By Lisa Gutierrez on 03/15/2011 
I talked about my favorite thrift store, last April. That was before we moved across town. Before I could head over there every Saturday morning just to browse and always end up with a bag of lovely stuff. I’m sad to report I only get to visit once every month or two. It depends on how busy we are or if we want to visit people over there.
Because a girl needs a good thrift home, the family and I have been regularly visiting shops nearby. There’s actually quite a few around here–a Value Village, Salvation Army, a few Goodwills, and then there are the ohsosweet resale shops run by various churches.
The one we find ourselves visiting most often is aptly named Sunshine. It’s a pretty small shop in a strip center. It’s small to the point of there not being aisles, but rather “roads” around and through stuff. It’s remarkably easy to navigate, though. It’s not messy and I always, always, always find some sort of treasure.
We went there on Saturday and after picking up some melmac teacups, I landed in the craft/fabric/sheets section. It’s really 2 big utility shelves facing each other with a tension rod between them. The fabric and sheets are on one shelf and the other has boxes of craft leaflets among other discarded kits and/or half-done projects. Anyway, I decided I should browse the leaflets. There was no sign telling me how much they were, so I went through and found about 12 that I liked–cross-stitch, knitting, bargello, etc. I also checked out the fabric and found a pretty yellow floral queen sheet and a floral heavyweight piece of fabric.
I waltzed up to the counter with my loot and was informed fabric and linens were half off that day. Score!
Then, I was told the leaflets were 25 cents a piece. The sweet lady asked if that was ok. UHHH YEAH. Double score!
THEN, my darling husband came up to me with a rectangular box. I thought, “oh brother, what now? MORE CARS?!” but NO! It was something for me! Two different Fiskars cutters–an oval and a circle. Dude remembered me nagging about the price of them at Michael’s once. ha! They were still in their original package and there was even a set of replacement blades. All in a convenient case and for $3. Triple score!
All that to say–Sunshine is officially my new favorite thrift store.
By Lisa Gutierrez on 06/29/2010 We moved about 40 minutes away from our old neighborhood. Where we used to live, there were at least 5 thrift stores we visited regularly. I’m sad that we no longer can drive 5 minutes to one of my favorites, but I’m also excited to make new favorites–to explore and discover new gems.
Last Friday, I spent a good hour on google maps, searching for thrift stores in the area. I found a few and was even able to split them up into groups based on location. The biggest had 5, but we had already visited 2 the weekend prior. We set out Saturday afternoon to the other three.
The first two were closed. As in, no longer in business! Big booooo! The last was set to close about 15 minutes after we got there. Luckily, there were still customers scouring the place, so we went in quickly and were pleasantly surprised!
I ended up buying this train case and quilt, along with an 11″x14″ photo frame, a lamp shade, a camera lens filter (it’s 49mm, though, so I can’t use it unless I get a step-down ring), an adorable tote that says “I choose reading,” a beer mug, and a cordless phone. Our grand total? $15. Yeaaah, we were glad the other stores were closed. It made this little thrift victory that much sweeter.
The weather man tells me we’re going to be getting a ton of rain in the Houston area, so I knew this would be the last day in a while for me to get photos. Nathan is spending the day with my mom, so Andrew and I went out back for a bit. I love love love having a backyard. LOVE IT.
I got the sheet & pillowcase seen in the photo below at SeAM, which we visited 2 weekends ago. It had been WEEKS since I thrifted, so I was SO happy to find these vintage linens early in the day.
—
Slightly off-topic, if you have any tips on how to mend small tears in old quilts, I’d be most appreciative. There are a few 1-2″ tears in some of the squares of the quilt. They aren’t on the seams, so I’m wondering what would be the best method to fix ’em up. Thanks in advance!
By Lisa Gutierrez on 05/14/2010
I found two of these at a thrift store. I’m keeping the smaller one and would like to pass along the other (this one). It has 69 spaces for thread spools, minus one missing peg. It’s pretty sturdy (i.e. HEAVY), so keep that in mind if you aren’t in the greater Houston area. It would be great for someone who does a lot of sewing. Or someone who just likes to display their thread. Orrr someone looking for a place to hang jewelry (necklaces, bracelets, rings, etc). Contact me (lisa@goodknits.com), if you are interested. I didn’t pay much and will consider all reasonable offers through the weekend. Thanks so much for looking!
