It will be a wild ride. Climb aboard. Contemporary thrifting is an adventure you won’t soon forget. And with me at the wheel, we’ll hit the highs and the lows, and find nooks and crannies holding unique treasures.
I’m going to present a six-part series, “Contemporary Thrifting with Amy.” Each article will cover one area thrift shop and one midcentury item from that store.
I have been buying, selling and writing about used treasures for a long time. Twenty-five years ago, antiques were the rage, but today there are fewer antique shops since there’s less demand for grandmother’s houseware hand-me-downs. There are also fewer avid collectors and hoarders due to downsizing, market demand and smaller living spaces.
This isn’t your grandma’s knitting basket anymore. I have no idea why I said that, except to make a point about the changing trend of old stuff.
These days, seems everyone is selling their “stuff,” but the words “used,” “old” or “junk” are out. Online venues thrive as people learn how easy it is to pull a pair of shoes from the closet, snap a pic and post it for sale. Or if not from your closet, buy it “used” somewhere and flip it. This has always been a business method, but is very trendy today with the younger consumer and seller.
Quirky, creepy, even tilted modern, that one kitchen item that captures one’s attention, one’s imagination — that odd-looking, outlandish midcentury wok that lights up a room with its space-age look. And then, where did you get it? Where do you donate it? How does your thrift purchase benefit the community? I’d like to talk about that, the things we don’t think about, like covering the thrift shop in Belfair that benefits the local Guatemalan church or Abraham’s House in Bremerton that provides free items every Saturday for those in need.
And I’m told there is a one-item buying trend where new homemakers are looking for that “one” huge mixing bowl or quirky bun warmer just because.
Yep, climb aboard for the wild ride of thrifting.
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