By Julian Higuera | Reporter
I found myself up early on a Wednesday morning, wondering where I could pass the time before my classes started. I recalled going through my old wardrobe and realizing it had been a while since I visited a thrift store.
Fast-forward a quick car ride, and I landed at Heart of Texas Goodwill Industries. As usual, several cars were already parked, browsing for their next big find, so I joined the crowd and began a mission to shop big and save big.
Before I began browsing, I packed up a few old T-shirts and brought them along to donate. There I was with a H-E-B reusable bag in my hand inside a fairly large facility filled with hungry thrifters. Many people had baskets filled with items ranging from clothing pieces to kitchenware.
I’m typically used to the large open room with several bins full of different items. Heart of Texas Goodwill had a different setup; it’s much more refined and organized, and browsing was comparable to shopping at a typical retail store.
The front entrance greets you with aisles of clothing, either hung or neatly placed on racks and shelves. Everything was organized; shoes in one section, pants covering a certain corner, a nicely placed changing room in the middle of it all. As someone who appreciates organization, it was an unexpected reminder that some locations don’t dump it all in one place.
The icing on the cake was the back section behind the clothing aisles. A large open section displayed a variety of furniture pieces to pick from.
A lot of families moved back and forth in this area as kids played around the couches and tables, tired dads took a minute to sit at conveniently placed chairs. Even some old televisions were here, albeit unpowered.
The last area held the greatest variety of knickknacks. To the left of the clothing section were aisles of cooking wares and holiday items, ranging from candles to an ugly plate. For some reason, the holiday section had a surprisingly large selection of items to choose from. They were all very niche items, like a jack-in-the-box Christmas tree.
The best area, though, was in the back of these rows. A long wall held a fine collection of CDs, and I couldn’t help but browse through the rows looking for timeless classics or hidden gems. What struck me the most was finding the infamous documentary, “KONY 2012,” produced by Invisible Children. It must have been an unofficial release.
Overall, after an hour of thrifting, I left having spent about $20 on several new shirts and a jacket. I call that trip a success, and I’d argue that this location was one of the nicest and cleanest thrift stores in the Waco area.
