Rethinking Thrift

Thrifty Deals this Way

Thrift stores.

What’s the first thing those two words conjure up in your mind?

Dirty, used, old stuff?  Broken, unwanted, damaged goods?  Late 1970s fashion?  Weird quirky furniture?  Even weirder patrons?

Perhaps one or more of those concepts have occurred to you when considering shopping at a thrift store.  Fair enough; many thrift stores do tend to provide many, if not all, of the abovementioned wares.  Off in one corner, there may indeed be a dusty stack of LPs that haven’t been played in more than two decades.   You might have to search for a shoe’s missing mate. 

In fact, you may need to bring with you more than your wallet when you enter a thrift store for the first time.  You’ll need three things: Time, patience, and imagination.

Armed with these simple tools, you too, Mr. or Ms. Upscale Retail Shopper, may actually find yourself rethinking your preconceived notions of all things secondhand.

If you are brave enough to voluntarily enter one of these value-added venues, you may find yourself a convert. For within those walls lies a treasure trove just waiting to be uncovered.

Looking for a vintage outfit for a period party?  Check out some of the fabulous dresses and suits lining the racks.  While they may not be the most recent of high fashion, the tradeoff will often be in the superior workmanship not seen in today’s mass marketers.  Feel the quality of the wool, the silk, the lace of any one of the thousands of articles of clothing you’ll most likely encounter here.  What may have originally retailed for hundreds of dollars, now can be brought home usually for less than five bucks. 

Like fancy shoes?  What about Blahniks?  A pair was recently snapped up at a Goodwill in Chicago for less than $10.00.  Cowboy boots more your style?  You’d be surprised how many country styled shoes gather on the shelves at your local thrift shop.

Need a decent-quality grill pan but can’t afford Williams-Sonoma?  Sometimes if you really take the time to look, you may find a great pan for literally pennies on the dollar.

In the market for a vintage lamp?  Not only will you find a plethora of different light fixtures available, but there’s always a testing station nearby so you can plug in with confidence before you bring your light home.

Need something of whimsy?  How about an amusing figurine from the 1970s, inviting your guests to “keep on truckin’?”  If that’s too crass for your tastes, it’s highly likely you’ll find some other gem hidden in the dusty depths. 

Take your pick!

Like fancy bags?  Sometimes you may find a real designer purse amidst the knockoffs and it’s this particular line of thrift store treasures that often yields the greatest turnaround investment on online auction sites.  From Kate Spade to Coach to Louis Vuitton, if you’ve got a careful eye, you may be surprised how many authentic bags lurk on the racks.

Know a bookworm?  Before you click on Amazon.com, you might want to check out your local thrift store.  Many stores like Goodwill sell hard cover books for under $2.00 and the paperbacks for usually less than a buck.  And before you think all you’ll find is a book on how to survive Y2K, guess again. Many times (again if you’re willing to really dig) you will find brand-new editions.

See, thrifting isn’t what you think.  No longer remanded to the back recesses of shopping society, more and more folks these days are rethinking preconceived notions of second-hand and discovering thousands of bargains at their local thrift stores.

Next time you’re up for adventure and you’re budget strapped, try a thrift store.  You might be surprised what treasures you find.

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Tagged as: bargain, economy, Goodwill, shopping, thrift, thrift store