A Trip Through Trumbull County Thrift Shops

Join the hunt for unique thrift finds in Trumbull County, from vintage treasures to quirky collectibles—like the elusive house hippo—at local thrift stores and antique shops near Cleveland & Pittsburgh.

I have always been a thrifter, especially when it comes to clothes. Many of my Halloween and Medieval Faire costumes, hiking boots, and some very good coats have come from thrift stores.

Recently I have also developed the opinion that when it comes to furniture, most items can be made new with a good coat of paint. I am the proud owner of several pieces of thrifted furniture, as well as some tables I picked up directly off the side of the road.

Because, you know, as the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

But as much as I like thrifted clothes or a good end table, this particular thrift journey had another goal. I was after a house hippo.

Apparently popular in the thrift community, a house hippo is a hippo of just about any kind that you find at a thrift or antique store. It can be a figurine, cookie jar, or a plate. Any hippo will do. Why a hippo? I have no idea, but I’m happy to jump on any bandwagon that gives me an excuse to explore some thrift stores.

I started my quest at Sprinkle Kindness Thrifts and Gifts on East Market Street in Howland. This Christian thrift store has been in Howland for about two years. Once in the door, I was immediately distracted by a selection of super soft, super cute crochet animals. As the name suggests, this hidden gem of a shop isn’t just a thrift store. It also has handmade gifts from local vendors.

I was taken in by the jewelry, soaps, cookies, and little 3-D printed critters. I simply had to buy an orange 3D-printed spider. I named him Mango and put him on my desk at work, much to the dismay of some of my coworkers, who are apparently not big fans of spiders.

But, back to the hippo hunt: Sprinkle Kindness has plenty of proper thrift items. You’ll find clothes, books, household items and knick-knacks. Plus there’s a “clearance room” where you can fill an entire bag for just $3.

I found a flannel that looked just like the one I was wearing for $5, which was considerably less than I paid for mine. But, sadly, the one thing I could not find was a hippo. There was a small teal unicorn with a succulent growing out of its back, which felt at least in the spirit of a house hippo.

Hippo-less, I headed on to the next thrift store – after stopping at the Howland Bean for my favorite local chai latte, of course.

Drink in hand, I was onto Newton Falls to check out Church Mouse Thrift Shoppe on West Broad Street. On a Saturday morning, the shop was abuzz with activity. More than once I had to step aside to let someone pass in the jam-packed rows. This classic thrift spot has blankets, clothes, art, games, household items, toys, purses, books and more, all at great prices.

I found a frankly startling pillow with the faces of Jamie and Claire from the TV show “Outlander” and an antique Japanese fan, but still no hippo. Church Mouse did have cows in abundance: cow figurines, an entire bag of cow toys, a cow puppet. I was glad that this was at least hippo-adjacent.

And, speaking of adjacent, stepping out of Church Mouse I realized that Newton Falls had more thrifts and antiques to offer. I soon found myself in Broad Street Vintage, just two doors down from Church Mouse.

The antique shop had a truly fascinating selection of salt and pepper shakers, old glass bottles, beer steins, and old-fashioned post cards. Broad Street Vintage also had a small, curated selection of clothes and purses. The prices were a little bit higher – after all, the items were a little bit older – but everything was still pretty affordable.

Like its predecessors, though, this vintage shop was lacking in hippos. I was becoming a little bit dismayed when I popped into yet another Newton Falls shop, Fieldview Acres Mercantile. This truly interesting store combines antiques, local goods, and a surprising amount of Newton Falls memorabilia.

I found antique lamps, toy cars, old cameras, and very old books, alongside locally-made soaps, honey, candles, and jams. And, to my great delight, I found what I believe to be a hippo, though it was a fairly odd one. It was made of wood with a comedically large, hinged mouth that could open and close.

Its eyes inexplicably sat on another hinge and its tail wrapped in a half-circle that may have been used as a handle. The tag explained very little, which made the find all the more interesting.

With one hippo in the books, I headed to my final stop on my mini-tour of Trumbull County thrift and antique shops, Extending Grace on West Liberty Street in Hubbard. There, I was greeted with antique dishware, teapots, figurines, and furniture. Tucked in between antiques were handmade items like jewelry, cards and jams.

The friendly owners told me the store had been there about eight years and that they like to mix vintage and antiques with new items that fit the same vibe and goods made by local vendors. You won’t find much in the way of thrift clothes there, but you can find just about everything else. Extending Grace also has plenty of DIY supplies and the craft classes to accompany them. The store lists its workshop classes on its website and its Facebook page.

I circled the store several times, admiring all of the dog figurines and wondering why none of them were hippos. When all seemed lost, I found a card with a drawing of a hippo wearing a hat. I decided that was close enough, and ended my brief but exciting hippo hunt – though not before stopping for a milkshake on my way out of town at Rhonda’s Emerald Diner.

Now, if you happen to be looking for something other than a hippo, there are quite a few other thrift, gift, and antique spots that I didn’t hit on my quick quest.