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Archive through January 19, 2004

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: 2006 Jun. ~ 2006 Dec.: Hobby Hall (ARCHIVES): Thrift Store Shoppers?: Archive through January 19, 2004 users admin

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Kimmo

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 5:59 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kimmo a private message Print Post    
Juju, I think the Tacoma Value Village is the best one ever! Not because of my childhood reminiscences :), but gee, it is huge and they have so much quality stuff.

I've been up there to visit family 3-4 times in the past year, I should make a point to stop there the next time we go up.

Though I wouldn't have known anything about shoes! Except for your circumstance, I agree buying shoes at a thrift shop is "ew"....I've bought shoes at thrift/resale shops maybe twice, and they were just silly shoes that I, like the people who previously owned them, probably wore once (yet I still have them)! Gold floral brocade stilettos and silver leather Mary Janes with strange square toes (probably $1 per pair).

Resortgirl

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 5:59 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Resortgirl a private message Print Post    
LOL Lost! I regularly go to thrift stores to buy things for my cabins. I've gotten great deals on kitchen things. We have alot of tourists here, so the "antique" stores which should really be thrift stores overprice alot of their stuff, but every now and then I find a bargain!

Kaili

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 6:22 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kaili a private message Print Post    
We had a Value Village where I grew up- we called it "VV Boutique"!

I usually go to Goodwill maybe a few times a year. I found great Gap jeans there- the 1969 ones that cost about $60-$70 and I got them for about $5 in excellent condition. However, 99% of the time I find nothing I like/want. I stop at a local chain before work sometimes because it's close- usually I browse their books and jeans and that's it. I rarely go to the Salvation Army or St. Vinnys. Although I did find a board game that they only made briefly and that we used to have...HuggerMugger. That was a great find!

In Flagstaff we had a Savers, and I think I saw one in Minneapolis a few years ago. That place was great! Huge!!!!

Tess

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 7:42 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tess a private message Print Post    
Kaili, there is a Savers in Bloomington, where I live, next to the Red Lobster. I've never been in there so I didn't know what it was but I have a friend who says she shops there for her grandchildren.

Kaili

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 8:05 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kaili a private message Print Post    
The one in Flagstff was really big and really inexpensive. I kind of think the Salvation Army is expensive. Then again, the money they get is going toward something rather than just in their pockets. When I take stuff in, I take it to places that have causes, but I hate to spend $12 on a pair of jeans that I know they got for free. The last time I took clothes in though (about 2 weeks ago) I just took it all to the homeless shelter. They won't have to pay for it at all.

Tess

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 9:17 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tess a private message Print Post    
We have our stuff picked up by ARC and the Lupus Foundation. They call on a regular basis when their trucks will be in our area (about every 6 weeks) and if we have anything they come by. It's a pretty good system. ARC has their own stores (is that Value Village?) and The Lupus Foundation sells their stuff by lot to others who then sell it to the public.

We give our furniture to a local organization called Bridging, Inc, which then gives it away to people who have nothing and are starting over. They get furniture, bedding, towels, dishes, kitchenware and even knick knacks to furnish their residence.

Kimmo

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 9:40 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kimmo a private message Print Post    
Tess, I think ARC does resell through Value Village. I always leave my old stuff on the doorstep for them, too (but they didn't pick it up last month!).

I guess what you find clothing-wise depends on your style-- I really like plain tailored knee-length or longer skirts and nice coats, there are always lots of those. I don't find anything I like that is casual, I kind of feel the same way about used jeans and tops that I do about shoes!

Slothkitten

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 1:25 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Slothkitten a private message Print Post    
Missy, welcome to the wonderful world of thrifting! So much fun to read about all the stores and all the bargains.
I love thrift stores! I've been searching them out and buying them out since I discovered they exsisted, about 25 yrs ago ( in my 40's now ).
Thrifting brings out the kid in me!
Feels like I'm on a treasure hunt, sometimes I come up empty handed . . get a real thrill when I get me some booty, lol.
Love to mix up old things with the new ( in decor and clothing )thrift stores are perfect places to find just about anything . . sometimes I have a lucky streak and fill up the car with my bargains . Everyone I know and love collects SOMETHING, it's a kick to always be on the lookout for them as well as myself. Hey, you can even find a entire collection of stuff already together, just waiting.

