Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Happy Thrifting Haven

In the messy closet that is my mind, I've had an idea to build a site devoted to my love of thrifting for quite some time. A proverb that I love states that 'the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago; the second best time is today' - so, today is the day. In the words of a genius "Wheeeeeeeee!" Here, I'll post my finds, reviews of various shops or events, links to other thrifting resources and stores and anything else thrifty and good.I'd also love your reviews & finds, too. Let's spread the thrifty-goodness, kids

Why Thrifting?

Face it, thrifting is the modern age safari - stalking the watering holes, the thrill of the hunt, the perfect trophy to mount on your wall (or on your backside) - everything except the man-servant to massage your feet once it's all said & done. For the longest time, I felt forced into a place of almost-embarrassment about thrifting; just like dumpster diving, thrifting is not looked highly upon by my clansfolk. My older brother would be ashamed to see me giggling my way through Value Village or Goodwill, just like he was embarrassed by my 'great furniture finds' along the side of the road. Hey, can I help it if people toss out the coolest things on 'big item' garbage day?

Back in my burgeoning punk days, my then-boyfriend showed me the wonders of a the church rummage sale and Sally Ann. For less than a few bucks, we found incredible clothes and a look that was uniquely ours. What really did it for me were the vintage pieces that I found (most of which I still have). The perfect 50s stilettos so cool that one of my high school teachers borrowed them for her beatnik costume, the silk satin smoking jacket that doubled as the perfect evening dress, the suede mini skirts (2!) and matching gogo boots that just happened to fit perfectly, the embroidered cotton nightgown that, once paired with the prerequisite Doc boots, looked uber-cool with my green Mohawk and piercings. It's a giant shift from school uniform to funk-punk queen but it felt right at the time.

Time shift forward 20+ years and I'm still here. Fueled by a love of fabrics and assorted 'house coolios', I love a yard sale, a thrift store or rummage sale.

Hey Ho, Let's Go


Some of the (local) thrift stores that I've visited
Lanark Thrift store (Lanark)
The Hub (Almonte)
Salvation Army (Moodie Drive, Ottawa)
Goodwill (Robertson Rd., Ottawa)
Carleton Place Athletic Ass'n Shop (Carleton Place)
Value Village (Merivale Rd, Ottawa)
Salvation Army (Perth)

The wonderful Miss Twiss offered her 2 cents and shared that she likes Saint Vincent de Paul (have to admit that I have yet to visit this tempting locale), Attic (just gorgeous!) and Aunt Olive's - that one's new to me. I sense a shopping trip coming up


What are some of your favorites?

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