flea market junkies

[havanaholly]

Ah-ha! So you got it! Congratulations!

[Justaddglue]

I'm on my way out the door right now...thrifting rocks!!

[havanaholly]

Tuesdays are "Seniors' Day" at all our Good Will stores, so DH & I went thrift store shopping. I found flooring 'AND wallcoverings for Mildred at our favorite local charity thrift store and I found slews of crochet hooks & a set of double-pointed knitting needles for less than US$1 for all of them!

[Wolfie]

One time when I lived in California in San Jose, I went to the San Jose Flea Market and got a beautiful swan planter for 50 cents! I still have it, and it's a treasure. It's irridescent white and I keep it in the bathroom. I still love it! Best bargain of the day it was!

another time I went there I got three brand new Dremel tools for $5.00 each! Each one with carrying case, battery packs, etc.

[doogster]

I got a Star Destroyer kit for 15 bucks, and yes I built it!

It's not finished.

[Sherry]

I've gone to every thrift store in town the past couple of weeks. I do one a day, on the way to pick up DH from work. Not much to be found, but I did get a beautiful pulled thread and embroidery hankie I think will make curtains for my living room, and two tiny chinese figures for my antique shop.

[havanaholly]

In addition to books I posted about elsewhere yesterday I found a 1:6 scale James Dean doll, a soapstone Meso-American-type carving in what looks like soapstone that'll work in mini, a small Central American style pyramid sculpture that'll work with DH's N-scale trains, a ninja nun figure DS found for me and a bagful of black viscose doll hair and two long circular knitting needles, both the latter for a quarter.

[Wolfie]

The latest things I found were two VHS tapes - Somewhere in Time and Ghost. I love them! They were fifty cents each!

Yes, I still watch VHS tapes, but also love my DVD's!

[havanaholly]

I just love that movie, "Ghost"!

[Wolfie]

Holly, we have the same taste it seems. I also love the movie Snowdogs but didn't get that at a yard sale. Also found a two vhs tape pack of Titanic a few weeks ago. They were going to throw it away so I got it for free. It's the one with Leo DeCaprio and the rest. I love that movie too.

[Sherry]

We still keep our VHS player, too. I have the 2 pack version of Texas, lots of Disney, Gremlins, and more. And I was in love with Patrick Swayze, between seeing Ghost and Dirty Dancing! I hate to see him so ill.

[Shy Spirit]

Wolfie, don't you just love the costuming for the Titanic movie? Such inspiration!

[havanaholly]

One of our members has been quietly reproducing "Titanic" scenes in 1:12 scale. I liked Whoopee Goldberg in "Ghost", although it was a treat to see Vincent Schiavelli's all too brief bit as the subway ghost.

[doogster]

I don't buy VHS anymore, it's seriously limited lifespan is enough to dissuade me if nothing else. I got Somewhere in Time for 4 bucks new on DVD, I've seen Ghost for 5. With proper care they should last forever. Proper care means they're in the case or the player, not sitting out on the coffee table, play side up.

[Shy Spirit]

One of our members has been quietly reproducing "Titanic" scenes in 1:12 scale.

Yes, aren't they exquisite?

[Scotty]

Hi everyone, what an interesting topic. I am a complete addict to the world of second hand stuff. We have here in the UK retail shops that sell second hand stuff to raise money for charity (is this what you call thrift shops?) I'm always in those. We also have the very wonderful car boot sale where people drive to a field, set up a pitch and sell stuff - incredibly popular over here. In winter this becomes a table top sale which is in village halls and they rent a table to sell their stuff from instead of a patch of grass. We have something called 'Freecycle' which is a website where people can list their unwanted items and you just contact them and arrange collection. I've had some nice bits of furniture given to me.

Lots of things in my house are second hand because I love the variety of it. I have vintage glasses, cutlery and china, lace cloths, a hand embroidered bedspread which is amazing and cost only £4. I have lots of second hand clothes and over the years have dramatically increased my doll collection though these sources.

Things I don't buy second hand .... underwear, nightwear, swimwear, trousers. Shoes/boots unless it is clear they are as new. Woolly jumpers as they are usually out of shape or motheaten by the time they are donated. Towels, sheets, used make up or pierced earrings. Electrical items unless it's been tested.