Love Value Village and Savers!
Here in Houston, there are about 5 or 6 V.V. - only one Savers ( right next to Sharpstown Mall ).
Those two are among my favorites. Salvation Army has some fabulous furniture ( cool retro ) but is kind of high, Goodwill here is too expensive and has too many mayo jars and butter tubs!

Some of the best ones I've ever visited are the small charity shops run by churches or other organizations. Lot's of times I've found them ( some aren't even listed, too small ) are by asking the clerks or other shoppers in other stores if they know of any other shops nearby.
There's a little one called " Manna " ( from heaven! ) on the north side, always has a ton of goodies.

This past year sent my heart rate racing - found a Fendi purse for 2 bucks ( the cheaper the item the more the rush, lol )a handcrafted stained glass hanging globe/light of beautiful azure blue and yellow ( probably from the 60's or 70's )that I redid my kitchen around - 3 bucks! I'm a real nut when it comes to lamps, vintage clothing and jewelery, pictures.Cool chrome or colored blenders, ice crushers - love the small appliances, some are still in the box.
I'm with ya'll - I mostly pass on the shoes, but like JuJu, have hit the jackpot a couple of times.
Nothing like that bargain, though.Too funny to think of you showcasing those shoes in the froofroo shop! You're soo right about Value Village and the way they mark down to 99 cents.
I've gotten a few things by waiting. Had no idea V. V. was nationwide, great!

I'll shut up now, could write about this for days, find it such a fun hobby and really it has made me feel kind of creative to put all the stuff together, just love it!!

By the way, for those of you interested, Columbus Ohio has tons of great places.
Ahh, memories!

Carolinakisses

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 2:08 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Carolinakisses a private message Print Post    
The best find for me this past summer was 2 coach purses (1 canvas, 1 leather) for the grand total of .66 cents at the local flea market or "junk hole" as my Dad refers to it. I think they buy out abandoned storage units and sell the items. Most items sell for 1.00, but that particular day they sold everything 3/1.00. I don't think I have bought a new purse in years.

Tabbyking

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 2:25 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tabbyking a private message Print Post    
i never heard of value village. i'll have to see if there are some in california.

Tabbyking

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 2:27 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tabbyking a private message Print Post    
not too many in california. the one in salinas and the one in san jose would each be about 90 miles from me. may be worth a trip, though!

kimmo, good thing there is a tacoma value village, since tacoma was just rated the most stressful city to live in...for depression, suicide, unemployment, etc. they can't mean tacoma?! i love it up there. of course, the people i was visiting are very rich, but still......tacoma a bad place to live?
and portland was pretty high on the list of not great places to live, too. hmmmmmmm. wonder who they surveyed?
THIS Is the Most Stressful U.S. City

Where is the most stressful place to live in the entire United States? Tacoma, Washington.

So says a new study from Sperling's BestPlaces that ranked the top 10 most and least stressful U.S. cities based on nine different factors that are associated with stress: unemployment rate, divorce rate, commute time, violent and property crime rates, suicide rate, alcohol consumption, self-reported "poor mental health," and the number of cloudy days.

What's the matter with Tacoma? In addition to having one of the nation's highest unemployment rates, this city also has a very high divorce rate. Add in the stress of frequent cloudy days and high rates of suicide and property crime, and it gets this dubious No. 1 ranking.

The top 10 most stressful cities of the 100 largest metropolitan areas are:

1. Tacoma, Washington
2. Miami, Florida
3. New Orleans, Louisiana
4. Las Vegas, Nevada
5. New York, New York
6. Portland, Oregon-Vancouver, Washington
7. Mobile, Alabama
8. Stockton-Lodi, California
9. Detroit, Michigan
10. Dallas, Texas



Landi

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 3:19 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landi a private message Print Post    
what in the heck do you have to be stressed about in LODI??? what? that you're STUCK there??

