The cheapest fabric, yarn and paper in Utah Valley is usually already in someone's basement. Makers here find it in five places: one thrift store built for crafters, the big general thrift stores, estate sales, the swaps and sales that guilds and libraries run, and a couple of nonprofit creative reuse shops in Salt Lake County. This page is about supplies. For secondhand clothing and vintage, our thrift and vintage guide is the page you want.
Hours are as listed by each business or on Google in October 2026.
Which place for which job
| Source | Best for | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Making Space Thrift | Fabric, yarn, notions, small craft supplies | Quantities are whatever was donated |
| DI, Savers, Goodwill | Frames, baskets, jars, the odd sewing box | You dig through everything else first |
| Estate sales | A whole craft room at once | Timing, crowds, and you must show up |
| Guild sales and swaps | Quilting fabric, patterns, books | A few dates a year |
| Creative reuse shops | Art and school supplies, fabric by weight | In Salt Lake County, not Utah County |
Making Space Thrift, Provo
475 North Freedom Boulevard. The one secondhand store in the valley organized around makers. Its site calls it "a dream come true for cosplayers, new and experienced sewists, fiber artists, and lovers of all things vintage," stocked from donations by people letting go of supplies they no longer use. It opened at this Provo address after a move. Hours: Monday to Wednesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., closed Sunday; phone (801) 704-9745.
Its Google reviewers describe it as mostly fiber-arts supplies (fabric and yarn) with a smaller general craft section in the back, and they mention beads, ribbon, jewelry findings, storage boxes and felt, plus a free art supplies room and a trinket-trading box that children like. As with any thrift, the stock changes daily. Buy all the yarn or fabric a project needs in one trip, because there may not be more of that dye lot next week.
It is also the obvious place to donate. If you are clearing a craft room, the store's own pitch is that your supplies "will be found by members of our very own community who share your passion for creativity."
The big thrift stores
Deseret Industries. DI, the Church-run thrift and job-training operation (our guide to the Church welfare system explains how it fits together), says its 46 stores receive more than 2 million loads of donations a year and that it accepts most items, with a published list of exceptions such as mattresses and some appliances. Craft supplies arrive mixed in with housewares and books. Google lists Utah County DI stores at:
- Provo: 1415 North State Street, with a separate donation center at 702 West Columbia Lane
- American Fork: 435 South 500 East
- Saratoga Springs: 104 West Medical Drive
- Springville: 645 South 1750 West
All four list Monday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and closed Sunday.
Savers, Orem. 81 North State Street. Open Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to Google.
Goodwill, Orem. 21 West Center Street, open Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Our thrift guide reports that it opened in May 2026 as Goodwill's first Utah County store.
What makers hunt for at the big stores. Picture frames to paint or take apart for shadow boxes; glass jars and tins for candles and storage; baskets; wooden pieces for signs; bedsheets and curtains as quilt backing or muslin; sweaters to unravel or felt; old sewing patterns; and the occasional sewing box someone's grandmother filled with buttons and thread. None of it is guaranteed on any given day. The rhythm of donations matters: our thrift guide explains how the student move-out weeks of late April and May flood the stores.
Estate sales: a whole craft room at once
When a longtime quilter, painter or woodworker downsizes, the estate sale is where their supplies go, often priced to clear. It is where you can find a lot of one craft at once, and it takes more effort than any other source here.
Finding them. EstateSales.net keeps a Provo and Orem page that lists currently scheduled sales and offers free email alerts; when we checked in October 2026 it listed two upcoming sales in the area, and it noted 1,295 email subscribers for the Provo and Orem area. Sale listings usually include photos, so you can scan for a sewing room, yarn bins or a workshop before you drive.
Who runs them. Several estate sale companies have Utah County listings on Google, including Pinstripe Estate Services (Spanish Fork), Bates Estate Sales (Provo) and Pine and Porch Estates (Highland). We list them so you know whose announcements to follow, not as a ranking. Reviewers of one mention paying by cash or Venmo, so do not assume cards.
