Seeking a respite from an increasingly blue mood (brought on by ridiculous work situations and personal introspection), I spent my lunch hour on Thursday attempting a little retail therapy. After a quick drive-thru lunch, I found that the Disabled American Veterans' (DAV) thrift store had closed. This happens occasionally, but at the same time, stores sometimes reappear in a place they previously occupied.
This is the case of the Salvation Army store that is located in the shopping center catty-cornered from the now defunct DAV. I used to shop this particular SalvArm when I lived close to this neighborhood. Somehow, it is always a source of great things and I've found numerous dishes, pieces of furniture and clothing in this thrifting epicenter. It's also close to my friend Molly's house and she loves it as well. I think the last thing she found was a set of glasses and a pitcher. The ones with the frosted colors on them? Hers are green which are super cute in her kitchen. (Molly--if you're reading this I still need my fish plate back.)
Anyway, so it was a familiar haunt and it felt good to be back. I bypassed clothes because I'm not sure there are any cool, affordable vintage clothes to be found in Wichita, KS or anywhere for that matter. (See www.apartmenttherapy.com, a site about NY apartments. They have the same lament. And it's just a great site) Plus, once every major retailer in the nation has co-opted it, the 'vintage' look it's pretty dead, right? So I bypassed clothes and headed for dishes, because I need more dishes. Always. They will probably find me dead under a gigantic collapsed pile of platters that has crashed down upon me from my over-stuffed cabinets.
Of course I have a particular route to move through various stores, and this one is no exception. The first aisle is stocked with cookware and kitchen electronics, but sitting there, lonely and looking for a good home was a lovely serving bowl in the Caribe Casual pattern by Carlos Montez, San Juan. (image #1) Some of you may remember this particular pattern from Manic Thrift Store Shopper Issue #1 which illustrated two matching platters that once belonged to Marie King. (image #2) Very excited, I snatched up the bowl even though it was overpriced for a thrift store find. And that brings us to thrifting tip #1:
Tip #1: Look all over the place. Things in thrift stores magically teleport from one department to the next. You may not need something from electronics or furniture, but you have to remember that this isn't Needless Markup, there aren't people there keeping everything all neat and tidy. Well there are, but they're not doing it.
I kept perusing the dishes and found a set of little glass bowls that are perfect for sherbet or chocolate mousse, and at $.79 a piece, they were hard to resist. (image #3) I wish there had been more. Service for 4 doesn't get you very far at a dinner party, but you also have to remember that you may find more in the future. (fantasy image #4)
Tip #2: If you see something you like, buy it. More will find you. Case in point, I was thrift shopping with the aforementioned Molly a couple of months ago when I found a lovely blue, tear-shaped water glass that matched a set of juice glasses that I already owned. But one glass? The color and shape were irresistible, so I went for it. At the next store I found a second one. At the third store I found three more. And the fourth store I found yet another one. So by the end of the day, I had an entire set. The thrifting gods had smiled upon me. If you like it, just buy it. Its what, $.35?
Serving bowl and little bowls in hand, I continued to look up and down the aisles. There were a lot of dishes I knew they'd had for a while and I hadn't been to this store in ages. A whole lot of nothing. But then, as I headed back up the aisle the opposite direction, I noticed something that had escaped my attention on the way down: two brown Hall bowls that match two green Hall bowls that I already owned, allegedly designed by the great, the magnificent Ms. Eva Zeisel. AND they had a yellow sticker on them, making them 50% off. (images #5 & 6)
Tip #3: Even though its good to have a pattern and a way of doing things, sometimes you have to step out of that routine to find a fantastic hidden bargain. Look once, but look again from another direction. You never know what you'll find.
So it turned out to be a shopping trip about bowls, something very close to my heart. Can you have too many bowls? I think not. Plus they stack more easily than platters and are less likely to collapse and kill you. Mood elevated, retail therapy accomplished.
BLW
This is the case of the Salvation Army store that is located in the shopping center catty-cornered from the now defunct DAV. I used to shop this particular SalvArm when I lived close to this neighborhood. Somehow, it is always a source of great things and I've found numerous dishes, pieces of furniture and clothing in this thrifting epicenter. It's also close to my friend Molly's house and she loves it as well. I think the last thing she found was a set of glasses and a pitcher. The ones with the frosted colors on them? Hers are green which are super cute in her kitchen. (Molly--if you're reading this I still need my fish plate back.)
Anyway, so it was a familiar haunt and it felt good to be back. I bypassed clothes because I'm not sure there are any cool, affordable vintage clothes to be found in Wichita, KS or anywhere for that matter. (See www.apartmenttherapy.com, a site about NY apartments. They have the same lament. And it's just a great site) Plus, once every major retailer in the nation has co-opted it, the 'vintage' look it's pretty dead, right? So I bypassed clothes and headed for dishes, because I need more dishes. Always. They will probably find me dead under a gigantic collapsed pile of platters that has crashed down upon me from my over-stuffed cabinets.
Of course I have a particular route to move through various stores, and this one is no exception. The first aisle is stocked with cookware and kitchen electronics, but sitting there, lonely and looking for a good home was a lovely serving bowl in the Caribe Casual pattern by Carlos Montez, San Juan. (image #1) Some of you may remember this particular pattern from Manic Thrift Store Shopper Issue #1 which illustrated two matching platters that once belonged to Marie King. (image #2) Very excited, I snatched up the bowl even though it was overpriced for a thrift store find. And that brings us to thrifting tip #1:
Tip #1: Look all over the place. Things in thrift stores magically teleport from one department to the next. You may not need something from electronics or furniture, but you have to remember that this isn't Needless Markup, there aren't people there keeping everything all neat and tidy. Well there are, but they're not doing it.
I kept perusing the dishes and found a set of little glass bowls that are perfect for sherbet or chocolate mousse, and at $.79 a piece, they were hard to resist. (image #3) I wish there had been more. Service for 4 doesn't get you very far at a dinner party, but you also have to remember that you may find more in the future. (fantasy image #4)
Tip #2: If you see something you like, buy it. More will find you. Case in point, I was thrift shopping with the aforementioned Molly a couple of months ago when I found a lovely blue, tear-shaped water glass that matched a set of juice glasses that I already owned. But one glass? The color and shape were irresistible, so I went for it. At the next store I found a second one. At the third store I found three more. And the fourth store I found yet another one. So by the end of the day, I had an entire set. The thrifting gods had smiled upon me. If you like it, just buy it. Its what, $.35?
Serving bowl and little bowls in hand, I continued to look up and down the aisles. There were a lot of dishes I knew they'd had for a while and I hadn't been to this store in ages. A whole lot of nothing. But then, as I headed back up the aisle the opposite direction, I noticed something that had escaped my attention on the way down: two brown Hall bowls that match two green Hall bowls that I already owned, allegedly designed by the great, the magnificent Ms. Eva Zeisel. AND they had a yellow sticker on them, making them 50% off. (images #5 & 6)
Tip #3: Even though its good to have a pattern and a way of doing things, sometimes you have to step out of that routine to find a fantastic hidden bargain. Look once, but look again from another direction. You never know what you'll find.
So it turned out to be a shopping trip about bowls, something very close to my heart. Can you have too many bowls? I think not. Plus they stack more easily than platters and are less likely to collapse and kill you. Mood elevated, retail therapy accomplished.
BLW