Kimmo

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 3:23 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kimmo a private message Print Post    
Tabby, Tacoma is pretty bad. My grandparents live in a South Tacoma neighborhood that has pretty much declined into a low-rent, crack-house laden neighborhood that is bounded by the freeway-- Nice! North Tacoma is nice. Tacoma is broken up into many strange, barely strung-together pieces from what I get to see.

My town was ranked #11! I think. It's been a couple days since I read it in the paper. But this "study" included the unemployment rate as a factor-- So all big cities in Oregon were in the top 20 for "Most Stressful" because we have a high statewide unemployment rate? I don't know, I'm no statistician, it just seemed unfair.

Missy2

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 3:26 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Missy2 a private message Print Post    
Wow I'm surprised by all the thrift store shoppers! I can't believe how fun it it is. I went back to the thrift store today and found another pair of pants, and 4 shirts, and a sweater. Almost my entire wardrobe consists of thrift store clothes and I love everything I have. There is nothing better than wearing an outfit that looks nice and only cost $2.

I found this amazing Ralph Lauren Black Wool Pea Coat, in excellent condition but it was an XL :( If only the previous owner was a medium! It was only $8!!

Tabbyking

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 3:32 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tabbyking a private message Print Post    
missy, you could have sold that pea coat on eBay for 40 bucks!!

Landi

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 3:32 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landi a private message Print Post    
missy if i send ya $8 and the shipping will ya get it for me? i'm an XL! i'd love a ralph lauren pea coat!

Tabbyking

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 3:42 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tabbyking a private message Print Post    
kimmo, the only time i was in tacoma was for a wedding of the daughter of the dean of the law school at the University of Washington. it was at a yacht club on Puget Sound. we must have been with the 'good' section hotel, wedding and yacht club-wise! i have always pictured tacoma as how i saw it! i'll bet that happens a lot. before i moved to brookline, i thought living in the boston area would be phenomenal...i actually thought it was going to be exactly like san francisco! i visited for 5 days and moved there 2 months later. well, a visit somewhere with people showing you places they never see themselves unless they are showing off to company, during the one nice week at the end of may, is not at all the same as living there! my 3 years there--except for having my ds--were the most awful of my life. pretty? yeah, the boston area is pretty. and full of history. but also full of the coldest people i have ever been around in my life. as a group they were horrid to 'outsiders', and co-workers and my boyfriend's family members actually told me it was because boston was a small town and it would take a while to 'warm up'. i guess 3 years wasn't long enough, and life's too short to spend it in boston, let me tell you! 700,000 population isn't small in my book, either! i cheered the day i drove away and have never gone back.
of course, now that i know people there with tons of money and their summer homes on the cape, it might be different. you have to have a lot of money to think you are happy in beantown!

now, before all you from boston throw frozen tomatoes at me, i did not see this anywhere but in the areas considered 'boston'--the newtons, west roxbury, brookline, chestnut hill, etc. go 20 miles from town and people are nice :)

Juju2bigdog

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 7:33 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
Tess, Value Village is ARC.

I just consider the thrift stores to be recycling places. I drop stuff off at the back door for donation and then go buy some stuff in the front. LOL. I try not to buy back my own stuff.

Juju2bigdog

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 8:08 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    

Quote:


Landi Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 03:08 pm
--------------------------------------------------------------
missy if i send ya $8 and the shipping will ya get it for me? i'm an XL! i'd love a ralph lauren pea coat!




Hahahahahaha!!! Now, there's an idea. The TVCH thrift store exchange (TVHCTSE). When you run across an item that it just breaks your heart that you can't use or don't need or it doesn't fit, you buy it anyway! Then come and post it to the TVCHTSE. There is bound to be somebody who would love to have it. LOL.

Tabbyking

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 8:10 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tabbyking a private message Print Post    
i agree, juju. if i hadn't lost some weight and am hoping to not go back to XL, i would have begged her to get it for me!

landi, the problem with the stockton/lodi area is that it's butt ugly. it goes downhill from there.

