little hesitant to write a review for this place, simply because it does have so few reviews, and it seems to be somewhat undiscovered, though located smack in the middle of a popular section of college. But alas, my duty as a Unilocaler prevails, and I must give this place the credit it deserves. Lets just hope I’m not punished by the sudden appearance of hoards of hipsters, which seems to happen at every other previously undiscovered spot…

LOVIN’ the books. $ 1 for Thomas Mann? Puttering about the book shelves is THE best way to kill time in Rockridge. And it’s probably also the cheapest.
Aside from the book collection, there are a some great postcard finds + the stationary isn’t too bad either. Sometimes I’ll fork over $ 2 for 80s corporate earrings. It’s fun to think I can make them work in current times. Then a few days later I try to sport them and lo-​and-​behold; from the neck up I look like something Star Trek.
In sum, go for it. You have nothing to lose. The people who run the showcase can be a snidge crotchety but they are doing a good thing, and you can too for supporting them.

This place is truly a labor of love for everyone who works here — and it shows in the tidy organization and lovely touches. The place has uncommonly good energy about it — at least, I know that I always feel a little more chipper after browsing for a little while, whether I find anything to buy or not (and I usually do)! I found a set of holosynch CDs for example, shortly after I decided they were a «must» in my life — for a great price. I should probably admit that I rarely buy clothes until they’ve been deeply-​discounted (ending up on the bargain rack). But, if I could afford to pay a little more, I’d be happy to contribute to this worthy cause.

This is a great small thrift store with really good prices. It is walking distance from Rockridge BART. I have scored some real finds here — a Moving Comfort bicycle rain jacket in perfect condition for maybe $ 8 (this is on the pricy side for this store, but it was a steal for this jacket); several pairs of shoes in good condition for under $ 10; jigsaw puzzle for $ 2; many great books. I also donate items here and feel good about it. For some reason, their furniture seems to be overpriced (to my eye, anyway), but everything else is great.

This place is very organized. The books, especially. The store has a staff that tries to keep the selection limited to decent books, without bothering to put out everything they have in the store. I have found awesome suits, books and furniture here. My last score was a pair of Jill Sander wool slacks for under 10 dollars.

Love this place. I have bought a ton of stuff here — jewelry, linens, hats, the best Christmas ornaments EVER, glasses. My favorite place to browse in the store is the bookshelf. I have a unquenchable thirst for old cookbooks and Alta Bates Showcase delivers.
Check out some of my purchase:
The Can Opener cookbook
Cooking for Two (circa 1950)
The cookbook from the Ladies Auxiliary of Chesapeake, Maine (circa 1962)
Cooking with Cheese from Betty Crocker, (circa 1960)
The meat cookbook from Gourmet Magazine
The Jello cookbook
Check it out!
Oh — one thing — the ladies who work here are old, like really old, and sometimes don’t count so good, so be sure you get the correct change back.