Favorite items purchased (and there are many but these are the stand out ones)...

My wedding dress (beautiful designer wedding dress purchased from an animal rescue charity for £25) and was exactly what I was hoping for. I had it altered and dry cleaned before the day.

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/dazedbydolls/WeddingDress#

3 x Sindy dolls costing a total of £3.20 - their rareity value is approx £1,000 - the one in poorest condition, I sold for £250.

A gold and pearl ring which I bought from a car boot £20 and which I love and wear frequently.

A Royal Albert lavender rose china 6 piece tea set (very collectible) £20 - I love this and use it a lot.

[havanaholly]

Well y'all know I'm a thrift store junkie. Before we left for the hike I found a potter's wheel & clay at Good Will so when I get to a "stopping" place I'm going out of my comfort zone and attempt to ascend the learning curve and try throwing some mini pots. I found some wine charms with wee waiters that look as if they'll work in 1:48.

[julygirl56]

I've always thought that flea markets, auctions and second hand stores were so much fun to shop in. The last six months I've had lots of fun. I have been going to our 2 Goodwill stores, the second-hand furniture store and 2 second-hand stores run by the hospital auxiliary. DH and I bought an 1880 Queen Anne Victorian house in September and I have been looking for items to furnish it with. I found an amazing antique vanity and bench for $125.00 at the 2nd hand furniture store. The ones in the antique stores are $500 and up. Too rich for my blood!

Now all of the antiques I inherited from my maternal great-gramma and gramma have the proper home to live in. Some time in the next 2 weeks or so I am going to check out a store I just learned about. It is a salvage store that only carries architectural items. Most of the items have been salvaged from Victorian homes here in Vermont. We'll be looking for a chandelier for the dining room and crystal door knobs, for now. Can't wait to see what they have available!!!

lyn

[Scotty]

Hi Lyn, you'd probably like a new programme just started here in the UK called cracking antiques. They take the victim oops sorry I mean client around second hand stores etc and help them spend their budget on genuine antique collectible furniture to furnish their room. Their room gets a makeover, and along the way the experts explain why some things are a good buy and others are not.

[Rhonda from the Bluegrass]

I LOVE yard/garage sales, Goodwill stores, and flea markets. I am fortunate enough to live in an extremely wealthy part of Lexington (lots of horse money here) and my local Goodwill gets insanely fabulous stuff for a song. Today, I went to a few yard sales and had some excellent luck! I found a bag with 7 transformers (you can never have too many of those if you are always building dollhouse) for $1.00 for all of them. I found a fantastic high-performance Craftsman drill (complete with bits and recharger) for $5.00. I got some very nicely done half-scale fencing and shrubbery for .10 cents. And, while this isn't mini-related, one of my most exciting finds today was getting 3 different Mrs. Albee porcelain figurines for $3.00 each. They are exquisite, and I am always looking for them. You can't buy them, you have to earn them by selling high volume amounts of Avon. For a while, I sold Avon and I earned some of them, but then lost them in a house fire. So, I have been trying to rebuild my Mrs. Albee Collection by buying them when I can find them. The ones I got today are gorgeous! Well, actually I got 4 . . . the other one IS a miniature, in a tiny dome. It is darling, and I think I paid $1.00 for it. Oh yes, I also got 3 gorgeous cut crystal goblets that actually matched some I already had ($1.00 for all 3). These goblets usually cost approximately $30.00 per stem. So, I did GREAT today!

[MerriMagic]

This is an old but timeless thread, so I'll add my two cents to the mix.

My whole house is early 'second hand', bought from thrift shops..everything but mattresses..nowdays there's crawly things that may arrive with the mattresses..so I do draw the line there.

Most of my furniture is Basset danish modern style..I think the most expensive piece cost me $40.

My pride and joy is a lovely Basset credenza, which functions as a sideboard.

I found a house full of curtains (thermally insulated, at $2 per drape, and they looked custom made, full length, beautiful ivory slubbed fabric, and there were twelve of them. That's a real prize up here in the cold north. Not a thing wrong with them, they were literally in cherry condition, perhaps from a model home in a new housing development. All I know is, I saved hundreds of dollars on that find.

