Monday, March 14, 2011

Thrifty Reads


By now, I imagine some of you may have checked out the Let's Go Thrifting Resources page. It seems that thrifting and other means of shopping secondhand is a booming business, especially given the latest media attention. From American Pickers to Storage Wars, there's no shortage of secondhand television programming.

And when it comes to a good book, there are countless resourceful reads available. There are guides on antique collecting, how-to books to opening your own thrift store, collectives of crafty ideas and even fanzines dedicated to the secondhand lifestyle.

This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to find two thrift-related reads, on clearance due to a bookstore closing its doors. (An event that, by the by, breaks my heart to see. A book store going bankrupt? Say, it ain't so!)



The first, which I've browsed for some brief information and to gaze at the wonderous photos is Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30's, 40's 50's & Beyond.
While some of the finds in this colorful collector's book aren't particularly helpful in terms of manufacturer information, the collections themselves are enough to make a vintage enthusiast drool. Very kitschy!

The second read, which I'm taking in small doses is Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things. While this text is well-researched and written thoughtfully in layman's terms, this is a hard book to digest. But, that's just the nature of the beast. It's a topic that does fascinate me, this serious issue of hoarding. Where does collecting end and hoarding begin? Why do some objects have such a tremendous hold over some people and not others? Why do seemingly useless or unsanitary items have some significance to a person with this affliction? From a psychological standpoint, this book is interesting.  Though the average thrifter or  casual secondhand shopper may not have a particular interest.

In a related issue, we plan to tackle the issue of hoarding with a little more depth in a later post. Nothing too scientific, just some observations on the issue, some helpful advice on de-cluttering and that pesky but obligatory task of spring cleaning.

Now, back to the books. The book store that's soon-to-be-out-of-business hasn't closed yet, so I'm hoping for some more price reductions. Actually last I was there, I was so nearly overwhelmed by all of the titles they still had, I didn't even know where to look! So maybe next time, I'll make a list. Hmm. What to add?

Maybe some of you dear readers have a few suggestions.

So...what thrift-related resources are on your bookshelves?

3 comments:

Vanessa said...

I love "American Junk", it contains delicious photos and collections from fellow collectors.

I've gotta admit, for someone who owns so many books, I literally have no time to read them. I'd love to make room for "Stuff", though. I love reading books like that.

Jackie Jardine said...

Thanks, Van. I'll have to check out 'American Junk.' Maybe the Borders book store that is closing will have a copy on clearance!

I haven't finished 'Stuff' yet, but it's been a good read so far.

Sonya --Dime Store Thrift said...

You are a winner Sweetheart! Email me and lets get you something fabulous from the shop:) Sonya