I love my husband, and our differences, while they can cause friction, can also help me learn. Case in point: while I was in heaven when he took me to the thrift store last Monday, it was an exercise in patience for him. Walking into a thrift store that looks like nothing special (in fact, it looked like a Brady Bunch episode)wasn't his idea of a fun thing to do on his day off. Nevertheless, he enjoyed the fact that I got so much out of it.
That got me thinking about how my passion for thrift might not be shared by others. Not a revelation, I know this to be true, but there are a few of you who regularly haunt thrift stores, hoping to find the goodies that Claire and I do, and come away disappointed.
I think a big part of it is our 'mall mentality.' Go to a store like Saks or Nordstrom, and it's a delight to the eyes. Everything is laid out as nicely as possible......it even smells good. There's a man playing the piano. All of this entices us to spend money and might help us be a bit numb to the huge price we're paying. We are sensory people!
Now, contrast that to a trip to the thrift store. Goodwill is trying to spice things up a bit, but on the whole, it's a totally different ball game. The best way to describe a thrift store is GREY. Have you ever seen 'Napoleon Dynamite?' He haunts his town's thrift store regularly. Not very attractive, is it? Yet our boy Napoleon perseveres and finds that prom worthy suit, that manly dagger.......that cool dance video.
There have been times when we enter a thrift store and BOOM! There's that dream dress or purse sitting right on top, out in the open. Happens, but more regularly, we gotta DIG. I guess you could say we approach thrift like an archeologist. Indiana Jones knows he's gonna dig DEEP for the good stuff........under the sand and in the scary jungle. Look what he finds!! Ok, forget the snake episode......that's not what I'm referring to *shudders*.
Here's 3 examples of what I'm talking about.......first picture. Cute Jessica Simpson clutch. It was truly off the beaten track in the store, almost hidden behind some bigger purses. You can't just look at the top layer in a thrift store! Dig behind the stuff in front! 9 out of 10 times, I've found the true treasures tucked in the back. This clutch was well worth the dig: at $4.99; the retail price was $69!!!
Second picture. Leather Sebago Docksiders. They are the casual shoe of choice for Kate Middleton. Cool and comfortable and all leather. These were my size, perfect condition, and $3.29. Retail price? $100!!! Where did I find them? On the MEN'S shoe rack! If I'd stuck to the women's side, I never would have found these beauties. Claire was trying on prom dresses in the dressing room, and the men's shoe rack was right next door......so I took advantage of the opportunity to peruse. I'm sure glad I did!
My third example has no picture (yet!). Claire's new prom dress came from Goodwill. When we're looking for a formal, we load up the cart with everything in Claire's size, whether it appeals to her or not. Things look totally different ON then they do on a hanger or a pile. If we'd just gone to the formal rack and looked at the 'top layer,' odds are pretty good we wouldn't have grabbed anything. Sometimes you can't rely on the size inside, either. If something looks big enough for you, yet has a much smaller size on the tag, grab it anyway. Often, things have been taken in or let out at the tailor, so the end result will be different. Have vision! Claire's new gown fits her like a glove, and only needs a bit of a 'tweak' at the bodice. HERE'S THE BOTTOM LINE!!!! The dress cost us $10......it's a Jessica McClintock. New? $200-$300!!!! How worth it was it for us to grab an armful and take the time to try every dress on?
If you've read the above and said, 'that's nice, but I don't have the time to dig through everything,' it took Claire and I just about an hour for the prom dress shopping. That, plus the fact that we laughed and enjoyed ourselves, while digging......can you really put a price tag on that?
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