Who among us doesn’t love scoring a deal? There’s almost nothing better than the fun of bargain shopping and finding something you love, all for a price at a fraction of its original cost. If you’re someone who loves the thrill of the hunt, digging for a deal and unearthing stuff hidden deep within the depths of a thrift store, this is the article for you. This trip is just 85 miles long, but takes you to eight different and amazing thrift stores where you’ll find steals, deals and bargains galore. Gas up the car, grab some friends and spend a day filling up your house without emptying out your wallet! Here’s the ultimate bargain hunter’s road trip in Wisconsin.
Grab the interactive map for the road trip here. You can make modifications like adding stops or shortening the route if you wish as well.
Please note, Silly Monkeys Funky Resale has closed.
This fabulous trip will just take you a few hours but takes you to a wide array of stores.
Google Maps Take your time, move quickly, whatever you feel like doing is totally up to you. That’s the beauty of self-guided touring! You’re guaranteed to have a trunk full of goodies when you reach the end of this trail of treasures just waiting to be discovered.
- The Wire Basket - Sun Prairie
The Wire Basket/Facebook This place is chock-full of vintage goods. You’ll find some current stuff here and there, but they definitely skew towards the ’60s and decades prior. It’s organized very well and is easy to get around in, which can be hard to come by with lots of vintage shops (not that we’re not obsessed with them anyway). There’s plenty of stuff to be found here, but you definitely don’t feel like you might knock something over every time you turn around. Whew!
Address: 243 East Main Street, Sun Prairie, WI, 53590
- Silly Monkey’s Funky Resale - Madison
Silly Monkeys Resale/Facebook Editor’s note: Silly Monkey’s Funky Resale appears to have closed since this article was published.
Alright, let’s get real here: kid stuff is expensive, and the little ones use it for so short a time. No worries, though! You’ll find all kinds of amazing stuff here that looks brand-new and is just waiting to have a chance at its second life. There are tons of brand name items, too, and it’s the place to go for an awesome Halloween costume when the time is right! Make sure to double-check their website for their most current hours of operation before you visit.
Address: 306 North Lawn Avenue, Madison, WI, 53704
- Boomerang’s Resale Shop - Madison
Boomerang’s Resale/Facebook Some thrift stores can be chaotic, but there’s actually a really chill and calm vibe here that makes it a lot of people’s go-to thrifting hotspot in Madison. You’ll find a bit of everything in these walls, along with great prices and awesomely friendly staff.
Address: 1133 North Sherman Avenue, Madison, WI, 53704
- UW Swap Shop - Verona
Joey R./Foursquare Okay, this one might be stretching the definition of “thrift store” a bit here, but the UW Swap Shop is a big warehouse in Verona that has twice-weekly public sales. ‘Swap’ in this case is actually an acronym for “Surplus With A Purpose”, and their goal is to reduce the University of Wisconsin’s environmental footprint. Because they take in items from the university as well as other government agencies, you never quite know what you’ll find at the Swap Shop (or in their online auctions) and that’s what makes it so darn fun. The shop is open Monday through Friday for UW departments, municipalities, public schools and state agencies. Definitely make sure to check the UW Swap Shop website for hours and times they’re open to the public for auctions.
Address: 1061 Thousand Oaks Trail, Verona, WI, 53593
- Agrace Thrift Store - Madison
Facebook/AgraceThriftStore The staff here is super friendly, it’s always very clean, and there are treasures to be found - what else could you want from a good (scratch that, great) thrift store?
Address: 2402 East Springs Drive, Madison, WI, 53704
- Gene’s Resale Shop - Mazomanie
Gene’s Resale Shop/Facebook Mazomanie is a bit of an offbeat artists’ town as it is and the thrifting here reflects that. You’ll find unusual, quirky, eclectic and awesome stuff at this great store just outside of Madison.
Address: 122 West Commercial Street, Mazomanie, WI, 53560
- 2nd Chapter Resale - Mazomanie
2nd Chance Resale/Facebook Not only does this place have a great selection of stuff, but they were incredibly helpful to the local community as people were affected by floods some years back. These folks provided a ton of support, making them an even better part of the community. It feels rewarding to shop here.
