The Week in Review: My Epic Return to the Thrift

Since late May I’ve been fitted with an orthopedic boot for what was thought to be a stress fracture. While the diagnosis is still a bit fuzzy, the time has come to kick-off the boot and begin physical therapy.

And not a moment too soon, given my reliance upon friends and family to drive me around to run my errands. And since thrifting is not quite a necessary errand (at least not one to friends and family) I was having a severe secondhand shortage.

Today marks my triumphant solo return to the thrift. And while I only made a single purchase, I knew instantly what I had been missing.

Cigar box and contents, $1 from Second Ave Value Store.

Take this cigar box, for example. Square, sturdy, with the sweet image of a biker's sillhoutte. A nice box of Nicaraguan cigars imported by the Acid company. Sounds smooth, doesn't it? But what's in the box, you ask.

Lighters? A deck of cards? Grandpa's corncob pipe collection?

Wrong.

Which one of you kids wants a stogie?

Gather 'round, children. It's time for papa to light up one of his Acid cigars and regale you with stories of cross-country bike trips. Oh wait, we're fresh out of cigars. Here, play with these ABC blocks instead.

...And that's exactly what I've been missing from the thrift.

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This Just In:

We've been roaming like buffalo. But we're back.

Worry not, thrifters. Let's Go Thrifting! is back from a brief hiatus. And we're back...with a vengeance. Well, not really a vengeance, per se. I just like that saying. But we do have some exciting news, all of which will be discussed in detail during future posts. But here are a few teasers:

• As creator and lead writer for Let's Go Thrifting! I have been asked to lend my thrifting expertise in a special section of Macaroni Kid, a national newsletter and website for kid and family-friendly activities. In the near future you can expect to find tips, tricks and other thrift-related news, all written by your truly. I'll be sure to post links to the articles when published.
• Over the past two weeks, I've scored some quality finds from the thrift. Vintage exercise equipment, books, clothes and decor. I've even won a wonderful prize from a fellow thrifter! The details will follow tomorrow, along with some lovely pictures!
• We also have a small assortment of new photos that will soon be added to the Collections page and new thrift-related books to add to the Resources page. Fun and informative!
• I knew I would someday convince my sister to join the blogosphere. I'm just so glad she's also thrift-minded, that I might link my readers to her site without that guilty pang of shameless plugging. But my little sister (and by little, I mean age 21...still "little" to me) has started a blog about her love for fashion. She's always had an eye for color and style and couture. But...she also loves finding unique pieces at the thrift. Which, of course, I also convinced her to try. Right now, her blog is in the beginning stages, as she is a newbie and is learning the technical aspects. But you'll love her. I know I do! So stop by her blog I, For Fashion.
•  And lastly, we are 7 followers away from our first freebie, The Big 5-0 Giveaway. So, tell a friend. Then go thrifting.

Stay tuned for the next exciting installment of Let's Go Thrifting!

The Incredible Adventures of Kooky and Pooky



Kooky and Pooky roaming the wild.







Okay. So what adventures can two identical purple plush elephants possibly have?

Well it all began a few short months ago...

While thrifting in a nearby Second Ave, a virtual thrift warehouse, I found myself digging through a gigantic bin of affordably priced dolls and stuffed animals.

I am usually hunting for 80’s nostalgic toys from my childhood. Rainbow Brite, Popples, Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake memorabilia frequent my thrift wish list. But more often than not I find an army of teddy bears and knotty haired, naked Barbies.

Now and again, I’ll find a stuffed animal too cute to resist. This particular occasion it was a crazy-eyed purple elephant with big, droopy ears. He was sort of...strange looking. So I decided to adopt him. I paid the 99 cents, took him home and named him Kooky.

A few months later, after we had the wild idea of starting a blog all about thrifting, Joe and I ventured on our first road trip. And wouldn’t you know, sitting on the shelf of a Buck’s County Goodwill in a plastic grab bag was yet another crazy-eyed purple elephant with big droopy ears! So for another 99 cents I nabbed the identical purple pachyderm and two other toys.

I have no doubt that diehard thrifters have experienced thrift déjà vu, where repeat goods seem to appear at every thrift. But this anomaly, like multiple copies of Herb Alpert are often times due to previous popularity. They were popular and now not, so they’re donated en masse. Or perhaps you’ve seen the same kitchen clock, new in box at multiple Goodwill stores? That is typically due to item donations from retailers such as Target or Wal-Mart.  That much makes sense.

But what are the odds that two identical elephants, both of which are in lightly played-with condition, were in two different thrift stores some thirty miles away?

That’s what I like to call thrift karma, folks. A topic which I plan to discuss at length in future blog posts, thrift karma is my personal belief that sometimes we just don’t stumble into good finds. Sometimes those items seem to just find us.

Or in this case, like items find each other.



Kooky (left) and Pooky (right) are reunited and it feels so good.



Maybe some of you would care to share some sort of your thrift déjà vu?