Teen Challenge Thrift Store

One of my family members mentioned that Teen Challenge would come take a large item off my hands, as it had been sitting in storage and I needed to get rid of it. When they actually got a look at it, they said they couldn’t take it for their store, but could dispose of it on my behalf, for a small fee. It was in really bad shape and not able for resale. I was more than happy to pay the fee. It was such a relief because nobody on Craigslist wanted to buy it. The movers were very professional and helpful.

First, some background on exactly what Teen Challenge is, for those of you who don’t know (this is from their website:) «Teen Challenge provides recovery services for those who desire to transform their lifestyle and develop a new life free from the devastation of drug and alcohol abuse.» The program is affiliated with Assemblies of God and operates mainly as a sort of «inpatient» program, from what I understand of it.
On the practical side, I agree that the space is kind of dark and dismal, but I think it’s because the space is so huge. My take is that they must be trying to conserve energy, otherwise every light would be on in that huge space, right? The other practical matter is that I have found countless awesome finds at this place (especially kitchen/​craft finds,) but you most definitely have to spend time. They carry furniture, home goods, albums/​books/​media and clothing (though I’ve always steered clear of the clothing… it looks and smells a little on the undesirable side for my taste.)
So, if you’re a serious thrifter, it’s a must-​go. You may leave empty-​handed, but my guess is you will find something you didn’t know you were looking for!

The atmosphere would be a little more comfortable if say, the walls were painted, or it was decorated maybe? It was a dark and kind of gloomy inside.
With that being said, they have some super killer deals! We happened to hit the store when they had everything for 50% off. And random tagged items were 75% off! We left with much more than we had anticipated (since we were only looking for a dryer cord). Many items to choose from! Will definitely be going back.

Big store, lots of stuff to look through. Unfortunately since they are not Goodwill or Salvation Army they sometimes get some of the lesser quality stuff. But I find their prices are very reasonable and almost every day of the week they have 30−50% off everything and then 50−75% colored tags as well.
So there may be some digging, but you will find some treasures. Sometimes you will find things here that you won’t find at the other stores because they sell them as fast as they can. This store isn’t as busy as they are so your chances of finding that rare gem is higher imo.

BIG thrift store. Bigger than most in Salem. Unfortunately, it’s pretty creepy inside. The interior is super dark and the place crowded with a whole lot of stuff. Most I wouldn’t consider sellable, but what the heck do I know about stinky deep freezers?
The staff are super nice, so they get an extra star for that.
What I really want to know, though, is what’s up with the name «Teen Challenge»? I’ve been wondering this for years.