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November 2024 by Rye Ledford
Always find something when we stop in! I love all brown elephant locations but the Andersonville location is really quite spectacular, the building is so cool! Lexi and the rest of the staff are super nice, helpful, and run a wonderful shop!
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November 2024 by Peter Chauncey
So very sad to see the downfall of a once mighty chain of thrift stores reach rock bottom. The brown elephant abandoned their flagship store and their community when they left Halsted Street to occupy a bizarrely positioned location on Lincoln avenue in an attempt to appeal to wealthy customers at the expense of their original lgbtq audience. Things only got worse from there. Clark Street remained their flagship store, but with poor decision making and inept leadership it became an empty shell of what it once was. Under the general management of Kevin Chase (who as it turns out was a perpetual embezzler and tremendous thief through his siphoning off of eBay revenue into his own personal account) the brown elephant has devolved into a waste of space entirely. Literal waste of space. They closed off half of the store on Clark Street only to acquisition a store next door which only reclaimed the space they closed off in their original, once beautiful and inviting space. Pointless, insane decision making. They once had a thriving and shining truck department which employed nearly a dozen people to pick up donations across town, delivering three truckloads of donations daily to the various stores in Chicago and oak Park, only to be decimated under the leadership of Rita Bacon, who drove the donations pick up department into the ground (under the decision making of the thief Kevin Chase), at the same time forcing out the department's employees with bigoted rhetoric, demeaning, and gender shaming practices; all the while demanding herself pay raises that were entirely undeserved (Mirroring the rest of the organization), further stealing from the community it purpots to benefit. It's a small miracle brown elephant is still even in business, any reasonable enterprise would have fired the aforementioned employees long ago and restructured to regain something of their past glory, unfortunately egos and pay raises have brought the bottom of the barrel to the top of decision making and things look likely to never recover. What once was a community gem to acquire affordable clothes and furniture and other items remains a cesspool of ego and entitlement and a general stain on the neighborhood that deserves no place in the community anymore based on their inept decision making. If you were fortunate enough to experience the brown elephant on Halstead Street in the mid-2000s, you would understand what this is all about. Lines out the door with excited customers snapping up great deals on quality items. Now you can go to the Lincoln location and just simply waste your time looking over overpriced nonsense and a store that would be better off empty and abandoned. Time to let go and give room to an organization that respects the community and promotes well deserved individuals and not the greed and thievery that has long dominated what was once in honorable institution.
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November 2024 by Marina Sakharova
Nice second hand, very cool atmosphere! Very reasonable prices. I bought a beautiful shirt for 7$
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October 2024 by Ruth Eichler
One of the BEST resale shops in Chicago! Everyone is so lovely and helpful there! It’s a bonus that proceeds from sales go to such a good, necessary cause. If you need help styling an outfit, seek out Lexi who has FABULOUS taste! Thank you for your help Lexi!! You made my day!
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October 2024 by Angie Floden
This is a really cool thrift. I love the building.
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July 2024 by Paul Lorenz
Large and filled with intriguing things, the Brown Elephant deserves a good amount of time to delve into all of the corners, shelves, and racks.
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June 2024 by Ross Reagan
Snarky, unprofessional staff everytime I call.
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May 2024 by Caroline Crane
Amazing deals and book selection. Plus they support a great cause!
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May 2024 by lillian
fav thrift of chicago
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April 2024 by Jjava Turner
Great Store
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April 2024 by Karen Olenski
This place is always full of treasures but today it was an especially amazing experience with the assistance of Lexi! She was able to find an 80’s prom dress in my size in 2 minutes! Lexi was fun to work with, kind, so helpful and understanding. Thanks Lexi!!
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March 2024 by Tom Commoner
What a sense of fresh Dung it smells so good
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February 2024 by Monisha Priya
Love this place! I will never not stop by here whenever I am in the neighborhood. Found our gorgeous Victorian dining table here! Highly recommend. And the low prices are a bonus!
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February 2024 by Ivy G.
My favorite resale (and I like resale shopping--feels like treasure hunting). Skilled workers do a stylish job displaying what is there and it is spacious. So it is not so claustrophobic as some resales. One can browse at leisure. We furnished half our home from BE. Reasonable in prices and it often has sales (50% off). . Many treasures on display if you have a little time and patience. I got great planters, costume jewelry, purses there. And of course, it is for a good cause. The money goes to health care.
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February 2024 by Frank Patnode
Love this place! So many quality things for cheap
