<p>I hear we are getting a Garden Ridge store in town. Looked on the website a bit and am wondering what to compare this store to. Hobby Lobby? Home Goods??? Dollar/Bargain type store???</p>
<p>I’m an avid Home Goods shopper. We don’t have one in town but are also getting a Home Goods in the next year. </p>
<p>Tell me about Garden Ridge - what you would compare it to, typical prices, best area of inventory (crafts? furniture? lamps?) - that kind of stuff.</p>
<p>Hoping it’s not another “craft” type store. How many Hobby Lobby’s/JoAnns/Micheals do we need???! </p>
<p>If you compare the home furnishings from Garden Ridge to those found at Home Goods, you will be quite disappointed. They have artifical plants, bargain books, party supplies…lots and lots of stuff. We mostly just go in January when the artificial Christmas trees have been marked down to 75% off.</p>
<p>They have a lot of merchandise for the home and garden at low prices. Sometimes the stuff you find there is junk. Other times, you get stuff which looks pretty much the same as the more expensive merchandise you find at other retail stores for a fraction of the cost. </p>
<p>For example, I don’t spend a lot of money on throw pillows for the sofa, because I get tired of them and want to replace them to bring a new look to a room. Garden ridge has TONS of throw pillows in every color. I love that.</p>
<p>They USED to be very nice and leaned towards ribbon/flower crafts with lots of accessory type furnishings, but in the last 5 years they’ve taken a downward turn. Interesting that they’re opening a new store. I thought they’d be closing soon.</p>
<p>Agree on the pillows and also good for outdoor cushions. Still tons of cheap holiday decorations. I live < 1 miles from one and I haven’t been in over a year. </p>
<p>So it sounds a little more like The Christmas Tree Shop??? We don’t have one of those either in town, but I have been to one once. Kind of like a step up from Big Lots?? </p>
<p>The area where they are putting it is not a fabulous area. Not awful, not fabulous. Sounds like I’ll still be spending my $$$ at Home Goods. </p>
<p>To me it is very much like The Christmas Tree Shop on steroids–a much bigger store with way more stuff but the same type of stuff. Great for inexpensive holiday decor and random other things but very hit or miss with quality goods. </p>
<p>They used to have really great deals on pottery – the terra cotta pots of all sizes, glazed ceramic ones. They had some kitchen stuff where you could get good deals on utensils, kitchen gadgets, glassware, Rubbermaid and other storage containers of all sizes, lots of baskets of all shapes and sizes, and great deals on picture frames. But yes, the last time I went, it seemed like all the good stuff was gone and now it’s lots of cheap stuff. Years ago, I would drive once a year to the Garden Ridge store nearly an hour and a half away and it was worth it. Now it’s five minutes from my house and I never go. Having said that, I think you should definitely make a trip to see what they have and then you can decide if it’s worth your time and money.</p>
<p>The closest Garden Ridge to me is in a mall that has really gone down the tubes. There are hardly any stores in it anymore and the center doesn’t look well tended.</p>
<p>“A step up from Big Lots” is a great description. Just like at Big Lots, you aren’t sure exactly what you might find there, and sometimes you score big with a quality item at a super low price. I have one near me and haven’t been in years. I am most likely to go right after Christmas and get their decorative gift bags and boxes at 75% off.</p>
<p>Lots and lots of stuff…like pictures, mirrors, rugs, kitchen stuff, bedding, artificial plants, patio furniture, suitcases, cheap furniture, ornamental statues and stuff, as seen on tv knock-offs, books, scrubs, clothes, and endless holiday stuff put out 6 months before the actual holiday…etc. I too am surprised they are opening a new store. I figured they would be the next retailer to go under. Typically there is never anybody that shops there. As others have said, they use to be better years ago. </p>
<p>I’ve never made it up to Gabes Toledo. Can’t say that I’ve heard too many people talk about it. </p>
<p>When my kids were young it was my “moms time out” to go and just browse the aisles of Value City for an hour or two of quite bliss. Used to get some quality clothing, shoe and household items - was fun looking for the diamond in the rough!! Maybe I don’t have quite as much patience for that now!!</p>
<p>Abasket, I would describe Garden Ridge as a good place for some “Moms’ Time Out”…when you want to kill some time browsing without the crowds. </p>
<p>Garden Ridge is a good place for stuff for a dorm, or college apartment. The quality is not the best, but they have some nice looking stuff for a limited budget. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t go out of my way for Garden Ridge, however, if you happen to be in the area, it might be worth the trip…especially if you are shopping for the holidays, a college student, or looking for some decorative item.</p>
<p>^^^^When we arrived to move our daughter into her new apartment, we were disgusted by the stained gray carpet, which had been shampooed to no avail. It made the apartment look so dismal. We found a really pretty rug at Garden ridge that was so large, it covered up most of the nasty gray stuff and gave an entirely new look to the room. For it’s size, it was a bargain, and still looked pretty good when I visited her last week. Garden ridge is really good for finding things to cheer up the home at low prices. I just don’t like the mall where our local one is, but the one in D2’s college town is its own single location and looks fine. It also seemed to have better stuff.</p>