CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) – Step into Greenback Treasures, a retail thrift and gift boutique at 7680 Greenback Lane, and you’ll be certain to find something special around just about every corner.

“We have individually themed rooms, with many unique, hand-picked estate finds,” said its owner, Joe Perez. “Each is its own experience.”

Sustaining a small business model like Greenback Treasures in a very competitive retail thrift market hasn’t been easy, Perez said.

The number of larger sized thrift stores in the city of Citrus Heights continues to grow steadily, with a new retail store, Pacific Thrift on the corner of Greenback Lane and San Juan Avenue now advertised as “coming soon.”

Featured display spaces include home decor, audio, vintage musical instruments, jewelry, shoes, Pop-culture memorabilia and lighting. Three rooms have been set aside for children’s toys and clothing, a men’s “man cave” and women’s clothing.

In all, Perez said he counts 10 similar stores which are now doing business in Citrus Heights.

“At Greenback Treasures we have seen the shift,” he said. “While the big-box giants use your donations and revenue to cover their massive monthly rents and overhead, we’ve kept our focus where it belongs: on the quality items at a lower price, and the customers we serve,” he said.

Greenback Treasures, on the corner of Patterson Lane and Greenback Lane, across from the Renaissance Apartments, opened in early December 2023 in a space that locals may remember as Swanson’s Cleaners and most recently was home to The Building Pros, a construction firm which he owned.

Perez decided to start a different business venture, and with his wife, remodeled the interior, repainted its office spaces and filled the 2,500-foot commercial building with fresh inventory.

Featured display spaces include home decor, audio, vintage musical instruments, jewelry, shoes, pop culture memorabilia and lighting. Three rooms have been set aside for children’s toys and clothing, a men’s “man cave” and women’s clothing.

Greenback Treasures, on the corner of Patterson Lane and Greenback Lane, across from the Renaissance Apartments, opened in early December 2023 in a space that locals may remember as Swanson’s Cleaners and most recently was home to The Building Pros, a construction firm which he owned.

A used and antique furniture section was recently expanded in the rear of the store. A seasonal holiday room is regularly featured.

“We have a sales staff that knows what its repeat customers tend to be looking for that keeps our prices fair,” said owner Joe Perez.

Inventory changes frequently as Perez works a network of sources to add new merchandise regularly. The store also accepts donations, he said.

“Greenback Treasures is proud of our Google ratings and our status as the authentic, No. 1-rated local boutique thrift shop that Citrus Heights helped us build,” Perez said.

Perez said he’s working with his landlord to refresh the parking lot and to improve exterior signage around the store. Customers enter the store through a gazebo entrance and clothing racks and merchandise are displayed outside the store.

Joe Perez, owner of Greenback Treasures, stands outside his store at 7680 Greenback Lane in Citrus Heights.

“As new, corporate ‘big box’ thrift warehouses move into Citrus Heights, many are also trying to ‘curate’ their massive spaces to mimic the boutique shops within Greenback Treasures which we’ve built,” Perez said. “But as any treasure hunter knows, a 25,000-square-foot warehouse just can’t be a boutique, no matter how many glass cases they might add,” he said.

Perez said he’s especially grateful to our regular customers for their ongoing support and for the new relationships he’s built with those who have shopped Greenback Treasures for the very first time.

“Their reaction when they walk into the front lobby of our store and then realize there’s so much more inside wherever they look is always surprising to me,” Perez said. “That feeling leaves me optimistic that Greenback Treasures will continue to be successful,” Perez said.

Greenback Treasures is located at 7680 Greenback Lane in Citrus Heights. Call 916-595-7471 for more information or email [email protected].

Greenback Treasures is open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The business is closed on Mondays.