Very trendy these days to buy used items online, but don’t call that “thrifting.”
Thrifting is the actual walking into a thrift shop or rummage sale, looking for a small cooking pot, but then jumping up and down discovering three midcentury canisters like the ones grandmother had. It is the unexpected. Maybe you’re looking for garden tools and school supplies, and in a trillion years never expected to find an original, unframed Picasso sketch.
I have heard many thrifting stories over the years and thought I would share a few. I’m not naming names, for some stories are embarrassing to the teller. Like the family emerald-and-gold ring that ended up in the rummage sale odds-and-ends scrap jewelry pile and sold for pennies or the 9 mm gun accidentally lost in one of the donation bags.
Many random thrifting stories were shared while perusing the store isles packed with bright, puffy-sleeve blouses and floor-to-ceiling shelves with drinking glasses and heavy mixing bowls. One gal told me she found a $20 jacket for her husband. Later, while researching, she discovered it was a $600 brand-name gem. Another thrifting attendee heard us talking and shared that she bought a small $30 painting, realizing later it was by a famous artist, worth over a grand.
I’ve had a lot of finds over the years, favorite being a perfect Broyhill Sculptra midcentury set of six chairs, a table and a tall two-piece display cabinet for 300 bucks.
When my many nieces and nephews were little, I’d always have toys and nicknacks on hand. They are all grown adults, but recently, I found a junk bag of their toys, including this tiny elephant. I was surprised to see a silver-and-red label on the bottom that read, “Mt. St. Helen’s Sculptures crafted by hand with genuine volcanic ash. Evergreen Trading Co. Seattle WA.” This item was something I would not look for or even want but was delightfully surprised this 44-year-old treasure still had a label on to identify it.
Final note. Harder these days to find unexpected treasures. Many thrift stores like Goodwill and St. Vincent research the value of donations and will put valuable items for sale online.
Comments