Address: 106 Brodhead Street, Mazomanie, WI, 53560
- Recycled Sally’s - Baraboo
Recycled Sally’s/Facebook This consignment shop does the resale thing totally right - a clean, organized store that doesn’t take itself too seriously that’s loads of fun to visit. Make sure you like the store on Facebook to see their new additions, as well as sales and lots of other insider info. We suspect our bank accounts would be in trouble if we lived closer. We love everything about shopping here!
Address: 119 3rd Avenue, Baraboo, WI, 53913
Whew! What an adventure. There’s no doubt in our minds that this bargain hunter’s trip in Wisconsin is probably one of the top day trips we thrift store lovers could ask for. We also have a pretty stellar antiquing road trip that would piggyback really well with this one to make for one heck of an epic weekend of shopping and bargain hunting. Check it out here.
Google Maps
Take your time, move quickly, whatever you feel like doing is totally up to you. That’s the beauty of self-guided touring! You’re guaranteed to have a trunk full of goodies when you reach the end of this trail of treasures just waiting to be discovered.
The Wire Basket/Facebook
This place is chock-full of vintage goods. You’ll find some current stuff here and there, but they definitely skew towards the ’60s and decades prior. It’s organized very well and is easy to get around in, which can be hard to come by with lots of vintage shops (not that we’re not obsessed with them anyway). There’s plenty of stuff to be found here, but you definitely don’t feel like you might knock something over every time you turn around. Whew!
Address: 243 East Main Street, Sun Prairie, WI, 53590
Silly Monkeys Resale/Facebook
Editor’s note: Silly Monkey’s Funky Resale appears to have closed since this article was published.
Alright, let’s get real here: kid stuff is expensive, and the little ones use it for so short a time. No worries, though! You’ll find all kinds of amazing stuff here that looks brand-new and is just waiting to have a chance at its second life. There are tons of brand name items, too, and it’s the place to go for an awesome Halloween costume when the time is right! Make sure to double-check their website for their most current hours of operation before you visit.
Address: 306 North Lawn Avenue, Madison, WI, 53704
Boomerang’s Resale/Facebook
Some thrift stores can be chaotic, but there’s actually a really chill and calm vibe here that makes it a lot of people’s go-to thrifting hotspot in Madison. You’ll find a bit of everything in these walls, along with great prices and awesomely friendly staff.
Address: 1133 North Sherman Avenue, Madison, WI, 53704
Joey R./Foursquare
Okay, this one might be stretching the definition of “thrift store” a bit here, but the UW Swap Shop is a big warehouse in Verona that has twice-weekly public sales. ‘Swap’ in this case is actually an acronym for “Surplus With A Purpose”, and their goal is to reduce the University of Wisconsin’s environmental footprint. Because they take in items from the university as well as other government agencies, you never quite know what you’ll find at the Swap Shop (or in their online auctions) and that’s what makes it so darn fun. The shop is open Monday through Friday for UW departments, municipalities, public schools and state agencies. Definitely make sure to check the UW Swap Shop website for hours and times they’re open to the public for auctions.
Address: 1061 Thousand Oaks Trail, Verona, WI, 53593
Facebook/AgraceThriftStore
The staff here is super friendly, it’s always very clean, and there are treasures to be found - what else could you want from a good (scratch that, great) thrift store?
Address: 2402 East Springs Drive, Madison, WI, 53704
Gene’s Resale Shop/Facebook
Mazomanie is a bit of an offbeat artists’ town as it is and the thrifting here reflects that. You’ll find unusual, quirky, eclectic and awesome stuff at this great store just outside of Madison.
Address: 122 West Commercial Street, Mazomanie, WI, 53560
2nd Chance Resale/Facebook
Not only does this place have a great selection of stuff, but they were incredibly helpful to the local community as people were affected by floods some years back. These folks provided a ton of support, making them an even better part of the community. It feels rewarding to shop here.
Address: 106 Brodhead Street, Mazomanie, WI, 53560
Recycled Sally’s/Facebook
This consignment shop does the resale thing totally right - a clean, organized store that doesn’t take itself too seriously that’s loads of fun to visit. Make sure you like the store on Facebook to see their new additions, as well as sales and lots of other insider info. We suspect our bank accounts would be in trouble if we lived closer. We love everything about shopping here!
Address: 119 3rd Avenue, Baraboo, WI, 53913
What are your favorite thrift shops in Wisconsin? Tell us about them in the comments!
