Want To Go Shopping With Me?

It would be easy to say that Kathy and I got into thrift shopping because of the bargains.  It would even be partially true.  But there’s another facet, the fact that you’re sometimes sorting through someone else’s memories.  Everything you see, everything you touch, it is a story.  It is someone else’s story, granted, but it COULD be yours…for a price.

Our story: On vacation in Austin, Texas with my wife’s sister, Lisa, I tag along with the siblings and visit the funky downtown shops.  I was never much of a shopper, but Kath and Lisa are good company and there was a likelihood of day drinking, so…duh…I was in.  Some stores were filled with tasteful antiques, some were stocked with items of varying and (largely) unknown vintage.  A few were like showrooms while others were garage sales.  I never knew what I was going to see from one store to the next, and that was exhilarating.  Think about it…if you were led into a store blindfolded and then unmasked, you could probably tell me in five seconds what kind of store it was, and maybe the store’s name as well.  If you’ve walked into a Target in Torrance, California, you would also be able to navigate one in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

I’m not picky about where we go.  Antiques are great, though we can really only LOOK at the meticulously restored furniture.  A boutique may have an item that looks like the one you saw in the antique store, but is really an Ikea piece painted to look ancient, with a lower price tag.  Thrift stores are often supporting charities and are easy places to find bargains, as the volunteers get a lot of donations and want to turn over their inventory as quick as possible.  Estate Sales are sometimes run by companies who efficiently create a one- or two-day marketplace in the home of the recently departed.  We recently purchased some tools at an Estate Sale and they have taken on a special identity.  When working in the yard last week, my wife asked me to fetch “the dead man’s hammer”.    

Then there are garage/barn sales, which are also great places to find a deal, as a lot of people don’t research that ‘old crap in the basement’ and just want to clear a place to store their bike in the winter.  You might be thinking it would be cool if you could have all of these types in one place, and in fact, they do.  The flea markets usually run the gamut, from the ridiculous to the sublime.

The items on the shelves, or walls, or folding tables, or placed on blankets spread out on the grass, they are, each of them, a story.  The people who watch as you study their wares, they are also stories.  I can’t wait to introduce you to Luna and let her tell you what she does on weekends.  I want to bring you along to meet Pete and Maya, Russian immigrants with a discerning eye for merchandise and a memory for faces. 

With “antiq-tip”, I mean to share with you my newfound passion for thrift shopping and maybe offer you a little advice while I’m learning the ropes.  So help me, you may never go to Target again.