Out and About: Haven House Thrift Shop

With the building’s gaudy coat of blue paint for its exterior, Haven House Thrift Store is

certainly a Lebanon landmark that is difficult to miss for anyone who has driven around

downtown. Located at 325 North Cumberland Street, (just next to David’s Pizza) it has occupied that segment of the run-down mid century shopping center for a little over a year now, and I have

been making almost weekly visits in between classes. So if you feel you need to take a quick and convenient thrifting jaunt, Haven House Thrift Store might be the ideal destination (just be sure your vehicle has enough ground clearance to safety get across the abrupt, poorly maintained parking lot entrance).

Now, in determining whether Haven House is a thrift store you’d be interested in visiting,

consider what you’re looking for and what your price range is. Based on my observation, I would say that Haven House is obviously an exceptional place to buy used appliances and furniture, regarding both content and inventory. Concerning content, I’ve seen everything from faded out white (but working!) General Electric appliances to vintage Admiral kitchen ovens and refrigerators in attractive burnt orange and olive green color tones (all usually under $100). And on the subject of inventory, there always seems to be a surprisingly steady flow of new arrivals for appliances. Furniture tends to be a little pricy, but the selection is indeed very unique; perhaps more high end items than you would normally expect to find at a thrift store. For example is not uncommon for me to walk in and notice a quality pair of modern 1950’s wooden end tables in a light blonde stain. As for clothes, the selection isn’t anywhere near as massive as that of Goodwill or any other major chain thrift stores, and pricing is just about the same. The media selection (books, vinyl, DVDs, and CDs) is fair concerning pricing (vinyl is the standard $1 price for thrift stores). However, the inventory for media is not the greatest I have seen; I often find the same selection across each week.

If you're looking for bigger-ticket items and home furnishings, Haven House might be for you. If it's new duds you're after, you might get lucky, you might not. Thrifting, as always, is a "right place at the right time" game.