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
Address: 243 E Main St, Sun Prairie, WI 53590, USAAddress: 306 N Lawn Ave, Madison, WI 53704, USAAddress: 1133 N Sherman Ave, Madison, WI 53704, USAAddress: 1061 Thousand Oaks Trail, Verona, WI 53593, USAAddress: 2402 E Springs Dr, Madison, WI 53704, USAAddress: 122 W Commercial St, Mazomanie, WI 53560, USAAddress: 106 Brodhead St, Mazomanie, WI 53560, USAAddress: 119 3rd Ave, Baraboo, WI 53913, USA
The OIYS Visitor Center
Bargain Hunters Road Trip in Wisconsin February 18, 2021 Tori Jane What are the best thrift stores in Wisconsin? If you loved our bargain hunter’s road trip in Wisconsin, you’ll be please to know the state is home to loads of highly-rated thrift stores! Some of the top contenders include Thrift-In in Geneva, Harvest Lane Treasures in La Crosse, Agrace Thrift Store in Madison, and Prairie Valley Resale Store in Lodi. Of course, there are many, many more than this short little list of just three, so definitely get out there and explore! You never know what you’ll find. Are there any antique stores in Wisconsin? Of course! Much like thrift stores, Wisconsin has antique shops galore! Wisconsin is home to dozens of ’em. Some of the best, as rated by customers, are Antiques On Pierce in Milwaukee, the Pilgrim Antique Mall in Germantown, and Pardeeville Antique Mall. We suggest a day trip in which you drive around and explore as many as you can! What are the best flea markets in Wisconsin? Just like the above questions, we’re happy to report that Wisconsin’s also got plenty of awesome flea markets to go check out one of these weekends. Highly-rated flea markets around the state include places like Thrifty Pickin’s in Coon Valley, Crazy Frank’s in Readstown, and Elkhorn Antique Flea Market in, of course, Elkhorn.
The OIYS Visitor Center
Bargain Hunters Road Trip in Wisconsin
February 18, 2021
Tori Jane
What are the best thrift stores in Wisconsin? If you loved our bargain hunter’s road trip in Wisconsin, you’ll be please to know the state is home to loads of highly-rated thrift stores! Some of the top contenders include Thrift-In in Geneva, Harvest Lane Treasures in La Crosse, Agrace Thrift Store in Madison, and Prairie Valley Resale Store in Lodi. Of course, there are many, many more than this short little list of just three, so definitely get out there and explore! You never know what you’ll find. Are there any antique stores in Wisconsin? Of course! Much like thrift stores, Wisconsin has antique shops galore! Wisconsin is home to dozens of ’em. Some of the best, as rated by customers, are Antiques On Pierce in Milwaukee, the Pilgrim Antique Mall in Germantown, and Pardeeville Antique Mall. We suggest a day trip in which you drive around and explore as many as you can! What are the best flea markets in Wisconsin? Just like the above questions, we’re happy to report that Wisconsin’s also got plenty of awesome flea markets to go check out one of these weekends. Highly-rated flea markets around the state include places like Thrifty Pickin’s in Coon Valley, Crazy Frank’s in Readstown, and Elkhorn Antique Flea Market in, of course, Elkhorn.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
If you loved our bargain hunter’s road trip in Wisconsin, you’ll be please to know the state is home to loads of highly-rated thrift stores! Some of the top contenders include Thrift-In in Geneva, Harvest Lane Treasures in La Crosse, Agrace Thrift Store in Madison, and Prairie Valley Resale Store in Lodi. Of course, there are many, many more than this short little list of just three, so definitely get out there and explore! You never know what you’ll find.
Are there any antique stores in Wisconsin?
Of course! Much like thrift stores, Wisconsin has antique shops galore! Wisconsin is home to dozens of ’em. Some of the best, as rated by customers, are Antiques On Pierce in Milwaukee, the Pilgrim Antique Mall in Germantown, and Pardeeville Antique Mall. We suggest a day trip in which you drive around and explore as many as you can!
What are the best flea markets in Wisconsin?
Just like the above questions, we’re happy to report that Wisconsin’s also got plenty of awesome flea markets to go check out one of these weekends. Highly-rated flea markets around the state include places like Thrifty Pickin’s in Coon Valley, Crazy Frank’s in Readstown, and Elkhorn Antique Flea Market in, of course, Elkhorn.