By Lisa Gutierrez on 05/04/2010 When you go into thrift stores, are you a browser or a hunter? I used to be a browser. I would maybe have a list of items I was seeking, sitting in the back of my mind. I’d go up and down aisles, just enjoying the day. Now, though….NOW, I am a hunter. I know what I want, what to look for, and where to go first.
On my list of things to really look for are the following: vintage mason jars, tourist tshirts for my boys, cameras and/or lenses, craft supplies (buttons, zippers, thread, embroidery hoops, YARN, etc.), vintage sheets & pillow cases, and now…train cases. I found a blue one the weekend before last and fell in love almost instantly. I didn’t care how much it was because it was in almost perfect condition. Lo’ and behold, the price was fabulous!
 Fast forward to last Saturday and we visit a thrift store we haven’t really had much luck at in the past. I’ve found a few things now and again, but for the most part we always leave empty-handed. AND…the place is kinda messy. It’s by far the cheapest place, but you reaaally have to look to find stuff. Well, it was my lucky day because not only did I find a 3-pack of Polaroid 600 film (for 99 cents!), a Polaroid One-Step Land camera (50 cents!), and a Polatronic 2350 (which I have no use for), but I found another train case! It wasn’t priced, but the guy at the counter sold it to me for…wait for it……TWO BUCKS! A score, indeed.
A few hours later, when we visit yet another thrift store after dinner (there are like 7 thrift stores all within a 10 minute car ride from us), I find an off-white American Tourister Tiara sitting on a table with old VHS tapes and random junk. I immediately snag it up and put it in my basket. Hu-flippin’-‘ZAH!
So, the blue one is in the best condition. The green one is in the worst. By “worst,” I mean the outside is peeling off a tiny bit. There are a few flecks of wood showing through in the two spots it’s been peeled (~1″), so I could just continue peeling and then re-cover it. I’m waiting for the perfect wallpaper to fall in my lap. The inside of the white one smells like cosmetics. That’s better than cigarettes (as most of the vintage luggage I find does), so I’m not complaining!
What kind of thrifter are you? Anything you *MUST* look for when you’re at a store?
By Lisa Gutierrez on 04/17/2010 
I may be giving away a big thrifty secret. Or I may be preaching to the Houston thrift-store-surfin’ choir. Either way, I’ll say it. My favorite thrift store is a tiny little shop called SeAM. It stands for Southeast Area Ministries. Their shop is located in South Houston and almost every other weekend, the whole place is 50% off. There’s one thing I’ve JUST learned, despite visiting the place every couple of Saturdays (they’re closed on Sundays and are only open til 4 the rest of the week): GET THERE EARLY!
Saturday being our prime thrifting day, because Jason isn’t working, there’s no school, and no big family shindigs (those are reserved for Sundays), we usually end up saving SeAM for last. Well, today, we had an appointment to view a house at 10am, so we stopped by the store on our way home. It was packed with stuff! I found the above thread in a bag for $4. But wait! Today was one of the “50% off entire store” days, so it was only $2! Score! Then, I found a brand-new pack of cotton batting for $2 $1! And an embroidery hoop and some cotton fabric for under a buck. It was pretty rad.
That said, if you’re in the Houston area, you should totally stop by this store. Some days the pickings are bleak, but others…well, others are awesome. Some of my finds include these, this, this garland, and this amazing granny square blanket. And they sometimes have pretty vintage furniture. I never get to get any because….well, we lack the space, at the moment. Or sometimes it’s sold. So, GET THERE EARLY!
That is all. I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!
p.s. Some of the thread was actually tangled together in a bag. I was able to take it apart without having to snip any of it. In order to store it, I busted out the rubber bands. The ends don’t move, now! They’re happily sitting in a big ziploc bag, but I’m open to suggestions on how to store them! They’re so pretty, I’d like to have them in plain sight. Kind of like this thread.
|
Disclosure You may find affiliate links and banners throughout my blog. I earn a small commission from purchases made through these links. It helps pay for keeping this blog running! All reviews and products are items I have personally used and loved. |
