Today is National Thrift Shop Day!
Do you have a favorite find that you snagged at a thrift shop?
Clothing, shoes, furniture, book or other home decor?
Is there a section of a thrift shop that you gravitate to?
For the purpose of this thread I would say thrift shop/second hand store - both count.
I buy way too much fabric. I started with flannel to make baby blankets but have moved on to fleece and lots of cotton. I try to keep flannel to $1/yd and fleece to $2.50/yd.
It is way out of control.
If RealReal is a “thrift shop”… 
I’ve bought some interesting stuff there!
I don’t know if I’ve ever noticed a fabric area! I’ll bet it’s hard to turn the deals down!
I have one second hand shop in Columbus that I love to go in a more affluent area that has a great athletic/athleisure section. Great for picking up some extra pieces.
Second hand I do find it easier to go to more curated shops. Just not so overwhelming.
If I’m at a good old Goodwill or something I like to scan the home decor/glassware/serving pieces for extra large bowls, serving pieces, etc.
Sometimes I can tell it is a shop that has gone out of business and donated some fabric to the ARC thrift store, but usually I can tell that it is someone cleaning out Grandma’s fabric, notions, craft kits that were never used. One day I got several bags of fat quarters so I knew those came from a quilt store (wrappers and price tags still on them). There was a blanket business with many large (3-10 yard pieces) of fleece.
Once I started making masks last years, I stopped sewing baby and fleece blankets. I’ll get back to it soon.
Thrift stores are where D22 goes to look for clothes as the starting point, before going to the mall.
I often look for clothes to repurpose for other clothing or costumes. I once took a skirt to make into a Mad Hatter hat for Halloween; that was a good project and turned out really cool for D’s costume that year.
Once I found a Burberry skirt for $4 and sold it on eBay for $90.
I enjoy thrift shopping but haven’t gone much in the past 18 months. I’d like to get back to it.
My 88 year old mom expressed this weekend that she would like some soft flannel button down type shirts for when she is cool in the house. She is extremely frugal and shopping for her means her max spending is off the Kohl’s clearance rack. She will allow me to buy her clothing from Costco but if she suspects something costs more, she won’t take it.
Anyway, I told her that a second hand or thrift shop might be a great place for us to find her a couple of these tops. Already worn and soft for comfort. Sounds like something we’d be able to find there. Might take her on a field trip this weekend to look for some! If she finds something she will be THRILLED to have found her need for a couple of dollars. And she will actually use it and NOT save it (something she might do for a piece she paid more for).
DD also heads to second hand/consignment shops before hitting the mall. We like the “green” aspect, both in terms of keeping things out of the trash and keeping some extra in our pockets. We went yesterday on the hunt for jeans but she left disappointed and empty handed. She ended up ordering some online since there is just no stock in any stores around me.
I used to help a friend who owned a children’s consignment shop. I can’t say I ever scored a deal but always made some decent money selling items. The best “deals” for me were taking things from my neighbor’s trash pile, cleaning them up, and bringing them to my friend - like a high chair that literally cost me one Magic Eraser and some elbow grease but made me $20!
My D & I thrift to find pieces to transform into other pieces…example, I found a maxi dress with a gorgeous Indonesian batik. I would never have worn the dress - but I was in love with the fabric (dark almost denim color blue with sage green design), super soft and flowy, so I bought it, took it apart, and made some great drawstring pants from it, using the sleeves for pockets, and the skirt for the pants - there’s a little fabric left and I will likely make a mask. I get so many complements on them, mostly because of the fabric. I would not have been able to afford the fabric, which runs upwards of $35 a yard…I paid $6.99
@JustaMom this is AMAZING!! I’d love to see a piece you revamped!
I forgot to take a photo of the dress before taking it apart - but here’s a composite of the pants and a closeup of the fabric (not my best photography)
That fabric is gorgeous! I’m so impressed with your ability and creativity!
Thank you -
So fun!!! I love that you did this - love the print and color!
Thanks!
I was donating our huge old stereo speakers to goodwill. While depositing them, a saw a lovely navy blue velvet/velour dress with a white collar. I bought it, washed it and or fit D perfectly for quite awhile. She loved it—fancy and soft and washable!
I furnished my DDs whole apartment kitchen with thrift store finds…these included dishes from Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn, All Clad frying pans, complete and nice set of Oneida flatware, cuisinart mini chopper, tons of kitchen utensils from places like Sur La Table, kitchenaid hand mixer, all the glass ware, storage containers, really everything.
My kids do 90% of their clothing shopping at thrift stores/consignment stores. D22 works at Plato’s Closet.
I think my current fave find at a thrift/consignment store was a pair of never been worn Lucky jeans that fit me perfectly for $20. A lot of times I’m more in the $2 price range, but I was in the market for new jeans and couldn’t pass those up. They were probably $100 new and I will never pay that.
Oh so many things from thrift stores. A number of designer clothing items, including some Italian leather boots for my daughter, like new for $20, a Christian Dior tie for my son for $1. My son buys most of his shirts at thrift stores (none of his pants because he’s way too skinny to find anything that fits).I rarely buy clothes for myself. I’ve found some nice original artwork, a number of kitchen appliances including an ice cream maker and an espresso machine, a coffee grinder a citrus juicer, an iron for my son at college (yes he uses it), an Ethan Allen wing chair. Various nice pieces of furniture including a mid century buffet I’ve kept for many years, and a hard rock maple table and chairs and China cabinet. also a lovely 100 year old ukulele that just needed a tuning peg and strings. I think I paid $15 for the uke and ancient case and another 25 maybe to get it set up and playable. It turned out really nice.
A dining set for my daughter’s new house was the most recent big find. The table had a beautiful diagonal patterned veneer on the top but the chairs were covered in harvest gold velour. All of it in excellent shape except those cushions. We bought the table and six chairs and a leaf for $160. She recovered the chairs herself with a pretty grey fabric she found on clearance for hardly any cost and it looks beautiful now.
If today is National Thrift Store Day I’ll have to go shopping 
Just came back. No fabric today but did get a pair of Duluth Trading hiking shorts with the original label still on for $69.50. They were marked $16.99 (which is really a lot for this thrift store) but today is half price day so paid $8.50.
