If you went through my closet you would find name brands like Kenneth Cole, Cole Haan, Coach, Michael Cors, Prada, Bianca Nero, etc… The list goes on and on of name brands found all over my bedroom. It reads like a who’s who fashion magazine. One would probably think that I have a very good job making loads of money, or that I am a superficial clothes whore…But, I’m Not. I just know how to shop and shop well.
The truth of the matter is that I everything I own, practically, comes from the thrift store. What? Yes, you heard me right. Every brand I mentioned came from the thrift store. Now if you are a reality television hound and have seen the show Southern Belles: Louisville, there was an episode with one of the “Rich” women going to the thrift store with her other “Belle” friend. The “Rich” woman was so put off by the place it was almost snobbish. The friend, who is considered a “Belle” on the show was just so down to earth and lovable. When her “Rich” friend went shopping, she bought four things from a boutique and spent $1000. You heard me right folks. She didn’t even bat and eye. The “Belle” was in disbelief. So that is when she took her “rich” friend shopping…thrift store style. And would you figure, the “Rich” lady didn’t buy a thing. She didn’t even really touch anything either. Oh my, I think I’ve got the vapors, is probably what she was thinking.
A thousand dollars could get you a whole lot of stuff anywhere if you use it right. If you gave me a thousand dollars to spend at a thrift store, I could fully furnish a a home for a family of four, including clothing and food. No, I so am not kidding. And if there is anyone out there reading this who would like to see this happen, give me a thousand dollars and observe. You would be very impressed. Oh, and I would give you your change back too.
If you are on a really tight budget, but enjoy having name brand things, this is the way to go. You have to have an open mind and patience though. People who are easily irritated should not shop a thrift store alone. Trust me I have seen women at thrift stores by themselves for the first time. It is not a pretty sight. They look lost and confused and you just want to give them a candy bar or something to distract their feelings of blah. It is so sad.
I personally am the cheapest of the cheap. I am not cheap on quality. I do hold out for the better quality items, but even still, if I find the price a bit much. I will decline. The whole thing about thrifts stores is that you’ve got a good chance of finding the same thing over again somewhere else if you pass it up. Some things I do know are a once in a lifetime deal though. My most fabulous find yet is a pair of Michael Cors Bamboo Platform Wedge Heels for $4.00. They were probably worn once. Those shoes new were probably upwards of $100. or more. I usually won’t spend $4. on shoes, but these were a true find. A lot of times the higher end designer items are considered unknowns in the thrift store world. It takes a fashion worldly pricer/sorter to know what they’ve got. In this case, they just didn’t know. All of my Coach purses are from the thrift store. I don’t just buy any Coach purse either. Just because I see Coach in a thrift store, I don’t go crazy. Nine times out of ten the purses are in fabulous condition and depending on my mood, I will spend the money. Since Coach is a well known name, people know what they have and price it accordingly. The most I have ever spent on Coach is maybe $3.00. Trust me, there is a lot of Coach out there in thrift store land and you will see the prices range from $20-$60. Even at those prices, you are getting a deal.
When you go to a thrift store it is best to have a plan. If you are going there for the first time, you should bring a friend. It helps if your friend is already into thrift stores, but if not, it is okay. Even two first timers would be able to be supportive of each other in this venture. If you go into a thrift store “blindly” you are just going to be too overwhelmed. You would probaly walk in then walk right out. Just like with anything new, it can be scary.
Sometimes the word thrift store brings up images of well worn clothing, uncleanliness, and filth. Some thrift stores look more like boutiques or department stores. They are organized, clean, and some even have free coffee and donuts. Clothes are separated by category, size, and even color. But thrift stores are more than just clothing and shoes. You can find furniture, books, appliances, household goods, electronics, computers, jewelry, and even cars. Yes, even cars. The majority of thrift store items come via donation. People who donate are given a tax deductible form. This way they can claim it on their taxes as a write off. So the items that they want to make big claims on are high dollar items. Cars and boats bring in a good chunk of change. Sometimes you may get a fixer upper, but most of the time you get a good used car for much less than some private owners would sell.
Image via Wikipedia
Some of the other items I mentioned like jewelry and computers are also great finds for shallow pockets. I love real silver jewelry. I can not get enough of the stuff. A lot of times the sorters and pricers are unaware of the jewelry they have and mark it according to whether they feel it will sell or not. In doing this they do not look closely enough at the marks on a piece. A lot of times, they don’t know what they are looking at anyway. When it comes to silver, real silver, they have a several different stampings to signify that it is real. If the sorters and pricers don’t know, they just don’t know. I have gotten a lot of beautiful pieces for under a dollar. They even have some jewelry that they sell in bulk just because they can not untangle it or whatever. Now a day you can sell scrap and broken gold or silver jewelry and make some money from your thrift store finds. I know I have.