It amazes me what people throw out..we have our consumer driven society to thank for that..have a toaster in chrome, and you want a new colortone one in bright shiny red? Get rid of the chrome model. Have a traditional headboard, but you want a new, padded velvet one? Send the nice wooden one to GoodWill, and move in the new.

Always, always, retailers are in our faces, working hard to convince us that if we buy that lovely new chair, or that fancy copper and chrome cappicino machine, our lives will be better, our skin lovlier, our neighbors green with envy. Shapes change, styles and colors too..but what's wrong with the old stuff? Not a thing.

I have just been the recipiant of an awesome flatscreen monitor..I think it's in the 19 inch size range..nothing wrong with it, but that it's owner wanted a bigger, and thus 'better', model. That I got for free, courtesy of my husband's boss, who kindly asked his employees if anyone could use a nearly new monitor. Zeb, having caught the recycling bug from me, was the first and loudest to speak up.

Yessir, be in the right place, at the right time, and there's little need to pay full price, ever.

Since the economy is in a bit of a slump, it's harder to get the good stuff...you have to go more frequently to flea markets and thrift stores..be there early to 'get the gold'...but since I have what I want, I only need to replace items that genuinely break down.

You name it, it's here, and in good shape, too. I suspect most of us take advantage of thrift shops and car boot get togethers (that's pretty much what we Americans call flea markets, btw.) One of the coolest internet innovations is Freecycle. Now there's a blessing, especially for parents with multiple kids..suddenly things that were formerly unaffordable are clearly within reach.

Oh yes, and we all benefit from those who kindly put their old dollhouses on Craigslist (to our delight). Even miniature households can benefit from thrift store and internet thriftshop shopping.

Thrift shopping really satisfies our hunter/gatherer gene..it's harder than going to an interior designer or upscale store...but when you find that prize, that special something that somehow found it's way into the river of Second-Hand..the feeling of accomplishment is unmatchable.

J

[Bea Killion]

I found a very old child's low wooden rocker covered in some old cowboy and indian fabric just like the wallpaper in my room when I was about 5 years old. I covered it over with new floral upholstery fabric, to save the old stuff in case I ever wanted to sell. This was more than 15 years ago. I have my 2 Himstedt dolls sitting on it. I really don't think I'll ever sell it.

[Rhonda from the Bluegrass]

I've always been a flea market/yard sale/Goodwill Store junkie . . . not just for the astounding deals I find, but for the rare and beautiful things I find, that I could never get at a retail store. When I moved to Lexington, I discovered that I had hit the treasure trove at my local Goodwill stores and yard sales. A LOT of people here have a TON of money (it is horse country, after all), and they seem to pitch their stuff at an amazing rate. My brother now comes to visit me 2-3 times a year so that we can hit the yard sales, Goodwills, etc. . . The first time he went with me to my local Goodwill, he was just about in shock. Even my sister that lives in Pennsylvania (a doctor's wife) has me keeping an eye out at my local Goodwills for stuff for her. She says she is better dressed by my Goodwills than she is her fanciest stores. In fact, I have quite a collection of very fancy (previously very expensive) satin nightgowns (many lined with soft flannel) that I got at the Goodwills here, and they each cost me around $2.50. I buy ALL my work clothes there, and pretty much everything else I need as well. I have managed to find a handful of dollhouse kits at the Goodwills here, now and again. In fact, this post is making me itch to run out and treasure hunt right now!

[havanaholly]

Eventually we shall have to move to a one-storey house closer to hospital & doctors' offices, and I've already told DH I want it to be somewhere that has Waterfront Rescue Mission thrift stores, because they get the BEST furniture!

[minime]

I stop in at the Salvation Army Thrift Store every morning about the same time. There are a lot of regulars and we have gotten to know each others wants and needs pretty good. This morning one of them brought me an Arrow 10 room dollhouse with 54 pieces of furniture kit and a DuraCraft Ashley kit for $15, both complete. I don't even have 10 rooms in my real house.