I know what you’re thinking. You want to know how I stumbled upon such greatness. (You’re also probably wondering why there isn’t a bulge in his striped britches. My theory? He tucked his greasy dingaling).
For some people thrift stores are dirty, smelly havens full of old, useless junk that may or may not be carrying a myriad of diseases. For me, they are dirty, smelly havens full of old awesome shit that can be redeemed with a little hot water and maybe a round or two of antibiotics.
The thrill of the hunt really melts my butter. I practically squealed when I spotted this official Chippendales mug. I am a huge fan of anything that makes me laugh. I like to surround myself with objects that make me go, “WTF?” or “HELL YES” on a daily basis. It’s good for ya.
If you’ve never shopped at a thrift store or you hate them because all that stuff is just TOO overwhelming, here are some helpful tips:
- Scan the racks & shelves. You don’t have to look at every single shirt or every single glass. Look for colors or patterns that stand out to you.
- Buy things that make you happy. Wear clothes that make you happy. I tend to rebel against matchy-matchy anything. My home & my closet is a comfortable mish-mash of things that I love. They all go together in my head but it certainly isn’t a look you’d find in Ethan Allen or Eddie Bauer. Playing it safe bores me.
- If you find something that looks valuable or cool and you have a smart phone, you can look it up while you’re there.
- Don’t bring your toddler. They have no patience. And toddlers are jerks and only want to run around like monkeys and break stuff.
- Don’t pick up very worn, red patent leather stilettos with gold buckles. You’ll dry heave at the thought of where they might have been.
- Don’t lick anything.
a milkglass bowl $3
a colorful assortment of dinnerware including a hand embroidered hand towel and a coral colored melamine cup. I got all of this for around $4.
A PopTart case because DUH. AWESOME. 50 cents.
What’s not to love about a sepia Dolly? 50 cents.
Wing tipped flats! It was love at 1st sight with these old mothers. The bold black and white caught my eye. The heels are falling off but who cares? I have a glue gun that will fix that. $3.
And maybe if you pray that God will bless you with old, awesome shit- you’ll come across something so old and awesome it’ll make you shart with happiness.
About Robin Plemmons
Best score ever was a bass guitar (G&L SB1 in case you care) for $90, at the time it was a $600 bass, and I was looking to upgrade.
I used to be a thrifting madwoman, then quit for many years. Now that both kids are in school full-time you bet I’m hitting them again. Recently picked up 6 long-sleeved shirts for my girl for $18. Yeah baby.
Twitter Name: monstergirlee
Shut up. My husband is a bass player. He would freak! I love the hunt so much that I could easily become all hoarder-y.
Twitter Name: robinplemmons
Nice post Robin. I’m not gonna lie here – I keep a list. I figure out some items I want, that I’m likely to always want, and I learn their value – that’s what goes on my list. Then I can confidently buy when I see it come up for cheap. At a rummage in Chicago two weeks ago I scored a nice little film camera that Terry Richardson – fashion model photographer – made famous. $5. I’d have missed it if I didn’t do some research ahead of time so that I knew what I was looking at.
Clark! I keep a list, too. I admire that in a guy. Happy for your camera score! Great to see you Tuesday night. You guys are awesome.
Twitter Name: robinplemmons
Girlfriend, I am a thrift junkie. We have TONS OF THEM here. It rocks sosososo much. It’s a sickness.
Fave item? John Deere soup bowls. Love.
Twitter Name: thedgoddess
Marj! I have a John Deere soup bowl! Well, it’s an oversized mug but still. I should send it to you. For real.
Twitter Name: robinplemmons
DUDE! NO WAAAAY!
Twitter Name: thedgoddess
Did I tell you about that week I spent touring thrift shops in Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana? If was totally fun and totally exhausting. She’s writing a book about thrift shops (http://www.allthriftystates.com). I’m not writing a book about anything, but you can read my blog stuff about the trip starting here.
Twitter Name: nicholee
I bought this great metal wall sculpture of a girl on a swing that I wanted for my patio wall. ($35) But the artist’s name on the side kind of bothered me because it was in such an obvious, visible place. So I was just going to have it cut off. On a whim, I decided to look him up online. Ha! He has the same sculpture, but half the size of mine, on sale on his website for $400. I decided to leave his name on there…
http://whatifoundatworktoday.tumblr.com/page/5 For more funny finds at thrift stores, check out this site. Great post. Funny. Like.
OMG, we should totally go thrifting sometime! I totally heart your mug collection. My best thrift find is a super cult-y cookbook called “Ten Talents” that not only contains super weird recipes and gross looking pictures, but it also teaches how to chew food, what times to eat, etc. based on some off-the-wall religious shit. Only 50 cents!
I looooooooove thrifting!! A hobby of mine. Cannot think of my greatest score, so many!
My very, very favorite shirt I paid $5 for at a thrift shop…and that was with a $3 tip!
Every single time I wear it, I get compliments galore. Every. Single. Time.
Of course, I go with the old, “Oh, this thing? It must be ages old!”
I mean, I’m not really lying. It probably is.
Twitter Name: ASassyRedhead
You’re a girl after my own heart, Robin. I looooove thrifting and get a tiny little adrenalin rush when I spot a treasure that’s been overlooked by everyone else. When I recently came across a pair of super tacky gold and turquoise 1960′s Vegas souvenir glasses in mint condition for $3 I almost peed myself with joy.
Twitter Name: Izzymom
I scored a pair of Catherine Holm bowls last year. Two of ‘em. In mint condition. A buck a piece. Now, I didn’t know Catherine Holm from Sherlock Holmes, but I had a feeling and when I got home, I looked her up.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=catherine+holm
The best part: these were from a Goodwill in New York City. This particular manager thinks her Chelsea clientele are a bunch of privileged hipsters who just shop there for street cred. She may not be entirely wrong. Anyway, she’s made a career out of overpricing used shit. If she sees a recognizable designer label, she puts the price at about 10% less than full retail. Clearly, she hates humanity.
But these got past her. And into my kitchen. I like to look at them and think of her and say SUCK IT out loud to no one in particular.
Once I found the most amazing thrift store item. It was a taxidermied weasel on its hind legs, wearing a long calico-print dress and an old-timey bonnet on its head. The price was three dollars. I regret not buying it every single day of my life.
Twitter Name: about100percent