Computers. A lot of thrift stores now have people who are know how to work on computers. Most computers donated to thrift stores are just “older” versions. And just because they are “older” doesn’t mean that they don’t work. If you see a computer at the thrift store, they usually have them set up so that you can see they work. A lot of times you can buy a complete set up for under $200. That’s a great. I mean unless you are going to do some crazy high tech stuff. These computers will do the job. They are usually internet ready, have dvd/cd rom, have a version of Windows installed that might not be the newest, but just a step down, and are just the right thing if you want good basic capabilities.
Did I mention discounts? Yes, even thrift stores have discounts. The volume of items donated can far surpass the amount sold. In this case thrift stores will have sales, clearances, and even sometimes free offers. Most thrift stores have a color tag, or day discount system. Depending on the color tag, or day is what your discount will be. You may get 50% off the tag price, or maybe buy one get on free on Wednesday. Some places offer “bag sales”. This is where you are able to fill a bag up with anything in the store for a set price. Seasonal clearances are always happening and is the best way to save and get ready for the next year. Even better still is the “free table”. One of my favorite thrift stores has a free table. Yes, you can take whatever you want from that table. And boy, do they have some great stuff too. You just never know what you may find.
So, if you have read this entire article, I suggest that you look up some of your local thrift stores and check them out. Not only will you find some great items, but you will be saving money. In the long run it will help out yourself and support your local thrift store. By doing this who knows what it will do for the economy
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Those are beautiful.
I’m James’ editor over at Chronicle Books–thanks so much for posting–we’re hoping everyone else loves this book as much as we do.
For those folks going to Comic-Con next week, we’ll be selling advance copies of Kindling at the Chronicle Booth (# 1506), plus we’ll be hosting a signing in room AA8 on Saturday the 25th. Hope to see you there…
Consider this purchased, James Jean is one of the best illustrators alive and it’ll be awesome to see his newest work in print, web sometimes doesnt do it justice.
Beautiful choices of colour from Dutch illustrator Maaike Verwijs. See more of her work on DeviantART as KissMyShades, and also on Flickr.
(via Meathaus)
Hello, it’s Patricia, and I’ve decided to come out from under my rock and actually make a post!
Confession: I hate cell phones. Don’t own one, and I plan on going to my grave never having purchased one. But – I do think it’s cool that one can create fabulous images with this contraption. Lately I’ve really been enjoying the iPhone art of a very talented Canadian artist, Matthew Watkins, who makes his home in Italy. I find his fantastical drawings intriguing and enchanting. The image above is a collage of some of my faves. I especially enjoy the drawings where he also adds a little story to go along with his image. Bellissimo!
Ok, back under my rock.
Browsing this wonderful Movie Title Stills Collection is like traversing a typographical timeline of graphic design. As a bonus, the site is beautifully designed as well.
The Architects Journal blog has a neat Top Ten list of cities in comics (posted by Rory Olcayto). Because it is obviously written for people who know nothing about comics, it probably doesn’t go in-depth enough for comics experts on Drawn, but it does provide some interesting extras like this pairing of Marlinspike Hall with its inspiration, from Herge’s classic Tintin series. There are also some amusing picky comments from architects in the comments: “Just to be pedantic – you are mixing up Aztec and Inca influences and how Herge used them,” writes Tintin buff Chris Tregenza, who made this map of Tintin’s voyages.
I love it when JibJab teams up with “Weird Al” Yankovic, and this video for his bizarre White-Stripes-inspired tribute to Charles Nelson Reilly is no exception. It’s also belongs to JibJab’s Starring You line of videos and ecards, so for a modest sum you can stick your friends’ faces into a Weird Al video, which I’m certain what they’ve always wanted.
I found this video of James Paterson drawing in a 3D tool called Rhonda to be completely hypnotic. The program, created by Amit Pitaru, allows for the creation of sculptural wireframe models. I’ve signed up to be notified when the software is available; it looks pretty fun.
(via Booooooom)
Juan Francisco Casas uses only ballpoint pens to create his photorealistic portraits. So think of that the next time you’re dropping hundreds of dollars on expensive art supplies.
Illustrator Bob Scott shares his collection of cardboard hang tags salvaged from shirts, jeans, and other retail clothing items.
To celebrate her 35th birthday, artist Somsara Rielly is creating a collage a day for 365 days: Art Design 3(6)5.
Jeu is one of my favourite animated shorts of the last few years. Paint-on-glass animation is a technique for animated films by manipulating slow-drying oil paints on sheets of glass.
This film is a series of nine animated cycles composed of 400 paintings that “destroy and reconstruct” themselves like a set of Russian matryoshka dolls. The director’s son, Louis Schwizgebel-Wang, performs the accompanying piano piece (Prokofiev’s Second Piano Concerto).
After the jump, you can watch an interview with Georges Schwizgebel where he talks about the techniques employed in his films.
“In Jeu I used a cycle of 6.5 seconds; then i thought, once we’ve completed a complete cycle, why not use that cycle to provide the detail in another cycle. The drawings are divided by nine. And when you see the whole thing it forms the ninth part of another drawing, and so on…”
(Disclosure: This is an NFB film and I work at the NFB).
via NFB’s 2009 Get Animated program where you can check out animation workshops with top animators in cities across Canada this fall.