As we headed north from the Twin Cities on a weekday afternoon, the open road delivered what we needed as if we’d placed an order.
The traffic was light and the conversation easy, with singalongs inspired by the playlist that Vera, my 12-year-old, compiled for the occasion. A coffee shop appeared when the urge struck. We ranked current pop stars, then fast-food options, arguing our cases with conviction.
And we voiced our dream finds for our thrift trip: a cream cable-knit sweater for Vera, and comfortable workout shorts for me. We pulled into our first official stop — a Family Pathways in Ham Lake, 30 miles from home — and began flipping through hangers with intention.
We remained open to anything, because therein lies the magic. I’ve never once put “handmade ceramic baked potato-shaped serving dish” on my list, but lucky me; one found its way into my thrift store cart, and my kitchen display shelf, last summer.
Surprises aren’t limited to store shelves. Farm stands, restaurants, scenic hikes — you never know what charms you’ll stumble upon as you make your way from shop to shop on a Minnesota thrift trip.

How to build a thrift trip
I am a longtime thrift addict. I not only visit flea markets and secondhand stores when I travel, but I’ve been building trips around the hunt my entire adult life. Once a friend and I drove a borrowed van on a loop through middle America, spilling out after two weeks with bag after bag bearing thrifted treasures from as far away as Arkansas and Tennessee.
Whereas my love began as an affordable way to stock my closet with grunge-era flannels and broken-in 501s, thrifting is also a unique and eco-friendly counterbalance to today’s TikTok fast-fashion fads. Vera is all in.
I’ve found that some light planning creates a nice framework on which to hang a trip. My two key steps when creating a thrift-centric road trip: