LANGLEY — At Good Cheer Thrift Store, 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 $3 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.
Thrift shop sales support Good Cheer Food Bank on Grimm Road at the edge of town.
The organization, founded in 1962, now runs two thrift stores that draw more than 13,000 shoppers a year.
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. — a street named after the Greek word for “blooming” — is an eclectic shopping experience.
The Langley shop’s storefront had its moment in the spotlight in 2024, when it was 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 thrifting competition.
Sharen Heath’s Facebook page, “I love Langley, Clinton, Bayview, Freeland and Greenbank,” spotlights stores on South Whidbey.
In Freeland, you can thrift for a cause at Senior Thrift, the Habitat for Humanity Store and WAIF, Whidbey Animals’ Improvement Foundation. A second Mutiny Bay Antiques & Vintage Mercantile opened its doors in Langley this month.
“It’s all a surprise. You never know what you are going to take home,” Heath said.
Her favorite scores? A red cashmere throw from Senior Thrift and a custom coffee table from Habitat.
The wool Pendleton blanket was totally worth the $90 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 keeps 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 week with Pine-Sol or Mr. Clean.”
Though select items come with higher tags, most clothing is affordably priced: Belts, $1.50. Sleepwear, $3. Jackets, $6. Jeans, $6.50.
On the first Wednesday 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 more than 31 years.
The hip-hop artist would stroll in dressed down, sometimes with his wife and kid. People would recognize him and whisper, but they usually let him shop in peace.
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
Mutiny Bay Antiques & Vintage Mercantile: 105 First St., Langley, and 1612 Main St., Freeland
Senior Thrift: 5518 Woodard Ave., Freeland
Habitat for Humanity Store: 1592 Main St., Freeland
WAIF, Whidbey Animals’ Improvement Foundation: 1660 Roberta Ave., Freeland
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.
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