The Weekend I Went to Eight Thrift Stores

Friday I announced that I was a) leaving the house and b) I would do NOTHING housewife-ish on my day out - no groceries, no bill paying, nothing grown up or sensible.  I was going thrifitng - I would hit as many thrifts as I could  - hit them hard and hit them fast.  And I did.  In the end, I only hit five (and one was actually closed, so really that's only four) BUT the last one I went to I cleaned UP and cleared the place OUT.  Okay not really, but I was there like an hour and a half and I bought a LOT.  

Put on your seat belt - here we goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.......

First Stop: Potter's House:

I go here once a week, so I can usually spot new things pretty fast.  They have a color coded system so things revolve in price and out of circulation after five weeks.  

The cup and the dog were full price, the bridge tally was the final color of the rotation, so it was 25¢.  The cup is on ebay and the other two items will go to the booth.

Second Stop: Council for the Blind Thrift Store

This store has been in five locations that I can remember, but I hadn't been to this one before.  It was pretty big and prices were okay with the exception of the glass "collectibles" case being kind of pricey.

I found these three things.  The little duck was in the collectible case, but it was half price at $2.25, the vintage Beistle honeycomb was $1.75 and the Annalee mouse (Squeeee!) was $1.75.  I don't have an Annalee for Valentine's Day (the horrors!), so that was one happy find for me.  All three of these items are keepers for me.

Third almost stop: Hospital Auxiliary

It wasn't open.  Wah-wah.  This is one of my favorite thrifts.  I have been going there since I was a little girl. The ladies that run this thrift are very, very nice and very, very, very old.  Prices are still 65¢ (a drastic price increase from 50¢), items are washed, pressed and everything is counted out and made sure it works.  I hated that it wasn't open.   

Fourth Stop: Salvation Army:

This big frame was in the $1.00 bin, so I grabbed it.  Square frames are harder to find.  I think it is funny that thrifts sell what is IN the frame and don't really think about the frame itself.  It's easily a ten dollar frame at most thrifts.  I even salvaged a couple cool old buttons.

This nice wire shopping basket was $3.00.  I thought it would make a good display item.  For what? Who knows!

Fifth Stop: Samaritan House

This thrift is kind of pricey and I really never find much.  The main reason I go is that Reader's Digest Condensed books are 4/$1.00 and I am always looking for pretty covers and they give away the day old Panera bread to the customers.  Sometimes I spend 50¢ on two books and walk out with $8.00 of bread. They didn't have bread on Friday.  What they did have was better!  When I walked in, the clerk at the register said, "The whole store is half off today."  They do have sales like that every few months, but I always get a postcard about it.  I mentioned that I didn't get a postcard and she said, "Oh we just decided to have a half off sale today for no reason."  I still didn't have high hopes since it is kind of pricey.  But, when I started looking at things - stuff was priced super cheap.  I mean if it would have been $2.00, now it was priced 50¢ PLUS it was half off!  I quickly filled on one hand basket, then two, then three, then an armload of books to boot.  

This HUGE clump of alabaster grapes was one of my best finds.  They are on ebay already.

This big pitcher isn't my usual type - it's kind of frilly.  But, for the price, I knew I could put it in the booth.

A couple of tins - including a Titanic Fudge tin which is sort of weird (I assume it's from the Titanic Museum, but still...), a 1970's whale stapler, painted salad fork and spoon and a child's cup.  All for the booth.

A giant chocolate box (that I looked up and it cost over $100.00 full of chocolates!), a vintage roll of ribbon, a wee piece of pottery, an old Donut Shop mug and a book of Dennisons Gummed labels.  The labels are on ebay, the cup will be on ebay, the rest will go in my hoard.  

The labels are really, really kind of fantastic.  There are 419 of them in the book.  Super tempted to keep them and use them, but money talks......:D 

Some really good RD book covers including two of the seahorse cover, which is my favorite.  Eight books for $1.00.  

Are you bored yet?

No?  Ok, let's keep going...

A fun old mail and key holder, a pack of stencils, a pretty hand painted cup, an Ohio Art recipe box, four sweet little glass shakers, the top of a butter mold and a pink plastic flower pot holder.  

A big Whitman's Sampler tin and a granny square baby afghan.

Well, now.  This isn't my usual fare, is it?  Mary Moo-Moo's.  Collectible several years ago and not my style, but I do think they are kind of cute.  They will go to the booth.  This is just a small portion of what I bought - I think I got 27 pieces in all.  There's also a milk glass light cover back there if you can see it.

A set of four Weller Pottery individual casserole dishes with saucers.  I've never found Weller pottery, so this was a happy find.  I think I will put them on ebay.  I haven't really researched them yet.  That blue is just perfection.

I bought Pyrex!  SURPRISE!  I still don't collect Pyrex.  But, if you saw these bowls at the thrift for $1.00 each - well, you would buy them too, right?  They are already in the booth.

I paid less than $18.00 for everything I bought.  It was a fun, fun afternoon!

Saturday, Lara texted me that she was at the SCT and I had to think a long while on what that meant.  But, I bet all of you guys knew what it was!  I'd never seen it other than ME writing it.  The funny think is that I was almost ready to leave the house and go to the Super Cheap Thrift myself.  I ended up meeting her at the Flea Market and we went on a little thrifting trip with her twins. (Who I am in love with and want one or two of my own now).  When we would get out of the car, Lara would take Jack and Emme's hand and Emme would pull away and say "NO, I WANT TO HOLD SHAWA'S HAND!"  Which was pretty funny since they have never really been around me one on one before that moment.  It was nice having a tiny hand in mine again.  Oh yea, being with Lara was FUN too!!!!!!

We sent Grace Place first.  It's a small thrift and there are no prices on anything.  The sign at the register said, "Housewares 50¢ -$5.00  Price is up to cashier."  Well, alrighty.  

The first thing we, and by "we" I mean Lara, found was this vintage Christmas tablecloth.  She handed it to me and insisted I take it, and I don't know why I did - she should have bought it.  Then I found the big enamel platter in the kitchen-y area.  When we were waiting to pay, I spotted the Fisher Price Xylophone Bear out in the vestibule and grabbed it.  Still we had no idea what the prices were going to be.  When it was time to pay, the cashier was a teenager - maybe about fourteen or so?  It was weird.  She picked up the tablecloth and looked at it, looked at the platter, picked up the bear and put it all in a bag.  As she handed me the bag she said, "One dollar."  I handed her a dollar and we walked out without saying a word to each other.  We watched the twins pick out a toy when I finally started laughing about my price.  We couldn't believe I only paid $1.00 for those three great things.  We should have gone back in for a better look around, now that I think about it.  I think I paid 50¢ each for the platter and the tablecloth.  The toys were free - one per child.  I guess I am a child.  I did discover that the FP bear is from 2005 and not vintage.  It sure looks vintage.

Our last stop was a little Junk Store.

I bought a book about the Human Body for The Bean and this set of books on Memory Training from 1958.  I spent $1.00 total.  Lara got a good old School Reader, but that was it.  

It was nice to get out of the house, do fun things and buy good junk with good company.  There is more snow coming tomorrow.  Whoopity doo!

*If you actually read this whole thing - you get a gold star!