Before you go. Read the listing for hours, payment methods and any discount on the final day, bring bags or bins, and measure your car if you are after a cabinet or a table.
Swaps, guild sales and the free table
The library swap. The Provo City Library held a Craft Supply Swap on Saturday, August 9, 2025, from noon to 1:30 p.m. Its rules: bring excess supplies in good condition (yarn, fabric, embroidery thread, crochet hooks, knitting needles and similar), take home what you can use, treat what you bring as a donation with no promise of equal value, and leave high-value items at home. Watch the library's event calendar for another, and see our Provo City Library guide for the rest of what it offers.
The quilt guild. The Utah Valley Quilt Guild's July Fair (July 15 in 2026, at The Red Barn in Wallsburg) includes a garage sale of fabric and quilting supplies, and the guild holds a library book sale in November. Its fall retreat keeps "for sale" and "free" tables where members pass along what they will not use. The guild also posts a "Declutter and Donations" list of sewing items it can use for service projects. Our page on Utah Valley quilting guilds has the guild's calendar.
Run your own. A neighborhood or ward supply swap needs a room, a few tables sorted by category and a plan for the leftovers. Our ward craft night ideas page walks through one.
Creative reuse shops in Salt Lake County
A creative reuse center is a nonprofit that takes donated art and craft materials, sorts them and resells them cheaply so they stay out of the landfill. We did not find one operating in Utah County.
Secondhand Salamander, Taylorsville. At 2238 West 5400 South, a nonprofit that describes its mission as empowering "creativity through accessible art-making opportunities." It runs ticketed workshops (knitting, embroidery, sewing, crochet, card making, puppet making) and takes donated supplies. Its Google reviewers describe rooms of scrapbooking materials, yarn, embroidery floss and fabric, with fabric priced by the pound and a pay-what-you-can sliding scale. Google lists it as open Wednesday to Friday 1 to 8 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Clever Octopus, Salt Lake City. A creative reuse center that lists an address at 2250 South West Temple and posted hours on its website, but much of the site's content is several years old and we could not confirm current operations another way. Call (801) 441-0866 before you drive.
A thrifting route for one Saturday
- Making Space Thrift when it opens at 10, for fabric and yarn.
- The Provo DI on North State Street, for frames, jars and baskets.
- One estate sale from that week's listings, if it shows a craft room in the photos.
- Savers or Goodwill in Orem, if you still have room in the car.
Everything except the Orem pair closes on Sunday. For new supplies to fill the gaps, our craft stores guide lists every store still open since JOANN closed, and our yarn shop guide covers the shops where someone can help you match a secondhand skein.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a thrift store just for craft supplies in Provo?
Does Deseret Industries sell craft supplies?
Which thrift stores near Provo are open on Sunday?
How do I find estate sales in Utah County?
Is there a craft supply swap in Utah Valley?
Where can I buy secondhand quilting fabric?
What is a creative reuse center?
Where should I donate a craft stash I will never use?
Sources
The facts in this guide were checked against these sources. Hours, fees and rules change, so confirm anything time-sensitive with the source before you go. How we make Provo.com.
- Craft Supply Swap (August 9, 2025), Provo City Library. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Donate to Deseret Industries, Deseret Industries. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Making Space Thrift home, Making Space Thrift. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Utah Valley Quilt Guild home, Utah Valley Quilt Guild. Checked October 19, 2026.
- July Quilt Fair, Utah Valley Quilt Guild. Checked October 19, 2026.
- UVQG Fall Retreat, Utah Valley Quilt Guild. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Secondhand Salamander (organization page), Zeffy. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Clever Octopus Creative Reuse, Clever Octopus. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Google Places listing: Making Space Thrift, Google Places. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Estate Sales in Provo / Orem, UT, EstateSales.net. Checked October 19, 2026.
