The Scrap Exchange in
Durham (NC)

This is legitimately the best materials reuse store in the country. I’ve lived all over and have never seen a place like this. So organized, so affordable, they have literally anything you could be looking for. Incredible resource that is good for the community and good for the environment! Seriously the worst part of leaving the triangle area has been not having access to a place like the scrap exchange. Every time I pass through town I stop by because I love it so much.

Great community resource! Friendly staff and lots to look at. Crafty person’s dream! It’s nice to be able to support a local place for creative needs. Also, a sustainability win! Inclusive atmosphere ✨

Update: It's like they truly dont want your donations. They dont accept them on Sundays (thats 50% of the time many people have off), and I went today because I was actually off work, and they are not accepting donations until 1pm. I want to donate to charities that align with my values, but I guess I'll just give everything that actually allows you to donate during their posted hours Fun place. Good place to find random things. They used to be great before covid, and they are slowly making their way back. Their sf/fantasy book selection used to be much larger which is kinda sad, but i have found some great kids books. The parking lot is so full of ENORMOUS potholes that is us hazardous to anyone without an off road vehicle.

Took a group of women here who were from the dv shelter, a couple were also Muslim. Come to find out they now mix the women’s clothes with the mens. They are no longer distinctively separated. We had to leave due to some existing trauma and religious reasons. If you plan on going for yourself, be ready to search through both men’s and women’s for a simple pair of pants or a shirt. You also have to make it a trip, not a shopping trip- a field trip sis. Yes I’m serious. It can take a toll on you if you thrive on structure or have ADD, so be sure to prepare your mind and thoughts ahead of time. We saw people getting po’d and walking out, some only looking at drinking glasses and surface items they didn’t have to sift thru LOL definitely not as organized as it used to be. I wont be bringing anymore of the group from the dv house. They’re transitioning to a better situation very gradually. They’ve been traumatized enough.

I got this really great shirt here for only $6

Such a gem! This is the type of organization that builds community, gives second life to discarded yet useful items, and inspires creativity. I recommend the Scrap Exchange to all of my creative friends, friends with kids, and anyone else who will listen.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Scrap Exchange The Scrap Exchange is one of my favorite places to source creative materials for events. Their selection is unmatched, their mission is inspiring, and every visit sparks new ideas. Whether I’m hunting for unique textures, unexpected décor elements, or sustainable solutions for a client project, I always find something that elevates the design. Their team is helpful, welcoming, and genuinely invested in community creativity. The Scrap Exchange isn’t just a resource — it’s a treasure. Grateful for everything they make possible. Highly recommended from Neon Rainbow Creatives.

Awesome place with nearly everything you can think of for super cheap! Great place to volunteer and to complete community service hours. I love the office supplies and housewares stuff and sometimes there are nice containers :)

What a great idea to reuse, repurpose, and revamp donated items. It’s wild to see something as simple as toilet paper rolls being donated, but honestly they’re awesome for anyone who needs supplies for a craft project. There are so many small knickknacks with so many versatile uses! There is fabric scraps, fabric rolls, yarn, sewing stuff, knitting needles for $1 a pair, crochet hooks, tools, wood, miscellaneous electrical stuff, ribbon, rocks, bottle caps, eggs cartons, beer tops, fast food straws, glasses, Christmas stuff, packing and shipping, office supplies, plastic containers, chairs, spray paint, gardening, wine corks, random puzzle pieces, beads, buttons, leather, belt buckles, bra straps … so much more. Stores like this should exist in every state and major city. One person’s junk truly becomes another person’s treasure here. I was really interested in the Brother Cover stitch machine - however after talking to an employee and getting the full transparency on the machine decided to not get it. It’s not her fault! Eventually I would have realized in the store what was wrong with it. If I needed parts - this would have been awesome find. But checking the brother website the main parts needed to close up the machine were not available. It was becoming more of finding all the missing parts rather than like just a pressure foot missing, missing needles, or even just a missing foot pedal would have been easier than replacing who knows all what else. I’m sure someone else will snag this and be over the moon! It just couldn’t have been me and I’ll live in regret but I’ll find it when it’s meant to be ? The only downsides here were the music and the smell of the bathroom. The bathroom reeked while just passing by it. Aside from that, the customer service was great! They offer workshops too, some are free and some are priced as high as $55. The store really has something for everyone at great prices!

I volunteered here for a 2nd time and this time was bad. Not sure what has happened but the employees are rude like they don’t want you there. You sign up for the area you want to work in but they put you in a different area. Candace and a few others stared a lot and even said something to me about looking at my phone at one point. That was shocking. It’s not like I was just looking at my phone the whole time. Also Lea in the clothes and Diego in crafts seemed to have a bit of an attitude as well. But maybe they didn’t like how I looked, or they didn’t want me there. There was probably some racism at play here. Glad I got to see it! I’ll never be back to shop or volunteer. I used to support but now I don’t. Hopefully their attitudes have changed/will change.

