Thriftin’ Thursday

There seem to be two kinds of people…those that love to thrift and those that wouldn’t dare go into a thrift store!  I fall into the love to thrift category although I don’t do it very often. Living in a small rural community, means that my thriftin’ Thursday looks a little bit different than someone who lives in the city!  

One of those city thrifters is my friend Hilary. She goes virtual thrifting every Thursday on Instagram with another thrifter.  This week she asked me to go with her! Hilary is an interior designer and thrifting guru.  She is always coming up with awesome transformations for pieces. Especially those common pieces that she finds consistently when she is out.  If you love thriftin’ and decorating on a budget, you will definitely want to follow her!

As an antique dealer, I thrift a little bit differently.  First off, I’m looking to resell items. So the price of an item is super important to me.  Second, I sell vintage & antiques, so I’m looking for older items. And lastly, I do not have time for projects!  I often talk about inventory and you can read one of my posts on staying organized HERE. But, essentially over the years I have changed my buying habits. I buy less project pieces, because lets be real, it could sit in storage for a year before I get to it and by that time I have lost all desire to do the project!

We are blessed that in a town of 5,000 we have two thrift stores.  But, like most thrift stores ours can also have a hefty price tag on things the person tagging the item thinks are valuable.  I don’t think it has occurred to these people that they are a thrift store, not an antique store. Atmosphere and overall customer experience does have an impact on what prices people are willing to pay.  When a thrift store is selling an item for more than I sell an item in my store, then I know they’ve been on eBay a little too much!

Checkout what I shared in my Instagram Stories…these are different things than I’m sharing with you in this post, but from the same trip!

A long time ago, Miss Mustardseed shared a toy bed turned into a book holder and that image stayed in my mind. 

So, when I saw this bed, I thought it would be the perfect piece to hold some books.

As an antique dealer, I love to gather multiples.  And if it’s something tiny, I love to throw them in apothecary jars, a large brandy glass, or candy dishes.

Here is one I found at the thrift store.

Here are some displayed in my home.

And as an example of how thrift store prices can get a little crazy…

First, we have two dresses. One is $40 and one is $4.  This one is $40…

I actually like the cheaper one better and I definitely think it is priced more appropriately for a thrift store.

And here is a display from the shop.  This would be something cute to do in a laundry room, bathroom, bedroom, or even mudroom.  So, keep on the lookout for little dresses and even bib overalls!

One key to a successful thrifting trip is to consider possibilities.  Things can easily be altered with paint, decoupage, or simply good staging.  A couple examples of this would be this egg basket I found and even white dishes.

I would take this basket and make it look rusty and aged.  One option is to soak it in vinegar. If that doesn’t do the job, then simply spray paint it brown or any rust color and you can even then sprinkle cinnamon on it while the paint is wet to give it texture.  

We all know that white dishes, particularly ironstone, is all the rage right now.  But to get the same look, all you need to do is simply have a collection of white dishes.  

Here is an example from @midcounty_journal on Instagram

I’m sure you are dying to know what Hilary found! She has some great repurposing suggestions for you too! Read all about what Hilary found HERE.

So, what are you a rural thrifter like me or a city thrifter like Hilary? If you go thrifting, be sure to tag us on Instagram @thejunkparlor and @hilaryprall.

Need thriftin’ tips? Watch THIS.