Part 33: Other people's junk
I have enjoyed a good thrift store for as long as I can remember. I think it started when I needed to find cheap jeans to wear to girl's camp. Enter Savers. Nothing gets you mentally ready for a dusty, dirty, girl's camp experience like trying on dusty clothes in the Savers dirty changing rooms. The extra bonus is, if you don't wash the clothes before heading off to camp, you can be ahead of the rest of the girls by already smelling bad when you arrive. I found this a useful strategy for getting my own corner of the cabin.
The last few years, I will stop by a DI or Savers whenever I see one and walk straight to the section with drinking glasses. I have been collecting vintage painted glasses for a while and even though my collection is up to around 35-40 glasses, I just can't stop. I mean, what if one of them breaks? Or - what if the perfect painted tumbler is waiting for me at Savers right now and I miss it?!
I started feeling silly just looking for one thing every time I went into a thrift store, so I decided to also collect kitchen chairs. But, it turns out I'm really picky about chairs. I have only found 3 chairs to add to my collection so far.
Lately, I have also added paintings to my list of items I browse at the thrift store. As a graduate in Oil Painting, I have become lazy and decided to just start using other people's landscape paintings to paint on top of. So much less work! Total thrift store paintings found so far: 1.
Last Saturday morning, my family brought to my attention that I'm forgetting about garage sales! I suddenly became paranoid about all the good things that were probably sitting out on someone's sidewalk waiting for me right then! I quickly looked up garage sales on KSL and hopped in the car. After visiting 4 garage sales that only had old clothes layed out on blankets, I returned home a much more jaded and pessimistic garage-saler. Why have a garage sale if all you plan to sell are clothes and VHS tapes? Donate, people! Part of me is tempted to just give up now and go back to a strict thrift store diet. But, if there are any seasoned garage-salers out there, give me your tips. What am I doing wrong?
If you're out garage-sale/thrift store site seeing and find one of these 3 items, let me know! Help keep Melissa alive.
4 comments:
Man, I love the glasses. I need to copy you, because my glasses stink and lack coolness.
I've never noticed much of a stench on your glasses, but if you've got one, you should definitely replace them! Also, I have no idea what to tell you about the garage sales, other than that I agree about the old clothes and vhs tapes.
How did I not already know about your collection of vintage glasses?! Have I ever sipped from one and not noticed? I pretty much avoid thrift stores and garage sales like the plague. I can't stand the disorganization or the stench. :)
Melissa.
Utah garage sales are terrible. Don't even bother.
People in Utah use stuff up and wear it out. If you want true treasures, you need to embark on a thrift store/garage sale road trip.
I've had good success in Illinois, California, Washington, and even Idaho. Northern Idaho. I'm wearing some jeans I got from a thrift store in Coeur d'Alene, ID as we speak.
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