Downtown Canandaigua’s South Main Street is home to a thrift store that does considerably more than sell secondhand goods. Finger Lakes Treasure Trove, a registered 501c3 nonprofit, runs four distinct rooms of gently worn clothing, children’s apparel, housewares, books for adults and kids, jewelry, toys, games, and mixed media including DVDs, CDs, and vinyl records, alongside a smaller space the organization calls its Tranquility Corner, stocked with incense and bath bombs for shoppers looking for something a little different than the usual thrift store fare. Inventory turns over daily, so the racks and shelves rarely look the same from one visit to the next.
What separates this shop from a typical resale storefront is where the proceeds go. Every dollar spent in the store helps fund a free community food pantry on site, stocked with canned goods, dried foods, packaged meals, snacks, drinks, personal care products, diapers, and baby food, available to anyone in the Canandaigua area who needs it, no purchase or donation required to access it. The organization also gives away free clothing to people facing hardship and has specifically provided free outfits to individuals recently released from incarceration, helping bridge a gap that many reentry programs struggle to cover. Staff and volunteers also work to connect visitors with other local resources beyond what the pantry and clothing racks can provide directly.
Finger Lakes Treasure Trove has operated in Ontario County since 2016, building a reputation as a genuine community hub rather than simply a place to find a bargain. That reputation was formally recognized in 2023, when the organization received a Community Choice Winner Award, a nod to how deeply the store has embedded itself in the daily lives of Canandaigua residents. Regular donors keep both the retail floor and the pantry shelves stocked, creating a cycle where secondhand shopping directly funds emergency food and clothing assistance for neighbors who need it most.
The store is located at 222 South Main Street in Canandaigua, New York, in the heart of the Finger Lakes region, and keeps a schedule of Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed Sunday and Monday. Shoppers can reach the store by phone at 585-905-3689 with questions about donations, pantry hours, or current inventory across its four rooms. Because the space functions as both a retail shop and a direct service organization, first time visitors are often surprised to find a working food pantry tucked behind racks of clothing and shelves of books.
For anyone in the Canandaigua area looking to stretch a budget, donate gently used goods, or find a hand up during a hard stretch, Finger Lakes Treasure Trove offers an unusually complete answer, combining affordable secondhand shopping across clothing, housewares, books, toys, and media with a genuinely free food pantry and clothing assistance program under one downtown roof. In short, Finger Lakes Treasure Trove is a nonprofit thrift store and food pantry in downtown Canandaigua where every purchase helps stock free groceries and clothing for neighbors in need.
