Thrift Shop, My Darling

Walking into a thrift store for me is like that first big moment on a rollercoaster when you’re climbing up to the top and your mind is trying to make sense of, get a grasp of, what is going to happen. You can’t see over the threshold, but you pull at strings of ideas anyway. It’s a fearful moment and an exciting one. The thrift store has all of the excitement and none of the fear.

I take that back. Sometimes I’m terrified that I’ll fall in love with too many things and walk out either a pauper or a disappointed single-bagger. Walking out with a single bag after a thrift store visit is uneventful indeed. That, for me, rarely happens. And that is why I have made it a point to limit my visits. My chemistry with the thrift store is too strong and threatens logical behavior. That’s why driving home from work some days can prove difficult. When I’ve had a rough one; when small things becoming big things; when there’s drama and excessive noise (I work in a middle school); I want to reset and refresh, feel creative and open-minded again at the end of the day. The thrift store is a perfect place to do that.

The wonderful news is that I pass a great one on my route home from work. The terrible news is that I pass one on my route home from work. It is so tempting on those particularly trying days to not pull into that parking lot, purse in hand, ready to throw around $20 like it’s going out of style.

Remember that roller coaster? Yes, well, my body gets energized for the hunt. I start thinking up possibilities, imagining this is the day I find the treasure of my life, the object that will sit next to my reading lamp when I’m 85, or the badass jacket that will make every outfit I wear instantly cool. This has happened before. Once I found this sequins jacket that took my breath away. It’s probably the most I ever spent on any one article of clothing at a thrift store, but I’ll never regret it. I don’t keep it in my closet. No, this baby hangs on a hook right where I can see her every morning. I’m not ashamed. She makes me happy.

I also like to pick up ugly old furniture and make it brand new and cool. I like to forage through the knickknacks section for pretty things, like this pink lamp (yes!) and this old Kodak camera (yes!). There’s so much more that I could show you as my home is filled with the beautiful treasures I’ve discovered over the years. Maybe I’ll be self-indulgent and write another post like this one?

Let’s hear about the treasures you’ve found. And if you aren’t a thrift shopper yet, don’t do it. I’m a greedy scoundrel and I want everything for myself. I’m kidding….. (I’m being forced to say this in order to be socially acceptable. Damn society).

Happy foraging.