At Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley, you don’t need a lot of money in your pocket to pop some tags.
For $20, you can walk out with an entire outfit, a vintage typewriter or even a unicycle. That same $20 might buy a T-shirt or beach hat at a boutique in this seaside village.
Snag a hat at Good Cheer for $2.99 or a tee for $3.75. Grab a greeting card for 50 cents.
The colorful corner shop blends in with Langley’s breezy downtown, an arts, dining and shopping destination. The red wooden door opens to cool treasures at bargain prices — or fancy gems. A diamond ring once sold for $12,000. Most jewelry is a buck or two.
Original artwork is priced below gallery rates. Or create your own at the shop’s monthly craft class using supplies sourced from donations.
Thrift shop sales support Good Cheer Food Bank on Grimm Road on the edge of town.
The organization, which started in 1962, operates two thrift stores that draw over 1,000 shoppers a month.
The Clinton Good Cheer, located at Ken’s Korner Shopping Plaza on Highway 525, has the feel of a classic thrift store. The Langley location at 114 Anthes Ave. is an eclectic shopping experience.
The Langley shop’s storefront had its moment in the spotlight in 2024, when featured in a Toyota truck commercial that captured the small-town vibe. For the shoot, the exterior was transformed into a festive post office, complete with holiday decorations, a blue mailbox and a dusting of artificial snow.
Expect a totally new look when the current exterior renovation project is finished, with plans for a mural by local artists.
Copping it
Good Cheer has some friendly competition outside of town.
Sharen Heath’s Facebook page, “I love Langley, Clinton, Bayview, Freeland and Greenbank,” spotlights thrift stores on South Whidbey.
In Freeland, about 10 miles from Langley, you can thrift for a cause at Senior Thrift, the Habitat for Humanity Store and WAIF, Whidbey Animals’ Improvement Foundation.
“It’s all a surprise. You never know what you are going to take home,” Heath said.
Her favorite finds? A red cashmere throw from Senior Thrift and a custom coffee table from Habitat.
Her wool Pendleton blanket was $90 well spent at Good Cheer.
“It’s $90 to help feed people,” said Heath, a longtime island resident. “As locals, we are proud of the food bank. They treat clients with dignity and don’t make you jump through hoops.”
The food bank on Grimm Road is a grocery-style service center.
“We’ve done a lot trying to reduce barriers to folks,” co-executive director Sarah Benner-Kenagy said.
The center received 371,937 pounds of food in 2024. Its Big ACRE Farm harvested 17,683 pounds of produce on 1.25 acres.
About 214 volunteers logged nearly 15,000 hours last year. Some work behind the scenes, sorting and pricing donations for the thrift stores.
A cheerful crew of paid employees keep things running smoothly at the store registers. They also keep the place spotless.
“We don’t have a housekeeper here,” said Kate Sharp, Langley team lead. “We mop the floors every Saturday with Pine-Sol or Mr. Clean.”
Though select items come with higher tags, most clothing is affordably priced: Belts, $1.50. Sleepwear, $3. Jackets, $5.99. Jeans, $6.50.
On the first Tuesday of each month, clothing is 10 items for $10.
But you might not want to wait. Chances are those Levi’s won’t still be there.
Popping tags
Channel your inner Macklemore as you browse the racks.
“I’m gonna pop some tags. Only got 20 dollars in my pocket,” is a refrain in the Seattle rapper’s smash hit “Thrift Shop.”
Macklemore, who has family ties to Langley, won a Grammy in 2014 with Ryan Lewis for the song.
“One man’s trash, that’s another man’s come up,” the lyrics go. “Thank your granddad for donating that plaid button-up shirt … Copping it, washing it, ‘bout to go and get some compliments.”
“Macklemore bought clothes here,” said cashier Irene Walker, a Good Cheer employee for over 30 years.
The flamboyant singer would walk in wearing regular clothes, sometimes with his wife and child. People would recognize him and whisper but mostly left him alone.
The exception? One time, he was asked to wait 20 minutes so a mom could drive home and fetch her daughter — a huge fan — for a photo.
“He said, ‘Oh, sure. No problem,’” Walker said.
Another celeb shopper Walker rings up is rocker Jack Blades, of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees fame. At 71, he’s still tearing it up with Night Ranger (“Sister Christian, oh, the time has come. And you know that you’re the only one…”) — and he even gave her tickets to a show with backstage passes. The band is on a national tour this summer.
As for Macklemore, these days he owns a stake in the Seattle Kraken and Seattle Sounders. Walker hasn’t seen him lately.
Money in my pocket
Sometimes you get more than you bargain for when you buy clothing with a past.
On a recent visit to the Langley Good Cheer, I snagged a Marmot raincoat from a jumble of jackets. I reached into the pocket and pulled out a wad of cash: a $10 and two $1 bills.
The thrill of finding money in a thrift store pocket? Priceless.
My friend immediately started rummaging through the other jackets but only found a button and a breath mint.
The cashier shared stories of other shoppers who’d found even bigger surprises — $1,000 in a dress, $800 in a pair of men’s shoes.
(My friend dashed off to check the dresses and shoes.)
Most finders choose to give back some or all of the found money, the cashier said.
My $12 went straight back to Good Cheer.
Contact writer Andrea Brown at reporterbrown@gmail.com.
IF YOU GO
Good Cheer Thrift Stores: 114 Anthes Ave., Langley, and Ken’s Korner Shopping Plaza, Highway 525, Clinton
Senior Thrift: 5518 Woodard Ave., Freeland
Habitat for Humanity Store: 1592 E Main St., Freeland
WAIF, Whidbey Animals’ Improvement Foundation: 1660 Roberta Ave., Freeland
Also in Langley: Mutiny Bay Antiques & Vintage Mercantile, 105 First St.
Sound & Summit
This article is featured in the summer issue of Sound & Summit, a supplement of The Daily Herald. Explore Snohomish and Island counties with each quarterly magazine. Subscribe to receive all four editions for $18 per year. Call 425-339-3200 or go to soundsummitmagazine.com for more information.
A green dinosaur cookie cutter sticks out of a drawer at the Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
A woman flips through a book at the Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
A customer walks out of the Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
A children’s toy section at the Good Cheer Thrift Store. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Shoppers walk through the Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
People look through shoes for sale at the Good Cheer Thrift Store. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
