By Lorrie Ross
Staff Writer
It’s time to grab some gifts to place under the Christmas tree for those special someone’s. Yet prices for many things are on the rise, which stretches gift-giving dollars more than ever. Fortunately, some local stores offer an assortment of new to gently used gift options and the purchases support good causes locally.
The selections vary daily but a persistent shopper can find great gifts at thrift stores. Whether you need books, toy, decor or an ugly Christmas sweater, Clay County has four thrift stores within a short drive of each other. Several more may be found in Towns and Union County, as well as Cherokee County. Make sure to contact the stores to verify hours during holidays, which may be different.
First, let’s check out the oldest thrift store in Clay County-Granny’s Attic. From the intersection of Highway 69 and Highway 64, go west on Highway 64 towards Murphy. But drive slow because it is not far at all on the right side of the highway. Located at 200 Highway 64 West in Hayesville, Granny’s Attic is tucked behind the red Mountain Streams Real Estate building and beside Subway. This little thrift store has been in operation for almost four decades as a result of Grandma Marie Hansbauer’s efforts.
Originally, the sister used her own attic to store items to provide for those in need. Granny’s is run completely by volunteers with 100 percent of the proceeds going to non-profit programs around Clay County. Open from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Granny’s Attic has clothing, books, toys, collectibles, jewelry and household items except for large furniture. The store volunteers will tell you to come often because new stuff constantly gets put on the shelves. Visit and like Granny’s Attic Thrift Store on Facebook to find out about special sales and deals.
Head a little further west on Highway 64 to the REACH Thrift Store, which is also on the right side of the highway if westbound. This store supports REACH of Clay County’s work and domestic abuse shelter in Hayesville. Open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, except holidays. They will be closed Friday after Thanksgiving. The REACH Thrift Store offers many of the same types of items as Granny’s Attic except they have furniture and other large items. You may buy a variety of Christmas décor, bedding or glassware, along with clothing from casual to formal, costumejewelry and shoes for the entire family. Fine collectibles are carefully displayed and many of the pictures are hung on the wall for easier viewing. A large book corner has been carefully divided by genre. Located at 1252 US 64 East in Hayesville, this thrift store takes credit cards and frequently has special sales.
Go east towards town, then turn right onto Old Highway 64 and drive towards Warne to find Clay County’s newest thrift store, The Funny Farm. The thrift store shares the building with Hogsed’s General Store, which reopened in 2024. Toys, books, and clothes for the whole family are displayed by type and season. Plus, there are special boutique clothing racks with designer garments and evening gowns.
If you are looking for pet supplies, kitchen accessories, small appliances and various items for home improvement projects, you may find it on the shelves of The Funny Farm Thrift Store whose motto is “where life is beautiful all the time.” Once a month, the thrift store hosts low-cost nail trims for pets. All thrift store profits support Puppies Under Protection, the non-profit founded in 1993 to help canines and operates an 11-acre animal rescue sanctuary for senior dogs and special needs animals in Warne. Hours for The Funny Farm are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 12 to 4 p.m. on Sundays. The Funny Farm Thrift Store is at 5100 Old Highway 64 in Warne beside the Dollar General Market. Like them on Facebook, where they post special sales and events.
Drive back into downtown Hayesville, where Friends of the Library has a quaint bookstore in the same building as Moss Memorial Library at 26 Anderson Street. Plan to sit for a spell while you sip on coffee and peruse the bookshelves.
All proceeds from this non-profit benefit the financial needs of Moss Memorial Library for everything from new books to community enrichment programs. Friends of the Library has artwork, cards and puzzles, donated from around the community but many other treasures may be found there.
Grab some vintage books or classics as gifts or a bag of paperbacks for yourself. Operated entirely by volunteers, the bookstore is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Penny-wise shoppers and Santa’s helpers, may check off their gift lists at local thrift stores. In addition, thrift stores frequently have gift certificates. Shopping at thrift stores can also be very fashionable. Some social media influencers and many A-list celebrities frequently shop at thrift stores and other second-hand stores and have made it fashionable to wear vintage clothing, while helping to sustain the environment by reusing and recycling rather than throwing things away. Doing just a little holiday shopping in thrift stores may add some extra jingle to your pockets from money saved.