The Scrap Exchange is an amazing space. Donated materials are sorted by type and fairly priced. My finds today included a 1L glass beaker, a bushel of crayons, some party decorations, a few flower ppts, nearly full tubes of oil paint, and polished stones. I will be back and I will bring friends.

Been shopping at the scrap exchange for over 10 years now. What was always a welcoming atmosphere with affordable goods and a diverse workforce has turned into something else entirely. Unless you’re looking for a fast-fashion stained forever 21 shirt, you won’t find any quality clothing here. It’s *obvious* that employees cherry-pick items for their Depop stores, and it seems racial diversity in their hiring process has been replaced with… something else. Anyone reading this comment knows what I’m referring to. Attitudes are RAMPANT within this new staff and unless you are one of “them”, you are rushed through and unwelcome. They start turning the lights off 20 minutes before closing for Pete’s sake! Only reason for the 2 stars is that my autistic son still enjoys the scrap selections. I would like to see where the profits are being spent these days, I can only imagine…

Experience today was not as good as several years ago when I stopped while traveling. Two sides of the store: yarn, fabric, crafting; the other prints, odds and ends and teacher-office supplies. Found a few quilt patterns but remnant stick seemed sort of blah. Maybe just not my day.

I like this place and have been coming for years but have been disappointed with my most recent visits; prices, first off, are getting a little ridiculous. A used, small ball of yarn costs $3-4. You can get a full skein at Michael's for about the same price. I've seen used Forever 21 dresses priced at $14-16, etc. like I understand the store needs to stay afloat but some of these prices feel a bit silly for secondhand goods :-/ Another thing that's not fun to deal with is there are increasingly aggressive homeless people in the lot that will sometimes follow you to your car, asking for or sometimes demanding money. While I feel for them, I have had experiences that have genuinely made me feel scared and unsafe.

I mostly wanted to leave a review to show my appreciation for their volunteers and the entire existence of this store in the first place! As a hobbiest who does both sewing and model train work, I HIGHLY recommend this place. There's so many things that normally I would have to dig out of the recycling or never think about going out and looking for! I love visiting here for materials!

I wish more cities had a place like the Scrap Exchange. So many perfectly good items for any craft! Next time you need an item for your project, consider looking here first before going to a big box store. I haven't tried any of their classes yet, but I'm sure they're fantastic and hope to try one soon.

Youve been looking for this place your entire life. With all kinds of people and creatures walking around inside, this is a safe place to be anything you want to be… and also shop donated trash and discarded objects. Prices are decent. It is tough to find anyone who works there though… you can get lost in the layout. But there is also an art gallery with works you can ogle and be inspired by. Pack a lunch cause this place will take you all day.

Incredible! I'm addicted. And I've only been there once, and I live 1800 miles away. So many things! And so organized! Everyone was so nice, including other customers. It was REALLY hard to leave, even after a couple hours. The thrift store was nice too, but the Scrap Exchange is something special. I've never seen anything like it. Thanks for a great experience while we were on vacation.

Truly nothing else like it. I visited from PA and wish so badly there was something this impressively useful near me!!

what an amazing place. everything you could ever need and even better prices

I have loved creating art out of scrap and recyclable material for a little over 6 years. Most recently I have been struggling with stress-related hypertension high blood pressure, and my clinical therapist suggested I try Scrap Exchange, as it was a safe space to relax, do art, and meet like minded people. I highly suggest trying this place out and signing up for one of the many classes they host there each month!

I’ve been here many times during the years and it’s always great and very affordable!

I really like this place! I'm not a huge "thrift store" person, but when I do go it's really nice to find a good one! They have a huge selection of clothes that I didn't get a chance to look at (one of the people I was with was in a hurry). There are housewares, knick knacks, games, records, CDs, DVDs, and so natme books! They had some comics and magazines there, too. I spent all of my time there in the media section. It toot me quite a while to dig through the LPs, and comics. I'm planning on going back soon to check out the rest of the place. Edit: I've been back several times and still really like this thrift store. They often have interesting electronics and furniture. I will go back one day and go through all of the CDs I think.

A true pillar for the community!!! This place knows the importance is community & barbering a safe space for it members. Love you hat you guys are doing. You can find almost anything you need between the two buildings at an amazing price. & if you can volunteer please do, they need the help!!

We have been here twice now.. There are two huge buildings (really huge, not "Trump Huge"). The CD / Album / Cassette section is way bigger than anywhere else and they are even organized if you can believe that. We picked up an All-Clad 12" stainless sauce pan for $4.50 that with about 5 minutes of elbow grease turned it new again (Don't tell the nice people at The Scrap Exchange that these pans are $130+ new). This is a Durham iconic Thrift shop that helps the community.

Kooky place full of odds and ends! The people are incredibly friendly, and you will leave feeling inspired! The prices are pretty reasonable. You can easily spend an hour or two exploring the treasures here.

The kids had a great time here. We did the craft time where you get 90 minutes of free craft time and unlimited supplies from the bins for $5 each. We were the only ones there for the whole time so it wasn’t crowded at all. It’s a neat place and if the kids ask for it again it’s worth it.