“Thrift shopping is all about going into the thrift shop and having no expectation of what you might find.” — Macklemore
I’ve talked before about the challenges I face when shopping. Whether it’s the crowded grocery store or the dreaded shopping mall, it’s a love-hate thing for me. I enjoy the grocery store, but the mall? Not so much, but this week, I had a lesson in my favorite kind of shopping — the thrift store.
I know some people won’t touch something that’s used. Especially in terms of clothing, some people cannot fathom wearing a sweater or a pair of jeans that someone else wore. Honestly, how would someone even know if another customer tried on a shirt or a blouse at Lord and Taylor before they decided to buy it? And we all know at least one person who buys a dress or a jacket, leaves the tag on, wears it once, and then returns it. It’s not right, but people do it.
For many, though, thrift stores are a mecca of possibilities. There’s so much to find; it’s like a treasure hunt, but everyone’s idea of “treasure” differs. One of my other writing gigs is for a website offering articles, information, and a database of vintage and antique items and their worth. It’s one of the best jobs I’ve ever had because it’s a win anytime you get to write about something you enjoy.
I might not be ready to host an “Antiques Roadshow” episode, but I know a fair amount about vintage pieces, from clothing to décor to housewares. I’m a huge fan of anything that’s old and has history, and I don’t often miss a good score — until this week.
The number-one rule of thrift shopping is that if you like something and can afford it, buy it. Walk away, and it will be gone. I’ve seen customers try to take something out of another person’s cart. Once I’ve spotted something I want, I make a beeline for it, and there are times when someone has shoved past me and gotten the very piece I had in mind. In a split second, you can get outplayed in a thrift store. I wish I could say I got beat by a better thrifter, but that isn’t how it went down.
I spotted a painting for $10. It was an original and signed. I researched the artist, she was the real deal. And yet, like some rank newbie, I stood there for 20 minutes, hemming and hawing about whether or not I should buy it. Did I mention it was $10? That’s well within my budget, but did it come home with me? No, I left it there because something in my head wasn’t working right, or maybe a squirrel went by, and I got distracted, but I LEFT. IT. THERE.
To my vintage-loving friends reading this, please don’t hate me. It was a brain glitch, a momentary loss of the ability to think straight. Did I go back the next day for it? Of course. Was it still there? Of course NOT. I don’t make the rules, but the karma of the vintage world dictates if you walk away from it, you lose. I had snapped a photo of it, so I asked some employees if they had seen it. Explaining that I’d seen it yesterday, one of them looked at me and said, “This is a thrift store. Don’t leave something here if you want it.” Wise words, indeed.
In a big-picture sense (haha, see what I did there), it doesn’t matter. It wasn’t a priceless artwork; it would have been nice to have, but them’s the breaks. It was, however, a life lesson: If you see something you want, if it’s not dangerous or illegal, and you can afford it, go for it.
I will keep at my vintage hunting because it makes me happy, but to the thrift gods, I promise never to be so foolish again.
Brenda Kelley Kim has lived in Marblehead for 50 years, and is an author, freelance writer, and mother of three. Her column appears weekly.