I arrived at the Dulles/Sterling Goodwill nonprofit location four minutes after it opened. By the time my parents joined me about 10 minutes later, I had already filled a cart with great stuff. We didn’t have any time to waste. We were on a mission to visit five Goodwill stores in one day.
I mapped out a route that roughly follows Route 28 in Northern Virginia. Starting at the new Dulles/Sterling Goodwill location and then heading across town to the Sterling Park location. From there, we traveled to Herndon, Centreville, and, finally, to the Liberia Avenue store in Manassas. The journey took us five hours — and was a lot of fun!
Here’s a recap:
At the new Dulles/Sterling store, I purchased two sweaters, a jacket to match the Army pants I got last month, and two sewing patterns. I don’t really know how to sew, but that’s something I want to learn. You have to start somewhere, so I put the patterns in my cart. I also got stencils for the art classes I teach, new tennis balls my dog will love,e and a small cobalt blue vase (which is also an item on my 2025 Thrift List!)
I could have stopped and gone home right then, and it would have been a fantastically lucky thrifting day.
But we were just getting started.
The Sterling Park location is only a five minute drive from the Dulles store so it always makes sense to hit them both up. My dad found a few books and a bag for the new camera he got for Christmas. At first, it seemed like a bust for me, but then something sparkly caught my eye.
I took home this trio of turquoise trees for a total of $10. I buy things because I like them and don’t pay too much attention to brand names or trends. I just like sparkles! It was a nice surprise to find the original price tags inside the trees. At Pier 1, they originally cost $28, $22 and $22, respectively. At Goodwill, I paid $4, $3 and $3.
The best part is, I know myself. I know I will forget all about these sparkly trees until I get out my Christmas decorations in December. It will be nice surprise all over again! That’s one of the reasons I love purchasing off-season holiday decor at Goodwill.
It turns out the sparkly trees weren’t the biggest surprise or the best discount of the day. I had to go to the Herndon Goodwill store for that.
I really liked this big, weird chair the moment I saw it. However, I was NOT in the market for a big, weird chair. I really didn’t know where I would find room in my home for a big, weird chair. Also, I didn’t have space in my car to take home a big, weird chair.
But I really liked it. And when I sat down, it was really comfy.
“Do you think it will fit in your car?” I asked my dad.
“You’ve just gone from ‘I have nowhere to put this in my house!’ to ‘Will it fit in your car?’” he said. “Does that mean you’re getting it?”
I got it. It only cost $90. I’m still not 100% sure where I’m putting it, but it’s in my family room right now. And it is really comfy.
When we were taking the legs off to load it into my dad’s car, I found a tag underneath the chair. So I looked it up. Holy moly!
My big weird chair retails for $1,050 — and that’s on sale! This is my luckiest find and the best bargain I’ve EVER scored at Goodwill!
I am definitely finding a good spot for it in my home.
After the thrill of the big chair, it was time for lunch. We backtracked a few minutes to eat at Guapo’s in Herndon and it was worth it. The food is always so good.
Again, we could have stopped now and it would have been a really great day. But we kept going.
My thrifting good luck held on in Centreville. I found this giant Christmas ornament with a C on it. C like Courtney! As I was looking around the shelf, I spied another one. This one had an M.
Maybe it is supposed to stand for Merry Christmas, but my initials are CM so this felt like a really lucky find meant for me.
We kept going down Route 28 to Manassas and turned left on Liberia Avenue. This was the longest drive between stores and this is where my thrifting luck ran out. I didn’t find anything, but my mom did.
Challenge complete! Five Goodwill stores in five hours, lots of great stuff, one big weird, fabulous chair that was an amazing bargain, and a really great day with my Mom and Dad.
