Never look a thrift horse in the mouth. Part 1
Thrifting. Why I do it, how I use it in my business, and why it's important.
The amount of times I am stopped and asked where I got my clothing items is actually quite impressive. If I had a dollar for every time..... well I would be quite wealthy and it would better support my thrifting habits. My own history with thrifting was as a young adult. Thrifting is something I never did as a young child. My parents never felt theneed. I realize just making this statement is enrobed in privilege. I was very fortunate to be raised in the household I was and I don't take that for granted. I have had conversations with friends my age that if you thrifted it was typically seen with a negative connotation. In one of my friends situations that was the case and even stepping into the thrift store and smelling the familiar smell, brought back painful memories being raised by a single mother of 4 trying to provide for all of her children. All my friend really wanted was a brand new pair of jeans. So as much as they want to go thrifting, shop second hand and help save the planet, it's not always that simple. Thrifting was seen as a lack of money up until very recently.
I think because I never even really knew what thrift stores had, I never really knew their potential. My first introduction to thrifting was when I was 18. My then boyfriend and I decided to get into the ebay reselling gig. It was a very fresh new thing back in 2001 . We were on the hunt and vintage sportswear was our meat. This was back when a Toronto Blue Jays letterman jacket was all of 6$. I started to wander into new sections every time we went and found a couple of beautiful coats that I still own to this day. The quality, style, and materials used in these coats was timeless and I loved it. Needless to say, I was hooked. Here is a TIME article I found about the history of thrift stores. Quite fascinating to say the least.
As much as I want to talk about clothing, the funny thing is, I never actually started "heavy thrifting" (see what I did there? wink.wink.) with clothing. It started with house wares and furniture. My boyfriend now husband and I had bought our first home and we didn't have the funds to purchase all new furniture. My very first purchase was a $5 chair. It had a cool shape, it was solid wood with an olive green velvet seat. It was deep and comfy. For years that's where my husband sipped his coffee in the morning before work. I still own that chair and I will NEVER let it go. One day, I would love to get it reupholstered as it is quite worn out. Here is a picture of said chair.
P.S. Every single thing in this image is thrifted. TYSM.
Easy, breezy, beautiful…..
$5.00 Chair
I'm sure you have heard "They just don't make things like they used to." and that is beyond true. The quality of vintage items is just that. Quality. Not mass produced, not made in a factory but typically by a small company that had people building by hand with solid wood and great materials. Mid century modern was always my favourite as a younger 20-something but like my personal style choices, once it catches on mainstream, I'm already bored of it and have moved on to the next. But enough about me and my personal preferences. Here is a list of questions I ask when I go thrifting for quality, vintage and well made things.
Thrifted Furniture Check List:
What is the material? If we are looking at housewares, I always flip over the item to see what it is made of, and the company it was made by. Ikea and Homesense/winners make and carry really good vintage looking dupes so watch out for the stickers on thebottom! Thank god for phones because google app is a god send and it can help you find out in a hurry.
If it is furniture, I look for the materials. Is it solid wood or particle board? Is the wood a veneer? Another good thing to check out is the seams of things like drawers. Well made furniture is very well built and mostly constructed of solid wood including the seams. See how the drawer is built. Basically, once you know, you know. There is a drastic difference between a solid chair from the 60s and an Ikea chair from 5 years ago. They are basically in the same condition with a huge amount of age between them.
Price. Thrift stores are starting to catch on and prices just aren't what they used to be. You can tell the higher quality items are priced higher. You need to decide if its worth it to you. If you plan on reselling the item, like I used to, it may not be worth it.
Fabric, what's the condition? Material? Does it smell? Back when anyone could smoke anywhere, items would be layered and layered in cigarette smoke and sometimes, it is not removable.
Does it have a spooky ghost with it? No I am not joking. I know this sounds bizarre but if it feels like " Where the heck was this piece before it ended up here?" If it gives you a weird vibe, maybe walk away. I believe that items hold and carry energy. If it's a piece you can't live without, then you better be smudging that item my friend
Thanks for reading Part 1 of " Never look a thrift horse in the mouth" Stay tuned for when I dive into clothing.