Solifelike

Sunday, January 18, 2004 - 11:33 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Solifelike a private message Print Post    
Funny, we had a Value Village in Fairbanks, Alaska. There was also one in Anchorage. I married my husband and moved to AK, shipping myself 5 boxes of household items. We had to buy the rest. After a month of buy NEW pots and pans, dishes and towels and groceries, and random homey items. I decided I could not do that any longer. We blew $2000 and only had a new, tiny dinette set and end tables to show for it. So I haunted local good wills and VV and had a blast. I found perfect curtains for all of the windows, several pairs were brand new. Never paid more than $2 for a pair. I bought a brand new couch and new mattresses for us, but other than that, I found it all at VV. We have a gorgeous Oak bed frame we paid $35 for. :)

One of my favorites and only one of the 2 most expensive items I bought there at VV, was a lamp. It's brass and came from Japan, I think. It is really a piece of artwork. Inside of a couple of months I'd totally furnished my house. I found 4 beautiful water color paintings that may be worth nothing, but the artist was a huge talent. They are the prizes of my finds. I found so many cool items, my friends would demand to make me take them, so they could find the cool stuff. :)

One really awesome find, A David Winter Cottage that is worth $850 right now. It's one of his larger ones. I paid $75 for it, but since I'd collected them since childhood, I knew what is was worth.

I took a class in picture framing and we stumbled accross a huge box full of picture matting for $8...I still have tons of it left. I have a gorgeous antique chair, heavy wood. Paid $23 for it, and recovered it. I get cash offers on it all of the time. I tell 'em to take a hike. If my house burns down, I'm running out with it on my head!

I am a completely converted thrift shopper. My sisters can hit yard sales and find incredible deals, not me. But take me to a thrift store and I am the one who finds the cool stuff.

We had a Pirate Halloween party and I needed boots. I would never have purchased shoes used. But I needed high boots. I found a pair for $3 at VV and used them. they looked next to new. My girlfriend saw them and had a fit. She had them in a catalog (I think LL Bean) for almost $200. I also found a pair of clogs there, with teh price tags still on them, $2, also in LL Bean for $78. (I wonder who cleaned out her closet?)

I love a good find. I also look for interesting lamps and candle holders. I often make a stained glass item that needs a holder...they work perfectly.

Missy2

Monday, January 19, 2004 - 3:21 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Missy2 a private message Print Post    
:) hehe. Do you really think it would have sold for that much on Ebay? I went back to the store and its gone. It was really nice, it's no wonder! Sorry I missed out!

Ddr1135

Monday, January 19, 2004 - 4:49 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ddr1135 a private message Print Post    
I love thrift shopping, garage sales and auctions. I've furnished my house between that and stuff I've inherited.

Here are just a few of my lucky finds.

1. Club chair for $25 (you can see it in TVCH portal)

2. Two 1930's big club chairs with wood carvings for $35.

3. Antique side table for $40

4. 1800's Louisiana made half tester bed for $75 - the guy was tearing down a barn and was selling the stuff inside. He had NO idea what he had. My hands were shaking as I was writing the check! It appraised for $3000.

Kimmo

Monday, January 19, 2004 - 7:06 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kimmo a private message Print Post    
Wow, DDR...It sounds like you are pretty knowledgeable about antiques and such! I would not have any idea about the worth of anything I was looking to buy. That sounds so exciting about paying for the bed.

I know I could study up, but my main interest is just "oriental" paintings, wall hangings, figures and other stuff, which I don't think have any real value (the ceramic stuff is so common and really, kind of kitschy), except the value I'm putting into having all this stuff as a collection.

I'm horrible at haggling when we go to collector's markets because I'm always thinking, "I have no idea what I'm talking about, they are going to think I'm a total idiot for naming this price, I don't want to insult anybody by going too low."

But one lady said the nicest thing that helped me feel better about haggling by saying, "You need to just offer a price, don't worry about too low! You don't know what I paid for this. I might have gotten this for free!"

Ddr1135

Monday, January 19, 2004 - 7:14 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ddr1135 a private message Print Post    
Kimmo, a common practice of dealers is to offer 10% off if the customers asks if that's the best price.